Articles - Management

How to improve the characteristics of a chain as environmental enrichment. The secret is pigs being able to play together.

How is the growing demand for greater animal welfare on farms articulated?

New regulations allow farmers to administer general anaesthesia to piglets via inhalation of isoflurane. This is how the German swine industry is adapting so far.

Is it best to separate gilts from sows? Which biosecurity measures are most important? In this article, four renowned veterinarians discuss their recommendations.

To conclude this series of articles, swine reproduction and artificial insemination specialist Javier Gil explains the importance of proper post-service management in terms of when to move sows and how to feed them.

Changes at weaning can have significant detrimental impacts on the piglet's gastrointestinal tract structure and function. Sexual dimorphism, weaning weight, and weaning age play a role.

Pros and cons of rendering carcass disposal systems, alkaline hydrolysis, anaerobic digestion, gasification, and homogenization.

A high dose of oxytocin given in the 16 h following the end of farrowing prolongs the colostral phase which can improve the quality of milk in early lactation.

We continue our series of articles in which swine reproduction and artificial insemination expert Javier Gil shares key points about proper management to improve fertility and prolificacy. This article addresses the criteria to establish correct insemination methods.

New approaches and technologies in objective monitoring of biosecurity reduce the risk of non-compliance or failure in application.

In this article we will talk about how to start a farm from a human resources point of view: how and where to look for and organize workers.

In the fourth article of our series, we review the opinions from our group of global swine health experts on the potential relationship, if any, between the rise in nursery mortality that some countries have observed over the last few years and antibiotic reduction strategies.

The movement of live animals out of the farm can compromise farm biosecurity. A meticulously designed transfer facility and safe load out protocols are key to prevent the risk of cross contamination.

In this series of articles about internal biosecurity we will review McRebel and other strategies that we perform to control the movement of pathogens within the farm as we complete our daily work

For several years now, post-cervical insemination has become common on most pig farms. In this article we review with Javier Gil, a specialist in swine reproduction and artificial insemination, what to keep in mind in order to do this technique correctly.

3D cameras placed above pig pens can automatically detect changes in tail posture, serving as an early warning system to alert farmers before tail biting outbreaks occur.

This second article analyzes data for the breedings done on weekday holidays in Spain in 2018, although the results can be extrapolated changing the dates for those holidays celebrated in each country.

In the best case, farrowing within a batch usually happens over the course of three days, and in the worst case can last longer than a week, creating different lactation lengths...

I had many great examples where the results of a farm were really the product of one person pushing for excellence. Best people will implement the science we taught them, nonetheless, their day to day work and observations will bring it to a higher level.

We propose a 2.5-week batch management system with weaning on several consecutive days.

This second article on the assessment of truck cleaning and disinfection describes how to carry out and evaluate the results of microbiological validation and adenosine triphosphate detection.

How does the number of pigs per feeder hole and the group size influence growth performance and ear and tail lesions?

What are the most important points to include when auditing the cleaning and disinfection of a truck that has transported pigs? In this article we focus on visual inspection.

Suicide in farmers is more than six times as high compared to all other workers. But stressful conditions do not have to end in suicide.