The Rural Voice, 1981-01, Page 19GUEST COLUMN
Raising pigs - an art or a science
BY RICHARD SMELSKI
OMAF SWINE SPECIALIST
I can remember a past chairman of
the pork producers Mr. Fraleigh, saying
that raising pigs is an art not a science.
This baffled me. Everything you do in the
barn can be scientifically documented -
ventilation rates, formulated rations,
breeding schedules and even records.
This to me is the scientific approach. Yet I
know and you know that there's much
more than raising pigs by the book. It's
recognizing that pig before he scours.
Pigs piling tell you something. Tail
biters, rough hair coats, sneezing, even
the curl on the tail can tell you something
else. But all of these items are
negative indicators. It's like a hockey
team measuring their success by the
goals scored against them.
The thing that cannot be measured is
the psychological stress of an animal.
Even though scientists are measuring
several hormones to get this figure on,
stress, I believe there can be stress on
an animal in just the way the manager
treats them and the state of mind he is in.
Winthrop
GENERAL STORE
OPEN: Monday • Friday till 9:00
Saturday till 7:00
Grocery & Hardware
Work Boots
- Rubber Boots
CEDAR POSTS
FENCE SUPPLIES
45 Gal. Steel Barrels
-Gas-
DOUG & GAIL SCHROEDER
527-1247
I can remember a herdsman of a larger
operation saying he could tell the mood of
his workers just by the way the sows
reacted that day. He would walk through
the barns noting the mood of his workers
just by the nervousness of the sows.
Another owner said his first herdsman
made his sows nervous. They were eating
6.5 Ib. per day and still losing weight. His
new herdsman who is much calmer and
affectionate to pigs, feeds the sows 4.5 Ib.
and they're gaining weight.
Research from the Netherlands show
sows that were treated roughly but not
mistreated averaged 16.5 pigs per sow
per year. Where the herdsman took more
time with the sows, petting them, and
where the pigs were least man -shy, they
had a performance of 21 live piglets per
sow per year. The researcher, Dr.
Hemsworth, says "there seems to be a
direct connection between stress and
conception rates."
When I first started my job, an old pork
producer told me you can tell a good
manager from a poor one just in the way
they unload hogs at the marketing yard.
Some kick, scream and do everything but
carry their pigs off the truck, while others
very quietly and patiently have the pigs
come off the truck with no big scene.
Whether raising pigs is an art or a
science doesn't really matter. Some
people have the natural ability to work
with animals while others develop the
talent through common sense and trial
and error. But the person who doesn't
want to learn more about his pigs and
realy doesn't enjoy his work has the
biggest task of them all. For this reason,
building booms or large operations
should never worry the 'good' managers.
If you enjoy what you're doing, you'll
probably be getting above average pro-
duction.
However, the person, who is building
because he can't get more dairy quota,
his current barn is not producing or needs
more cash flow to buy his tractor, should
take a closer look at his needs. The
producer who know and enjoys the 'art' of
raising pigs should always do a little bit
better.
T. B. ALLEN LTD.
Feed and
SHUQG,
Fertilizer
Call .... 482-3363 523-9606 523-4414
ALLBORO FARMS
have all requirements for • Elevating
• Drying and Storing your Corn
CaII .... 523-4470
Londesboro, Ontario
THE RURAL VOICE/JANUARY 1981 PG. 19