The Rural Voice, 1994-05, Page 42They're quite capable of weaning
in excess of 22 pigs per sow per
year. The gilts' genetics promote
lean offspring. Our Hamp x
Duroc boars transmit outstanding
growth capabilities to their
offspring allowing customers using
our gilts and boars to capitalize on
the genetic potential of these
animals with rapid growth and high
lean yield."
They also offer purebred gilts
and boars of the Duroc, Landrace
and Yorkshire breeds. In particular
the Smalls' Yorkshires stand out.
They comprise about 75 per cent
of the total herd at Naturally Pigs
and are considered to be among
the best in Canada.
Naturally Pigs maintains an
Excellent" health status
rating by the Animal Industry
Branch of OMAF, the highest
health rating possible in Ontario,
ensuring customers of getting
healthy stock.
What this means is that all
stock is free of micro -plasma
pneumonia, mange, lice, swine
dysentery, TGE, pseudo rabies,
brucellosis, leptospirosis, or any
other persisting disease or
condition and no significant clinical
signs of rhinitis. This is monitored
by OMAF veterinarians through
the use of regular inspections on
the farm as well as regular
slaughter checks.
NA blood -testing for the PSS
D
gene responsible for
producing PSE pork has
been ongoing in the past year and
is continuing. Currently all Hamp x
Duroc F1 boars being produced
are guaranteed free of the PSS
gene. Many of their other boars
and gilts are also free of this
gene.I In the very near future all
breeding stock sold by Naturally
Pigs will be free of this gene.
Small readily admits he's not
located in the heart of the swine
industry so service is important.
Two or three years ago he began
offering to deliver stock right to the
buyer's door at no extra cost and
the service has paid off in higher
sales and satisfied customers.
Small is also conscious of keeping
his customers happy with after-
sales service. Problems with stock
are promptly dealt with.0
38 THE RURAL VOICE
Advice
Drafts on pigs
and how
to measure them
When we do a quick evaluation of
the quality of the ventilation in a pig
barn, we generally check whether the
temperature is adequate and the
humidity and odour levels are
acceptable. From the pig's point of
view, the air speed at his level may
well be a more important factor.
And air speed of as low as 40-50
ft./min. (0.2-0.25 m/s) can start
scouring away (maybe a bad term to
use with pigs?) the boundary layer of
still air next to his body. This
increases his heat loss and makes him
feel cold. This is the same
phenomenon as the wind -child factor
that we are all familiar with.
In the past, we have used propane -
fired smokers to view the air patterns
within a room. However, they tend to
miss the subtleties of air movement
down at the pig level. Further, they
can throw a six foot flame rather than
smoke if the oil is too cold which,
from my experience, can catch the
attention of a farmer but not his
confidence.
Two other devices are far better.
The first is your own hand. It turns
out that at normal room temperatures
most people can just perceive an air
speed of 40-50 ft./min. air speed, the
same minimum speed which the pig
would call a draft. This is a handy
test (no pun intended) as there is no
equipment involved and with
practice, is quite useful in
discovering problems.
The second device is the smoke
pencil. These are glass pencils filled
with clay particles impregnated with
sulphuric acid. You break the ends
off and blow air through the tube
which creates a white vapour with a
neutral buoyancy. This is better than
the wet hand test as it gives a visual
presentation of the air movement so
you can see the direction and
intensity of the air speed.
Normally, you use a rubber bulb
to push the air through the tubes.
However, if you attach a length of
plastic hose (eg. gas line hose from
an auto supply store) to the tube and
blow through it (remember to blow
and not suck) you will get a denser
smoke due to the higher humidity in
you breath.
Each pencil should last about 15-
30 minutes depending on how much
you use it and cost about $3.50 each
(sold in packets of 10). They are
available from: Drager air current
tubes — Safety Supply of Canada,
Richmond Hill (905) 222-4111;
Gastec air current tubes — Levitt -
Safety Ltd., Oakville (905) 829-
3296.0
— Franklin Kains
OMAFRA Swine
Housing Specialist
Pork Congress
seeks innovators
Each year the Ontario Pork
Congress in Stratford sponsors an
Innovators Competition to provide a
forum for Ontario's pork producers
to share their innovations and ideas
with other producers.
The 1994 Innovation Competition
features:
* Twenty-one of the best innovations
will be displayed at the Congress and
voted on by those attending.
* Cash prizes awarded for top
innovations, featuring $1,000 for first
place.
* Those voting will be eligible for an
all expenses paid weekend for two in
Toronto.
*All 21 innovations will be published
in the Ontario Hog Farmer.
Your innovation may apply to any
segment of pork production such as
feeding, breeding, production,
financial management, disease
prevention, manure management,
ventilation, labour saving devices,
energy use efficiency or
conservation. The innovation need
not be complex — often a simple
idea is very beneficial.
A list of the rules and regulations
and an entry form are are included in
the current issue of the Pork News &
Views, or can be obtained at the local
OMAFRA office.0