Heat Wave! How Do I Mitigate Breeding Failure
With the sudden increase in environmental temperature whether indoor or outdoor it is worth considering the following precautions in order to mitigate as much as possible breeding failure:
Spend more time with the weaning to service sows and the replacement gilts of the current service group
Ensure regular cooling of body temperature is available
Misting (improvise if no system in place)
Create and/or maintain wallows
Open all vents/windows/curtain sides
Check animals under shades as the sun moves through the day to ensure they remain in shade
Pay attention to the last 5 consecutive weekly service groups or the last two service batches
Check and maintain the water supply rate and manage water intake availability to all animals equally at feeding times
Ensure social order distress is managed (use stabilizing ‘catch’ boar influence if necessary…move them through the animal groups)
Maintain the recommended feed intake and consider early/late feeding…even if it means the whole herd to ensure no overall disturbance
Observe consecutive weekly service groups 6 to pre-farrowing or the 3 to 4 service batches consecutive from the 2 already being observed as above…paying attention to the points outlined above
Spend more time with the natural service and/or self-collect boars it is imperative that their normal body temperature is maintained
Regularly observe boars at rest through the day for any signs of distress
Record any with elevated body temperature
Consider increasing/ordering the semen supply to cover for the next 6-8 weeks any boar that experiences an elevated body temperature
Check and maintain the water supply rate
Maintain the recommended feed intake and consider early/late feeding
Ensure regular cooling of body temperature is available
Misting (improvise if no system in place)
Create and/or maintain wallows
Open all vents/windows/curtain sides
Check animals under shades as the sun moves through the day to ensure they remain in shade
Finally retain and serve your healthy cull sows as an insurance up to the 6 week pregnancy check