August 19, 2009
Swine expert shares experience on Thai sow farm improvements
Known as an agricultural powerhouse in Southeast Asia, Thailand also boasts of a vibrant swine production. In a seminar held by global feed additive maker Novus in Discovery Suites, Mandaluyong City in Manila, Dr Paiboon Sungnak, Novus' regional swine specialist shared with the Filipino audience the experiences on improving sow performance on some Thai farms.
Sungnak tells that every Thai hog farmer wants to maximize profit at the least cost. Their goal is to maximize volume per sow per year with lesser mortality in nursery and finisher herds. In a powerpoint presentation, Sungnak reveals the following herd performance goals of Thai swine farm owners:
| Pig weaned/sow year | 22-26 pigs/sow |
| Pig sold/sow/year | 20-24 pigs/sow (8-9% loss) |
| Litter/sow/year | 2.3-2.4 litters |
| Weaned pig/Litter | 9.8-11 piglets |
| Average Litter Weight Gains | 2.3 - 2.5 kg/day |
| Farrowing Rate | 85 -92% |
| Replacement/Culling Rate | 35-40% |
| Born Alive Litter Size | 11.5 - 12.5 piglets |
| Pre-Weaning Mortality | <8% |
| Nursery losses | 2-3% |
| G/F losses | 2-3% |
| ADG (Nursery) | 380-480 g/day |
| FCR (G/F) | 2.4 -2.7 |
Using a computerised recording system called "PigLIVE Software", Sungnak says they were able to collect data analysis for the short to long-term trend basis. The software also enabled them to find dominant factors and priorities and create solutions to tentative problems.
In order to achieve these goals, Sungnak said farmers took it as a must to maximise feed intake during lactation. They have also maximised the number of pigs weaned and focused on the health of nursery pigs more than its cost. The farmers also focused in maximising average daily gain and minimise feed conversion ratio (FCR) in grow-finishers. Sungnak also disclosed that owners have utilised skill labour as higher pay are given to labourers with vast farming skills rather than those with educational degrees. Swine owners have also ensured good facilities and advocated good health practices by administering medication and proper biological products. Controlling upstream factors such as the qualities of water, feed, gilt, boar and semen were also religiously practiced in these farms.
Further, Sungnak also shared these farms ensured "happy and healthy gestating sows" by giving them quality air movement (such as using drip cooling fan and evaporative cooling system), special care during the last trimester and moving them gently to the lactation barn. These farms have also optimised the sows' body condition slowly right after services. The farmers have also monitored the body condition scores (BCS) and maintain BCS toward 12 weeks of gestation. The farmers have also increased 10 to 20 percent of feed to maintain BCS after 12 weeks.
The farrowing room were also cleaned and properly disinfected. Vaccinations were also cleared two weeks prior to farrowing. Water quality is also monitored by appropriate treatment, regularly checking the total chloride content as well as its optimum flow rate.
After adopting all these measures, all the participating farms were close to achieving the performance goals and according to Sungnak, the Thai swine industry intend to follow these steps to ensure a more vibrant hog industry especially during these hard times. Other speakers during the conference were Dr Felipe Navarro, Novus' global swine team leader who discussed key parameters in improving weight gain and pigs weaned per sow per year; and Dr Robert J. Harrell, Novus' swine research and development manager who spoke on nutritional tools to improve sow performance and farm profits.
