Innovative farrowing box Balance Floor to decrease piglet mortality

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The farrowing pen with Balance Floor is an innovative design that has been on the market for several years. The idea behind this concept is a movable floor, which to a large extent prevents piglets from being crushed by the mother.

As soon as the sow stands up, she hits three sensors and the movable floor, on which the sow stands, is raised approximately 20 cm (using cylinders). The piglets cannot climb on this plateau during the first week of life, which is the most critical phase. As soon as the sow lies down the floor gradually descends. In the moment the sow lies down, the risk of crushing injuring/killing the piglets is reduced.

Animal welfare is significantly increased, because the number of piglets that are lost due to crushing is reduced by 80%. The risk of piglets partially trapped or crushed by the mother is also lower. For example, piglets’ claws remain better intact. Any pathogens present do not have a ‘porte d’entrée’ via a wound. This results in better animal health and less need for antibiotics.

As more piglets survive, production data, such as the weaned piglets per sow per year, also rise.

There are also advantages for the farmer. Because there is less risk of crushing, the farmer can keep the piglets with the sow with a more comfortable feeling. There is also time savings, because fewer, if any, inured piglets have to be monitored continuously.

Buying a sheep without health hazards

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Firstly, one should avoid buying small batches of animals from different origins. Quarantine is always recommended when introducing new animals. It may not prevent all risks, but it can prevent the introduction of diseases such as scabies or footrot.

Indeed, scabies carriers can appear perfectly healthy on arrival if they are still in the incubation phase. To counteract this risk, some administer a suitable antiparasitic as soon as the animal arrives. The risk of introducing footrot on the farm makes it necessary to check the feet as soon as the animals arrive in order to avoid buying affected or doubtful animals.

Even if it is impossible to manage all risks, especially those related to abortive diseases such as Border Disease, Visna-Maedi or Johne’s disease, it is important to know the health status of the seller’s herd.

The mixture of animals from several origins in a new environment can also favour the accelerated emergence of diseases such as ecthyma, scabs on the feet, caseous abscesses (CLA), keratitis. These episodes are more painful when pregnant ewes are included due to the increased risk of abortions.

When buying ewe lambs or rams, it is recommended to buy animals with health guarantees and to give preference to animals qualified by the selection centres.

Environmental control in the farrowing unit

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The piglet phase is one of the most critical for two reasons: the piglet’s immune system is developing and it is starting to be exposed to pathogens. Because of this, it is necessary to establish correct environmental control to reduce the presence of diseases and produce a stronger and more robust piglet at weaning.

The different temperature needs of the piglet (28-33ºC) and the sow (18-22ºC) make it necessary to design systems that allow these 2 “environments” in the same room.

To ensure correct environmental control in the farrowing unit, three factors must be taken into account:

1.Ventilation

The design of the ventilation of a maternity depends on multiple variables (length, and width of the building, etc.). In a practical way, it can be summarized as follows:

Ventilation must be forced and ideally part of automatic environmental control by means of probes, regulators and curves.

Ideally, the air should enter through a false ceiling with the aim of distributing all the new air evenly throughout the room. This ventilation method also allows the air to be preheated before reaching the area where the animals are.

2. Heating

In the case of the piglets, the most highly recommended heating method is a nest with an electric plate and a self-adjusting light source. With this system the optimum temperature for the piglets is achieved without increasing the electrical expenditure. In addition, the sow area will remain at the correct temperature.

3. Type of floor

Plastic is recommended for ease of cleaning and comfort of the animals. It is important that the floor drains correctly, to have a dry and clean floor available for the piglets.

Purchasing policy and quarantine of breeding gilts

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What measures can you take to mitigate the risk of disease introduction to your farm when purchasing live breeding stock?

First, try to avoid the purchase of live breeding stock to minimise the risk of introducing diseases through live animals. If you do purchase breeding animals, take the following measures into account:

  • Always buy from the same supplier, to avoid contamination from multiple farm disease profiles. This helps to prevent new diseases being brought in, against which there may not yet be immunity on your farm.
  • Ensure that your supplier has the same or a higher sanitary status than your own farm for the diseases for which (official) control programs exist.
  • Limit the purchasing frequency. The more often animals are purchased and delivered, the higher the chance of disease transmission.
  • Ensure that the vehicles which deliver the animals are thoroughly cleaned and disinfected between each delivery so that they do not bring any germs from a previous company onto your farm.
  • Make sure that the gilts are always first housed in a quarantine. If done correctly, the purchased animals can be thoroughly evaluated for disease symptoms, and the necessary vaccinations can be carried out.

A good quarantine:

  • Is an entirely separate air volume (i.e. separated from other stables, both above and below ground).
  • Has a distinct hygiene lock in which you can change footwear and clothing and wash your hands when entering and leaving the stable.
  • Is only refilled after it is completely empty and has been cleaned and disinfected.
  • Should be long enough (at least 28 days recommended). Bear in mind that for some infectious diseases (ex. M. hyopneumoniae) a longer quarantine is necessary. A 40-day quarantine is undoubtedly not a superfluous luxury.

Optimal housing for healthy and less stressed dairy cattle

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Housing conditions influence the health of dairy cows and significantly reduce unexpected expenses. Sometimes minimal changes without too much expense can have a significant effect on the health, welfare and productivity of a dairy herd.

Photoperiod, remote surveillance, regular hygiene, cow comfort, heat stress prevention, and providing enrichment activities are practical actions that a farmer can take into account in providing optimal housing conditions for dairy cows. Also, there should be provided natural ventilation, sloping and non-slip floors, and a drinking front accessible to the entire population. Free stables offer the highest degree of satisfaction with welfare standards compared to tied stables.

Regardless of the accommodation system, the animals must have a comfortable and dry resting area. It is recommended to set up a dedicated accommodation space for different age groups and different operating facilities for veterinary care.

An important role is also played by the quality of the milking system chosen by the farmer. It is already known that automated milking facilities ensure the hygienic quality of milk, but not all small farms are able to invest in modern automated systems.

Last but not least, it must be kept in mind that regular shelter hygiene is essential for maintaining animal health and prevents unforeseen additional costs.

The influence of low temperature on dairy cows

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The low temperature below the thermal neutrality zone influences the comfort, health and production of dairy cows. The thermal comfort in the dairy cow depends on age, breed, feed intake, production, housing conditions, body fat deposits, skin condition and animal behavior. The function of thermoregulation becomes functional after the disappearance of the blood fructose, respectively after 6 days in calves.

The effect of the low temperature on the metabolic and physiological adaptation for dairy cows is identified by: increased consumption of dry matter, increased frequency of rumination, increased motility of the gastrointestinal tract, increases basal metabolic rate and energy requirement for the maintenance of vital functions, consumption of body oxygen, increases heart rate, increases adrenaline, cortisol and growth hormones, lipolysis, glycogenogenesis, glycogenolysis, increases production of liver glycogen. At the level of the body, peripheral vasoconstriction occurs, the reduction of heat loss through sweating and the increase of thermogenesis.

In the Holstein-Frisien breed, milk production remains constant in the range -10 … 12°C, while in Jersey breed the production gradually decreases to below + 5°C (explained by the low body weight).

In order to alleviate cold stress, the following are recommended: measures to prevent the freezing of water and water storage tanks, increasing the amount of feed, especially high-energy feed, preventing the increase of humidity inside the shelter, keeping the udder dry by using dry bedding.

The prevention and control of mastitis in sheep

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Mastitis is a major a problem in dairy farming, being a threat to animal health and welfare, production efficiency, and product quality. Mastitis is the result of contagious pathogens such as Streptococcus agalactiae, Mycoplasma spp. and Staphylococcus aureus, entering the mammary gland via teat canal, establishing an intramammary infection (IMI) and resulting in an inflammatory reaction. The disease can be in a clinical or subclinical form. 

In the subclinical form; milk production decreases, bacteria are present in the secretion, and composition is altered. Transmission of contagious mastitis pathogens mainly occurs during milking. Bedding is also very closely related to the bacteria exposure of the sheep since teats may be in direct contact with bedding materials which are a  primary source of mastitis causing pathogens. 

Tests have to be used to detect the presence of intra-mammary infections (IMI) either directly (culturing of the causative bacterium) of indirectly (by showing inflammatory response including an elevated somatic cell counts-SCC). 

A vaccination program is recommended to be included in the control of mastitis together with hygiene methods in sheep flocks. Mastitis treatment may contribute to reduced transmission of infection, but antimicrobial treatment of mastitis is not always successful. When treatment fails, removal of the infected animals from the flock, to prevent contagious transmission, may be necessary. 

The implementation of biosecurity measures such as: 

  1. good husbandry and milking practice with regular maintenance of the milking machine, and 
  2. use of post-milking teat disinfection  

can prevent introduction and transmission of mastitis in dairy ruminants, and consequently, reduce antibiotics usage. 

Optimal housing conditions for sheep

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Housing conditions, including ventilation rate, temperature, humidity, bedding and stocking density, are directly correlated with health, welfare and performance of dairy ruminants. Bedding materials contaminated with animals’ excreta (urine, dung, manure) have increased microbial growth, resulting in mastitis problems which increase somatic cell count in milk and umbilical cord infection in lambs.

Bedding conditions (moisture, temperature, pH), combined with limited ventilation rate also affect atmospheric ammonia concentration, which above a critical value (25 ppm) negatively affects animals health and welfare.

Gaseous ammonia is a severe irritant to the respiratory tract, capable of inhibiting the efficiency of the respiratory system at high levels. Slowed breathing, coughing, eye, mouth and nose irritation, poor weight gain, decreased resistance to diseases are some of the main symptoms of high ammonia concentration.

Production indices such as feed intake, feed conversion efficiency and productivity are all adversely affected in sheep and lambs by exposure to ammonia levels above 50 ppm.

Thus, an adequate ventilation rate in the animal house to renew the atmospheric air in it, keeping the moisture levels of bedding to minimum, more frequent replacement of bedding, and lower stocking densities are some of the main good practices to reduce the atmospheric ammonia level in animal houses. This helps to reduce the risk of infections and the use of antibiotics for their treatment.

Prevention of lameness in dairy herds

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Diseases of the hoof affect the welfare of the animal and require expensive treatments, with negative effects on milk production and reproductive activity. Studies conducted worldwide estimate that the prevalence of laminitis is between 20 and 30%. The dairy cow is expected to produce large amounts of milk, often leading to combined problems of the udder and hooves. The pressure on the cow’s body to produce milk determines a metabolic stress that decrease her immunity.

The main causes of diseases of the hoof in cows are: high stocking densities in the stable; poor quality of the floor on which the cow treads, frequent changes to grouping, excessive energy and protein from the feed ration, and genetics (the problems of the hooves are inherited through breeding).

Several measures can help to prevent hoof diseases in dairy cows, such as: maintaining good hygiene in the shelters, keeping the floors of the barn clean and dry; bathing the hoof of the cows before or after leaving the milking parlour and maintaining the same bath for a period of 2-3 days; periodic trimming, at least 2-3 times a year; feeding rations which are energy and protein balanced during the transition period; reducing the frequency of modifications to the feed rations; and ensuring feeds utilise good quality fats according to nutritional requirements.

In the dry period, the concentrated feed should be reduced, or even eliminated, from the ration, and after calving the inclusion of concentrates should gradually increase. The addition of Zinc to the ration has favourable effects on the skin and the hooves. Furthermore, animal breeding should be directed towards obtaining animals with strong bones, correct statutre and resistance to hoof diseases.

The transition period of the dairy cow

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The transition period is considered critical for the dairy cow and refers to the 3 weeks before calving and 3 weeks after calving. During this period the cow becomes vulnerable as physiological, metabolic and nutritional changes occur. This period can negatively influence the subsequent lactation of the cow, with implications on production and reproduction performance and implicitly on profitability. The manner in which this period is maintained are reflected in the frequency of postpartum disorders (milk fever, abomasum displacement, placental retention).

During the last three weeks of gestation, the cow’s body is under pressure from the rapid growth of the foetus, and from the synthesis of milk components for the subsequent lactation. Plasma insulin concentration decreases during the transition to the foetus and somatotropin increases rapidly between the end of pregnancy and the beginning of lactation.

At the beginning of lactation, the cows mobilize the body reserves (5-8% of the calving weight), the appetite is low and capricious (the ingesta is lower by 45%), the nutritional balance, especially the energy balance, is negative, the lactation curve is in ascension.

The main measures to support the transition period: grouping of cows (ante partum and post partum) in special areas (maternity); feeding balanced diet in terms of ionic (DCAD); maintaining good hygiene of the rest bed; ensuring optimal levels of carbohydrates, which stimulate propionate production; urinary pH monitoring (pH less than 5.8 leads to decreased feed intake and immune imbalances, pH over 7.2 leads to postpartum paraplegia and placenta retention).