Day 3 of Asian Agribiz’s Pig Feed Quality Conference streamed yesterday and focused on ‘Solving the pain points in Asian pig production. Led by Art Frio, Technical Director, 1st Ten Consulting Asia Pacific, five speakers offered participants how to troubleshoot critical performance areas in pig production—from the nursery through the gilt and sow. Below are some highlights.
Efficiency crucial in building back pig population
Asia’s pig population is challenged because of a massive drop due to ASF, and efficiency is in building it back. Mr Frio said the pigs/sow/year must go from an average of 16-17 to greater than 25. ”To become globally competitive, the numbers need to increase for the industry as a whole, on par with what Brazil, the US, and EU are doing. With the current high input costs, FCR, mortality, and biosecurity must be managed efficiently, especially at the nursery level as a crucial preparation stage.”
Focus on gilts and weaners
Properly preparing gilts for production and ensuring the weaners perform successfully in the nursery are crucial factors in increasing the pig population in Asia. “If we are to raise the number of pigs/sow/year to 25+, we need to set the nursery as the performance platform for the lifetime success of the pigs,” said Mr Frio. “This is where feed/kg and FCR can indicate what needs to be prepared for a successful yield. Sow productivity would not be possible without proper gilt preparation.”
Good gilt preparation leads to profit
As Asian pig industries recover and rebuild post-ASF, good gilt preparation is the best way to regain profits. Dr Pariwat Poolperm, the founder of Professional Training and Consulting Co Ltd in Thailand, said for farmers must increase their pig population efficiently, and that starts with gilt preparation. “We need to prepare gilts to perform and produce more and good quality piglets for less cost. Good piglet quality with proper management will give the best outcome in performance, leading to profits.”
What farms need to prepare gilt
To properly prepare and acclimatize gilts on farms, Dr Pariwat offered some tips. “Every farm needs to have a gilt pool facility that is at least 200m from the sow unit. Put 6-8 gilts/pen big enough to give space of 1.5-2.0 m2/gilt. This will allow them to move around, especially when they are in heat as they can jump on each other. An appropriated floor which is not slippery and offers easy access to feeders and water nipples are crucial. There must also be easy access for estrus stimulating boars.”
