The Rural Voice, 1980-05, Page 15had to put very little money into
machinery.
Mr. Stock thinks they do have a lot of
strength in marketing boardsand says in
their case it's good. Since they are a small
operation, they wouldn't otherwise be able
to compete with someone who had 100
hogs a week to sell.
The Stocks sell their pigs to the Pork
Producers Marketing Yard in Stratford.
But Mr. Stock may have one solution to
the hog industry's problems.
"I believe we have to produce quality in
our hogs and this is the time to get rid of
freeloaders and obtain that good quality
gilt," he said, adding that he didn't have to
put very much money out for a good quality
gilt to replace an old sow.
"We had a lot more sows than we've
got now and I don't think our production is
any less now with fewer, but better quality
sows." he said.
Mrs. Stock thinks the main thing they
have to do now, however is to spend as
little as possible, checking everything over,
and making sure what they are buying is a
necessity whether it be for the barn or for
the house.
Ray, 38, his wife Carolyn also 38 and
their two children Michael 11, and
daughter Kimberly, 8 all help to keep
this hog operation going.
Although the hog industry seems to be
in a bit of trouble right now because of high
interest rates and low costs, Mr. Stock.
has his own ideas on what should be done
about the problem.
"The country as a whole is having
difficulty coping with high interest rates,
not just the pork industry and I have no
idea how that will be rectified but pork
producers have only themselves to blame
for overproduction.
"I feel the emphasis should be placed on
producing quality products and Tess on
sheer numbers and this will accelerate
consumer demands and allow the market to
stabilize itself," he said.
Guest Column
"Pig Tales"
Chuck Robbins, D. V.A. discusses swine dysentery
Swine Dysentery or "bloody scours" is
considered by many to be perhaps the most
economically disastrous disease of weaned
pigs. The disease does occur in adult swine
and nursing piglets, but such occurrences
are not common. While death losses are
generally low in most cases, if left
untreated, affected pigs will not gain at the
expected rate. The pigs may also become
chronically affected, becoming "poor -
doing" pigs.
The cause of swine dysentery is general-
ly attributed to be a spirochete, a iarge
bacteria -like organism named Treponema
hyodysenteria. However, because this
same organism can often be found in
otherwise normal animals, many people
believe that stress of some type is involved
in a disease outbreak.
This stress can take many forms.
Weaning itself can be enough to precipit-
ate an outbreak of bloody scours. Transpor-
ting pigs from place to place is another
stressful situation. Environmental stresses
such as poor ventilation, overcrowding,
and sudden changes in the feed can also
trigger an outbreak of swine dysentery.
Health problems, such as pneumonia, are
often followed one to two weeks later by a
bloody scours outbreak.
It is important that this disease be
diagnosed early so that effective treatment
can be initiated. One of the first signs that
will be seen is a decrease in appetite,
accompanied by a mild diarrhea that
spreads rapidly throughout the entire barn.
The manure tends to be a grey colour,
much like wet cement. In time blood will be
seen in the feces. By this time, affected
pigs will be quite thin and in poor
condition. In some cases the first thing that
may be noticed is one or more pigs found
suddenly dean.
Pigs acutely affected with swine dysen-
tery should be medicated via the water.
Feed medication in the face of an outbreak
is ineffective since affected pigs consume
very low amounts of feed. Injectable drugs
are available, but this route of treatment is
impractical in large herd situations. Most
water medications should be continued for
approximately one week. Medicated water
should be provided as the pigs only source
of drinking water during the treatment
period. Certain products are not well suited
for use in medicators, and pigs must be
medicated in troughs, if these products are
used. There are other products available
that dissolve quite readily in water, and
pass through medicators very easily. When
using any medication, be careful to follow
the instructions, especially the withdrawal
times.
Prevention of swine dysentery should be
the goal of every pork producer. There are
several things that can be done to prevent
the introduction of this problem into your
herd. Isolation of your herd, and strict
sanitary measures can help prevent the
spread of infection into your herd.
Ideally, a closed herd, where no new
animals are brought in, is probably the
best preventative measure available.
If you must bring in replacements, or
feeder pigs, try to purchase them from
herds with a known good health status.
New additions should be isolated from your
main herd for a period of time to see if they
show any signs of developing swine
dysentery.
Herds that are or have been affected
with swine dysentery require additional
preventative measures. Once the outbreak
has been cleared up, the feed should be
medicated at preventative levels to avoid
further disease flare-ups. There are several
choices available, and you should consult
your veterinarian to determine which
product is best suited for your operation.
Once again, be certain to observe with-
drawal times.
From a management point of view, there
are several things that can be done to
prevent swine dysentery. Minimize stress-
ful situations such as transporting, dietary
changes, inadequate ventilation, over-
crowding, and poor sanitation. Post mor-
tems, performed by your veterinarian, are
essential for early recognition and efficient
treatment of this disease. While swine
dysentery remains a major problem in the
swine industry today, a serious program of
preventative measures can go a long way
towards reducing both the incidence and
effects of this disease.
TI -It MURAL VOICE/MAY 1980 PG. 13