Page 13 - APN Jan 2017

Pig Farm Perspective
by Bruce the brainy pig
GRAIN MILLING SPECIALIST
ARE there ways we can become more effi- cient during lactation?
Do we allow our high-performing dairy cows to reach their full potential?
That was not a spell- ing mistake – it is a fact that the modern- day sow produces more milk per kilogram of body weight than a dairy cow.
So, the question now becomes, if genetics and nutrition are op- timal, should we be looking over the fence to see what we should be doing differently for our short pink dairy cows?
Postpartum dysga- lactia syndrome in sows has been linked to several pig-specific issues (usually associ- ated with stress) within the farrowing house including moving preg- nant sows less than four days pre-farrow, inducing farrowing, ad-lib feeding without transition period and frequent farrowing su- pervision.
The Australian dairy industry reports im- pacts in milk produc- tion to be influenced by extrinsic factors includ- ing feed intake, stress, mycotoxins, clinical disease, lameness and heat stress – all have been found to dramati- cally affect lactation in
dairy cows.
Not surprisingly,
studies are starting to filter through of the same impacts in sows.
One such study found raising the ambient temperature in the far- rowing house from 20C to 29C reduced lacta- tion from 10.43kg/day of milk to 7.35kg/day of lower-quality milk (reduced fats and pro- teins).
Another significant impact in milk produc- tion that is measurable and applicable to sows from cows is lameness.
One study determined the effect from lame- ness in dairy cows over a 306-day average lac- tation and calculated the loss in milk produc- tion per cow was 360kg of milk.
The same study also concluded that lame- ness had effects on milk production and reproductive perform- ance five months after treatment began, which is staggering to consid- er the long-term effects on production prompt lameness treatment can have.
This also begs the question: are we get- ting reduced milk pro- duction as a result of untreated lameness and we are just not able to measure it as efficient- ly as in cows?
An interesting adop-
tion into the European dairy industry is the use of cow brushes in dairies.
Automatic cow brushes (think of drive-through car wash brushes for cows) are used extensively throughout Europe, with an estimated 18 million dairy cows us- ing brushes every day.
Producers have found they reduce stress as- sociated with milking and several studies have found their use can increase lactation percowbyupto1kgof milk per day over the entire herd, which is a huge financial benefit per cow, per lactation.
Similar benefits have also been found with providing shedded dairy cows with their own cow mattresses to reduce lameness, skin lesions and improve the overall comfort of cow stalls.
Are these options we should be looking at for pigs to improve com- fort and lactation in the farrowing house or are there other options we should be considering?
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Australian Pork Newspaper, January 2018 – Page 13
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