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Using flank to flank measurement to predict sow body weight

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To accurately predict sow body weight by using their flank to flank measurement in order to determine daily feed intake or accurate medication dose.

Goal

To accurately predict sow body weight by using their flank to flank measurement in order to determine daily feed intake or accurate medication dose.

Description of the trick

Being able to accurately predict sow body weight has many advantages and not knowing it has many disadvantages. The two main advantages are using the correct dosage for injectable drugs and
delivering the correct daily feed intake according to estimated body weight for both sows and developing gilts.

Inconveniences?: I have not found any. As you can see, this process can be carried out very quickly. The predictions are based on a good correlation between the measurement of the distance from one flank to the other just in front of the rear legs. The body weight of the animals is indicated in Graph 1 (Iwasawa T., 2004).

Relationship between the measurement from one flank to the other one and the body weight of the sow
Graph 1. Relationship between the measurement of the distance from one flank to the other one (306 sows from 2 farms with different weights)

This system has been used in those farms that decided to complete a disease eradication using very expensive injectable drugs in a high number of sows. In this situation, the savings associated with the accurate dosing of the product was the most important factor. A quicker way for measuring the sows involves dividing the distance to be measured by two (i.e. half the distance) and only measuring the distance from the spine (i.e. mid-point of the back) to one of the flanks (as shown in the photograph).

A quick way for measuring the sows consists in the division of the distance to be measured by two (a half), taking only one measurement: the distance from the spine (central point) to one of the two flanks

The conversion table of these measurments to be used in the farm is as follows:

Distance flank-flank Distance flank-spine Sow weight
Inches Centimetres Inches Centimetres Pounds Kilos
24 61 12 30.5 110 49.90
25 64 12.5 32 122 55.34
26 66 13 33 135 61.23
27 69 13.5 34.5 149 67.59
28 71 14 35.5 164 74.39
29 74 14.5 37 179 81.19
30 76 15 38 196 88.90
31 79 15.5 39.5 214 97.07
32 81 16 40.5 232 105.23
33 84 16.5 42 252 114.31
34 86 17 43 273 123.83
35 89

17.5

44.5 294 133.36
36 91 18 45.5 317 143.79
37 94 18.5 47 342 155.13
38 97 19 48.5 367 166.47
39 99 19.5 49.5 394 178.72
40 102 20 51 421 190.96
41 104 20.5 52 451 204.57
42 107 21 53.5 481 218.18
43 109 21.5 54.5 513 232.69
44 112 22 56 546 247.66
45 114 22.5 57 580 263.08
46 117 23 58.5 616 279.41
47 119 23.5 59.5 654 296.65
48 122 24 61 693 314.34
49 124 24.5 62 733 332.48
50 127 25

63.5

775 351.53

Ref: Iwasawa T. et al., 2004. Comparison of heart girth or flank to flank measurements for predicting sow weight.

Article Comments

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20-Nov-2012 yuliya_bnthanks
27-Dec-2012 wdnhan useful method.Thanks
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