394 Opportunities to enhance wean-to-finish pig survival

Abstract

Abstract Swine productivity as measured by total pigs born, growth rate, and efficiency has improved steadily over the last few decades. However, post-weaning mortality has not improved for several years. Estimates for post-weaning mortality are 3.6% for nursery, 4.1% for grow-finish, and 5.6% of pigs entering the wean-finish phase (USDA, 2015). The first step in improving wean-to-finish survival is to understand major causes. Post-weaning mortality can be categorized into non-infectious and infectious causes. Non-infectious factors can be classified into anatomic abnormalities, toxicity, animal factors, facility factors, nutritional inadequacies, season, and management factors. Important non-infectious mortality factors identified through literature review include birth weight, preweaning management, weaning age and weight, and season. Additionally, a low incidence but high consequence cause for individual pigs is abdominal organ torsion. Sodium ion or ionophore toxicosis or dietary imbalance due to feed formulation or manufacture error are infrequent, but can be high magnitude. Infectious factors can be categorized as respiratory disease caused by swine influenza virus, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus, Mycoplasma spp., Glasserella parasuis, and others; enteric disease caused by Lawsonia intracellularis, Brachyspira spp; or systemic disease caused by Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae, Streptococcus suis, porcine circovirus, and others. Non-infectious and infectious mortality causes both need focus to improve wean-to-finish survival. Because of their importance in affecting survival rate, producers should focus on increasing birth and weaning weight, colostrum intake, and weaning age. Strategies to reduce abdominal organ torsions and gastric ulcers also are important for producers experiencing problems with these low frequency, high magnitude problems. Elevating biosecurity to prevent introduction of pathogens can reduce mortality due to infectious agents. For pathogens already present in the herd, producers must determine if the best management strategy is control (ex. vaccination), elimination (ex. mass exposure), or depopulation. Reducing post-weaning mortality remains an opportunity area in the swine industry.