The quotes below are from two excellent articles demonstrating options in pig production. Data aside, economics frequently override what’s best for piglets and sows. Part of this stems from how the swine industry has been vertically integrated and where revenue is created in the process.
In beef production, calves that do not survive or are sick are often charged back on the calf provider. Piglets delivered at weaning must simply walk onto a truck to be a valid economic unit. In a time when we trace everything, it is confusing that the derived revenue chain remains choppy in the first 60 or more days of a piglet’s life.
- There isn’t an ideal weaning age for the industry; there are too many factors that are farm-specific and that includes genetics and management, not just the type of pig you are producing.
- There is some movement in the industry to weaning older pigs to see better performance in nursery and reduce feeding a lot of the expensive nursery diets. However, that reduces the turns of the farrowing crates increasing the facility cost per pigs weaned.
- The other reason is maybe even more important and that is about getting the pig started well and setting them up for success in the grow-finish phase.
Source: What is the right age to wean your pigs?, National Hog Farmer, August 30, 2017.
Source: What is the variation in wean age on your farm?, National Hog Farmer, January 31, 2018.