The province's hog industry gathered in Winnipeg this week for the annual Manitoba Swine Seminar.
One of the topics discussed was batch farrowing, which means grouping sows together to farrow in a tight period to create a large group of pigs the same age to help facilitate management afterwards.
Mario Lapierre, director of supply and sales for PIC Canada, said the pigs are easier to take care of if they are the same age when it comes to things like nutrition, rather than shooting for the average with a group that is at various stages of development.
He said while the concept is beneficial, it can create challenges for staff.
“It creates some very heavy loaded weeks for work, so you have to work with your staff to get some adjustments with hours,” he commented.
Source : Portageonline