PigEasy, LLC, a family owned company based in Templeton,
Iowa, was recently awarded a master distributorship of Prairie Pride products from
Olivet, South Dakota. Prairie Pride, a subsidiary of PW Aire Technologies, has
been a manufacturer of equipment for the hog and poultry industries since 1981
and is best known for developing the polybin.
Founded by lifetime producer, Dave Klocke, PigEasy, LLC is
focused on increasing pig production and operational efficiency through their
line of innovative products. In addition, all Prairie Pride products will be
available through PigEasy, along with the option to haul and install on site.
“Prairie Pride Polybins fit in well with the PigEasy
philosophy; that simple changes in your operation can make huge impacts on
production and efficiency,” Klocke stated. “Prairie Pride Polybins make feed
storage and management easy and hold up over twice as long as a typical feed
bin. That is why teaming up with Prairie
Pride makes a lot of sense.”
PigEasy will serve territory for Prairie Pride throughout
western and central Iowa as well as eastern Nebraska and southwest Minnesota.
Prairie Pride by PW Aire developed the polyethylene feed storage bin over 35
years ago and continues to have success throughout North America as the bins
are corrosion resistant and allow producers and feed suppliers a visible feed
level to avoid feed outages.
Prairie Pride polybins are known for their
high durability that stand up to extreme temperatures and weather
conditions. Bins are available in a
range of sizes with the most recent development of the 9’6” diameter polybin,
ranging in 12-17 ton capacity. To learn
more about Prairie Pride polybins, bin accessories and the PigEasy product
line, visit www.pigeasy.com or call (888)
354-0112.
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PigEasy, LLC
31423 Jade Avenue
Templeton, IA 51463
(888) 354-0112
This line struck me recently during one of our conversations
on gilt development at KFI (Klocke Farms, Inc). It’s been drilled into us that
how a gilt performs on her first parity affects her lifetime production, so our
herd’s overall success suffers if we don’t make an effort to prepare gilts as
they move into the breeding barn.
KFI early cull rates significantly lowered
after MealMeter implementation.
In the first post of the series on lifetime production, we
discussed some of the lifetime production successes we’ve seen at KFI. One of
the most important accomplishments is lowering the total number of early culls,
(sows culled before the 4th parity) as it is noted that sows do not reach profitability until after her third parity. We attribute much of it to how we feed incoming gilts, but that is not meant to downplay all the additional efforts of
our crew every day in terms of gilt development.
Every sow farm has their own set of tricks that are vital to
their success with incoming gilts. And while no two sow farms run identical
protocols, here are four factors I feel contribute to our positive reproductive
performance with gilts.
1. Build Trust with Staff
It all begins in the GDU.
Too often the only time gilts interact with the breeding staff is during
quick walk throughs and vaccinations. At KFI, our breeding staff spend more
time in the pens every day so trust is built between them and the incoming
gilts.
There’s a reason why nurses at the doctor’s office take the
time to coo, coddle and hand out sugar free lollipops after the shots; so the
kids don’t run in the opposite direction the next time they have a doctor
visit. The same goes for the GDU; spending that time upfront with gilts to earn
their trust goes a long way and will benefit you throughout the animal’s lifetime.
2. Immunity Acclimation
This next item has held many names at the farm and we are
lucky our consulting vet filled us in on this idea years ago. In order to
acclimate the new gilts to the sow farm, we collect the feces 1-3 days post
farrow from both sows and pigs every week. The “collection” is transferred over
to the deep freeze where we pour a thin layer into multiple buckets. We layer
each week until the buckets are full (and become a layered “poo-cube”).
The staff places one of these “poo-sicles” in every pen of
the isolation barn a few weeks after their arrival. Because it is cold and
gilts are curious creatures, the “poo puck” moves around the pen and exposes
each animal to all the farm bugs.
This is an easy and effective way to acclimate each gilt as
it doesn’t fall through the slats, it’s intriguing to the animals and provides
a good cross section of the pathogens prevalent on the farm.
(More on this at a later date!)
3. Daily Boar Exposure
After gilts reach 5 months of age, we feel it is important
for them to be familiarized with the on-site boars. This way when mating occurs
they are already comfortable with the sights, sounds and smells of the boar.
We begin with a trustable boar and let him loose in the
aisle next to the pens every day. When a staff member is close by, we later
allow the boar to walk in the pen with the individual.
The gilt deals with a lot of change in a short amount of
time when moved to the breed row, so it is important to alleviate any
adrenaline inducing factors if you can. That leads me to my last point…
4. Reduce Limited Intake Days
MealMeter feed dispenser
Prior to the MealMeter’s inception, our farm had
difficulties getting gilts up to optimal feed intake prior to being bred in
their new environment. Consultants said gilts just need to get used to their
individual maternity pens and that just takes time.
After observing gilts in their new environment, Dave
realized it was less the individual maternity pen and more how a gilt is fed.
Gilts are used to eating what they want, when they want it throughout the day
like a market hog. Then we move them to individual maternity pens and drop a
large amount of feed in a trough and expect them to consume it in a short
amount of time before the water turns on or the feed becomes stale.
The MealMeter has become a tool that transitions gilts from
eating like a market hog to eating like a sow. We increased our parity 1
production and in the long term increased the overall production on our farm by
implementing the MealMeter pre breed and in lactation.
By focusing on gilt development and their success out the
gate, you allow each animal the ability to reach their genetic potential, which
proves to be a long term return on investment throughout the animal’s lifetime.
For more information, please call 888-354-0112.
Until next time,
Katie
This blog post is Part #2 in a series on the long term benefits of the MealMeter. Sign up for email updates to be notified when the next post is featured.