Mimeo A. H. 22 September 20, 1946
Animal Husbandry Dept.
Purdue University
DEATH LOSSES IN NEWBORN PIGS W. M. Beeson*
Preventing the loss of newborn pigs is one of the most import-and problems in the field of swine production. Man has taken the sow out of her natural environment and assumed the responsibility for giving her all of the nutrients necessary to maintain life and reproduce normal young. The fact that a hog roots is not a coincidence or a malicious habit, but probably an instinct of looking for some of the minor nutritional elements that are not supplied in her diet. When hogs are removed from lush growing green pastures into an artificial environment devoid of green material then nutritional deficiencies develop which many times contribute to the loss of newborn pigs.
A conservative estimate indicates that 20 percent or more of the pigs farrowed on farms are either stillborn or die within the first few days after farrowing. These figures take on greater significance and become more startling by examination of actual experimental records#
Farrowing records at the Purdue Swine Farm include the pig
losses in 1336 spring litters produced through a period of 24 years (1921-1944). These litters contained a total of 13,108 pigs of which 5.16 percent were stillborn, 18.22 percent died or were accidentally killed when 1 to 3 days of age, 6.48 percent were lost from the 4th to the 14th day, and 4-7 percent from the 15th to weaning at 56 days of age# The average litter contained 9.8 pigs when farrowed; and 6.42 at weaning time, representing a loss of 34*56 percent, which includes the 5.16 percent stillborn pigs.
The economic importance of saving pigs must not be overlooked# The number of pigs in the average weaned litter in the United States for the past decade was slightly more than six. If the number could be increased to eight, then three sows should equal the former production of four, an increase of 25 percent in production efficiency# Applying such a change in pig saving to the farm, state, and nation, the following figures illustrate its potential significance where 180 to 190 pigs are raised annually on a farm using the 2-litter system, 12 instead of 16 sows could do the job# In Indiana 340,000 sows instead of 450,000 would be required to produce the average annual pig crop. In the United States, using the two-litter system, 6,250,000 sows would be required to produce the annual pig crop (1933°42)# If the number of pigs weaned per sow could be increased to eight, 4,700,000 instead of 6,250,000 sows would be sufficient to produce the average pig crop.
Every pig that dies between 1 to 3 days of age represents an approximate loss of 100 pounds of feed, if the pig dies around 21 days of age, 150 pounds of feed would be lost and the death of a pig during the latter part of lactation or at about 56 days of age results in a loss of 200 pounds of feed# These figures are based on the feed requirement for the sow and litter during gestation and lactation#
Current Purdue studies (Vestal, Doyle, Hutchings, Andrews and Beeson) on about 1000 young pigs which died or were purposely killed
^Presented at Swine Feeders Day, September 20, 1946.