By Nancy Lidster
.
This past week I was asked if a trucker could stop pig movement by whistling while market hogs were entering the trailer.
Actually, that’s not quite true. What the person really said is that their driver always whistles and stops the hogs: could I help her convince him to quit.
Pigs’ Attention:
Many people assume that their noise, contact, and actions encourage pigs to move and act to drive pigs away from them.
This assumption is true sometimes but not always. Pigs want to see / keep track of pressure. Our noise, movement, and contact can draw pigs’ attention and encourage them to stop, slow down, or turn back. This is particularly true if pigs have pressure coming at them from more than one direction eg: when the trucker makes noise while someone is pressuring the pigs from behind.
Video example:
I’ve run the video at ½ speed and numbered the hogs as they entered the trailer. I’ve also indicated when the driver started making noise.
Early in the vide a knee appears beside the top of the ramp. I don’t believe that person stopped movement. If he had, Hog#1 would have stopped with its head up, looking forward. Instead its attention was back.
The question we need to ask is “Where do we want hogs’ attention?” Is it useful to have hogs paying attention to a person at the bottom of the ramp?
The person at the bottom of the ramp used a ch-ch-ch’ing noise and tapped the rear hog with her prod while following it up the ramp.
Where do we want hogs attention
To review what happened:
- Hogs hesitated at entrance to trailer
- Hog 1 entered and stopped with attention back
- Hog 3 moved forward, straightened up Hog 1 then stopped
- Hog 2 moved forward taking Hog 1 with it, both driven in part by Hog 6 jumping forward onto them
- Strong Herd Flow then carried the group up the ramp
Rear hogs drove the front hogs forward and and were themselves driven by the handler bringing them out of the barn.
The most effective and helpful thing truckers can do is stay still, quiet, and out of the way until the last hog is on the trailer.
Once hogs were on the trailer:
How effective was the driver’s ch-h-ch’ing and tapping rear hogs with the prod?
Rear hogs were closest to the noise and got the most contact. Once hogs were Flowing, if we compare behaviour of the rear hogs to the behaviour of hogs ahead of them:
- Was the attention of rear hogs more forward or more back compared to front hogs? More back.
- Did rear hogs move more or less quickly than front hogs? Less quickly
- Did rear hogs follow the hogs ahead of them more or less closely than front hogs did? Less closely
The driver’s noise and contact took the attention of rear hogs away from the Flow and did nothing to improve pig movement.
Pigs follow their attention:
If pigs’ attention is on forward movement of the pigs around them, that Flow can help pull them forward
A handler’s noise, movement, or touch can draw pigs’ attention away from following a Flow.
Summary:
Our most effective tool for moving pigs is Herd Flow.
If pigs are moving, leave them alone.
Use pressure when you need to but follow it with immediate release.
Never have more than one person putting pressure on pigs at any one time
That’s it for this week.
Take care
Source; DNL Farms Ltd.