The Rural Voice, 2005-04, Page 24CANADA
SERVICE CENTRE INC.
- 479 MacEwan Street, Goderich • N7A 4M1-
YOUR
M1-
YOUR LOCAL SUPPLIER ISO 9002 REGISTERED
We carry a wide variety of
steel including hot rolled flats,
angles. tubing. sheet, plate,
beams. rebar, mesh matts,
expanded metal, stainless.
aluminum, cold rolled flats.
angles. If we don't have it
here. we'll find it for you as we
have other branches to source
material. Our services are
sandblasting, priming, cut to
size. shearing, and free
delivery.
Visit our website at
www.canadasteel.ca
Please Call:
TOLL FREE: 1-888-871-7330
PHONE: (519) 524-8484
FAX: (519) 524-2749
PORK
PRODUCERS!
Are You Looking For These Results?
Increased Feed Conversion,
Reduced Mortality,
Lower Medication & Vet Bills.
Decreased Pathogen Loads
in the Manure,
Improved Livestock Health,
Improved Farm Bottom Line Profits!
WE CAN HELP
SEE OUR RESEARCH RESULTS
ON THE WEB!
Bio -Ag Consultants & Distributors
P.O. Box 189
Check Out o
Wellesley. Ontario
Bio -Ag Progrotn
NOB '_'T0
For Your Pigs
Phone: 800-3635278
Fax: 519-656-2534
Today!
www.bio-ag.com
Working
With eh
Nature -
Call 1-800-363-5278
for a Dealer Near You!
NaturaIl BIO -AG
When choosing an insurance company,
look for the one that's your neighbour.
As your needs change—so do our products. Because we're owned and
represented by local people—your neighbours—we understand the kind of
insurance protection you want.
In association with 48 Ontario farm mutuals, we make up one of the most
financially secure insurance networks in the world.
Place your trust in us—because we're YOUR insurance company.
Germania Farmers' afill
Mutual Insurance Co. Established 1878
Ayton
AMembar Of The 519-665-7715 or 1-800-265-3433
in OmaraMutual Insurance Associatan www.germaniamutual.com
20 THE RURAL VOICE
stall. It can be made more efficient in
terms of space and capital costs by
"time-sharing" the feeding stalls
among several groups of sows with
each group of sows released from
their loafing area in rotation for a
once -a -day visit to the feeding stalls.
The system essentially trades lower
capital costs for higher labour costs,
Gonyou said, but it does give the
stockperson opportunity to observe
each animal as it goes to the stall and
eats. Various procedures, from
treatment to pregnancy checking or
breeding can be carried out while the
sow is in the stall.
Large, static social groups can
be managed in this system,
however, Gonyou describes
sow movement to the feeding stalls
as a stampede and advises facilities
must be designed for the safety of
both the animal and the stockperson.
"Preliminary results from a study
using large social groups and time-
shared feeding stalls indicates that
sows in groups have less lameness
and fewer abrasions than did sows in
conventional stalls, but had more
scratches," Gonyou said. It's not
clear if the drop in lameness was due
to daily movement to the feeding
area or to the bedded loafing area, he
said.
For sows in group housing
systems, the greatest control over
individual feed intake comes through
electronic sow feeders. Each pen of
animals has one or more feeding
stations which the animals cycle
through to obtain their daily
allowance. Each sow carries a
transponder which signal the
computer to dole out the amount of
feed required, even changing the
allotment as the animal progresses
through pregnancy.
"Theoretically, all size and body
condition combinations can be
housed together as each can have a
separate feeding program," Gonyou
said.
There were early problems with
these technically -complex systems
but most companies have developed
reliable equipment and support
systems now, he said. However
stockmen have to be computer
literate to use this system.
The relative cost of the system
depends on the number of sows that
are fed at one station. The larger the
number of sows, the lower the cost