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Home My WebLink AboutTimes Advocate, 1998-12-30, Page 31Wednesday, December 30, 1998 CONN Times -Advocate Farm news How to raise pigs outdoors itt winter By the Pork Industry Hotline The Christmas season means that there will be 1 more pressure on pork producers to move their hogs to the•slaughter. house, with packing .c plant closures during h the holiday. • The continuing strike •s at Quality Meat Packers will certainly not help the situation because 25,000 extra pigs per week have to find shackle space as' well. • Some. pork producers may be running into sit- uations where they have no place to raise all their hogs inside pig barns. If this situation does occur, what can hog producers do? One of the alternatives is hous- am ing the pigs outdoors for in a short period of time. 2. 1. Building a shelter ke Keeping pigs warm is ou crucial during the win- ter time. However, pro- viding facilities to pro- tect and shelter pigs from weather extremes is more important. Proper design of a shel- ter is critical if it is to provide an acceptable micro -environment. When building a shelter consider the following factors: Pigs need a sheltered, dry place to sleep, oth- erwise, there Is a risk of pneumonia, especially n piglets. Using a solid fence or wall to confine pigs is preferred because in addition to (Wining the pigs it also elps to avoid or reduce wind getting into the helter. It is ideal to build the fence behind pig barns t so that at least one side a of the shelter is solid a wall for a better protec- a tion. Ordinary fencing m does not work that well to for curious piglets (they ti can get through the tini- est holes) but is fine for d most adult pigs. For co piglets, the best alterna- a tive is planks along the 11 fence line. Initially you should put a fair ount of straw or hay the pig's shelter mental conditions. 3. Feeding pigs Hxtremeys of low tem- perature will place the animal in cold stress (below the lower critical temperature), where the pig is forced to signifi- cantly alter its metabol- ic rate to maintain a normal body tempera- ture. The tower critical emperature, a temper- ture below which an nimal must expend dditional energy to aintain normal bodily mperature and func- on, varies. The variation can be ue to specific shelter nditions, age, breed nd genetic composi- on, nutritional status, hair coverage, etc. and on should only be used as a d guide for maintaining a h healthy growing envi- w ronment for pigs. Pigs must be fed a diet w that is above their nor- sh mal maintenance m requirement depending ne on how cold the weath- wa er will be during the Pig upcoming days. They da can be fed either by un using feeders or floor atu feeding. ex Water containers hea should be heavy - con- ,cal crete is perfect - so the inju pigs don't knock them Fo over. Provide warm con water so pigs can have Ind enough time to drink '599 Considering eping pigs tdoors When you do have to keep some pigs outside, consider keeping grow- ing and finishing pigs outdoors first. Growing and finishing pigs are those from about 75 pounds to market weights of 220 or 260 pounds. These older pigs can tolerate a wider range of environ - before the water is frozen. Warm water can help to keep the pigs warmer as well. Feeders and waterers should be readily acces- sible and easy for th pigs to use, minimiz contamination by fere and urine, and no injure the pigs. P P, s t 4. Observing pigs Pigs should be observed on a routine schedule and more fre- quently during special events, such as inclement weather or recovery from illness. Facilities need to be inspected to be sure they are functioning properly. Producers and employees need to act these responsibilities uring normal work ours, nights, and eekends. During observations, aterersand feeders ould be checked: to ake sure pigs basic eds for food and ter are lleing,met. s should be checked ily especially pigs der very cold temper - res. Pigs should be amined for signs of It'h, problems,physi- discomfort, or ries. r more information tact " the' Pork ustry Hotline 1-888- -5584. I Crops update meeting Jan. 12 CLINTON — The Soil and (:rop Improvement Association will be hosting a Crops Update Meeting on Tuesday, January 12th, at the Seaforth Agricultural Society Complex, beginning at 10 a.m. The morning program includes the following speakers and topics: Manure Management in a (ash Crop Operation, Bob McIntosh; Commodity Market Update and Outlook, Colin Reesor; and Soybean Weed Control, Gabrielle Ferguson. After dinner, Steve Twynstra, Great Canadian Bean Company, will be speaking on two topics: Experiences in Growing hemp, and Coloured Bean and White Bean Market Outlook. Jack Campbell will discuss New Opportunities for Marketing Wheat, and Helmut Spieser will be shar- ing ideas on New Technologies in Spray Drift Reduction. Spiesfr will also have a spray pattern table at the meeting for anyone who wishes to test their own nozzles or see the pattern of different nozzle types. During the past couple of years, some farmers have experienced frustrations with reduced tillage _systems. There has also been a renewed interest in deep tillage. To address these topics, Greg Stewart, will provide a review of tillage research. The final topic of the day will include a farmer panel on the Top 10 Best and Worst Management Decisions in the Past Five Years. Preregistration is required to ensure lunch avail- ability. Preregister by calling the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs office in Clinton (482- 3428 or 1-800-265-5170). 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