The Rural Voice, 1995-03, Page 20Pork producers get tips for
successful SEWing
Segregated Early Weaning and three -site production a hot topic
at Centralia Swine Research Update Conference
put a group of pork
producers in a room these
days and the topic of
three-sitc production and
segregated early weaning
(SEW) are bound to dominate
the conversation. So it was at
the Centralia Swine Research
Update conference held at
Kirkton, February 1.
From keynote speaker Dr.
Mike D. Tokach's speech to
Dr. Tim Blackwell's dis-
cussion on sanitation, the one
thread running through the day
was the revolution in swine
management. Generally it was
an accepted fact that SEW was
the way of the future, but there
were words of caution.
SEW involves weaning
piglets at an earlier than
normal age and moving them
to a separate nursery facility to
be raised until they arc large
enough to be moved to a
finishing barn. Studies have
shown that the pigs gain more
rapidly and take less time to
get to market. But Dr. Tim
Blackwell, swine health consultant with OMAFRA's
Fergus office, argued that it's cleanliness, not the three -site
production, that makes the difference. In a humorous talk
that enlivened the long day, he claimed that he just got
more and more confused with terms like SEW, Medicated
Early Weaning (MEW), Modified Medicated Early
Weaning (MMEW) and Segregated Rearing (SR). "As vets
we say power wash pens and pigs will grow faster, and
producers say 'so?' Tell them to spend $250,000 and put
the pigs in a clean building and they say 'yes!'"
The secret of SEW is to get pigs into a clean building as
early as possible.
"Off-site weaning systems take advantage of what we
already know about feeding antibiotics, cleaning pens and
all-in/all-out production and then goes one step further.
Instead of performing these practices by pen and by room,
these systems move pigs through an all-in/all-out system
by farm. This greatly reduces the chances that a newly
placed pen of pigs will encounter germs from pigs in
Researchers gave tips, and warnings, about the strengths
adjacent rooms or pens. By
reducing the weaning age to
around two weeks the chances
of pigs encountering bugs on
the sow farm is further
reduced."
In the first two weeks, he
said, piglets are protected by
the immunity given to them in
their mother's milk.
While pigs will survive in
less than sanitary conditions,
Blackwell said, "It takes a lot
of energy and protein to keep
the immune system working."
Dust, ammonia -saturated air
and crowding are a drain on
the immune system. "If E -coli
gets into a pig it has to use
energy to deal with it."
But SEW isn't a cure-all, he
said in a paper circulated to
back up his talk. "When all the
advantages of this off-site
early weaning technology are
added together, pigs grow
about as well as in a well-run,
single -site, high -health herd.
and weaknesses of Segregated Early Weaning Technology This new technology has not
at the Centralia Swine Research Update Conference. redefined how efficiently a pig
can grow but it has provided us with another system by
which we can allow the pig to demonstrate its true biologic
potential."
And there are potential problems with the system, Dr.
Blackwell writes. With upwards of 1,000 piglets
being moved to one facility from multiple sow farms,
even if there is a one in 1,000 chance of carrying infection
from one barn to another, the chances are there will be
infection. Moreover, with the weaners having little
experience with fighting disease there have been reports of
sudden death of 150-200 pound pigs due to E. -coli and
other bacteria which would not commonly cause problems
in pigs of this age.
Many of the advantages attributed to SEW are not
directly related to the technology, Dr. Blackwell said.
"Many of these advantages are simply due to the large
number of pigs involved. Split sex feeding, phase feeding
and marketing advantages are often found in these systems
but are not directly the result of early, off-site weaning.
16 THE RURAL VOICE