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Volume No. I |
December 1996 |
Issue No. 3 |
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Season's Greetings everyone! Hope everyone is healthy and keeping
busy. Due to a lack of time we have not had a chance to produce
"Under the Lens" since this past June. Seems we're constantly
running from one place to another. However, we've got a number of
things to pass along and felt this would be a terrific opportunity to
share this information. I'm sure that you have all "met" Sharon. She started with us in July as the new office manager for ITSI. Sharon does not have an agricultural background but is learning more than she had ever expected to know about pigs. You can reach Sharon Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 1- 800-692-4874 or 519-458-4856.
We will be closing the office for Christmas, Boxing Day and New Years Day. On December 24th and 31st the office will close at 3:00 p.m. Please make sure you have enough supplies to get you through the holidays as courier services will be reduced.
We recognize that all of us are human and occasionally forget to order supplies. The shortest time in which orders can be delivered by courier is 24 hours provided you place your order before 9:00 a.m. If our driver has to make an emergency delivery we will be billing extra for this service, regardless of the value of the order. Please give us 7 to 10 days notice for your order. We strive to ship everything as economical as possible, but this can only be done if we have sufficient time to schedule deliveries.
Last month we had the opportunity to attend the Saskatchewan Pork Industry Symposium as Astrid was one of the speakers. Chris Byra, a veterinarian from British Columbia, presented research findings from Dr. Flowers that showed factors affecting reproduction in 120 herds. Problem herds were identified as having problems relating to semen quality, insemination and post insemination handling. Each of the three categories was evaluated for its effect on farrow rate (FR) and litter size (LS).
Aged semen and subfertile boars were two of the most important factors affecting semen quality. Estrus detection caused the greatest problems for insemination while movement of females was a significant factor for post insemination handling. Make sure you check the quality of collections very carefully and check processed semen before inseminating to make sure it is still alive. Do not use semen which more than 5 days old (4 days after collection) as there is a distinct possibility of damage to the sperm cells. Just because they are swimming does not mean that they can still fertilize! |
Around the middle of January we hope to introduce our new semen bottles. They have graduations on the side to simplify the filling process. Bottles will be packaged in boxes of 500 in an attempt to standardize quantities and the price per unit will be $0.25 including the cap. We have made a number of changes to the catheters. The handle resin is much softer than before. The bottles stick better to these handles, thereby reducing problems during the inseminating process. Prices on these will be as follows.
Congratulations to Mid America Genetics Inc. of Newton, Manitoba and Magnum Swine Genetics Inc. of Fort Macleod, Alberta. Both ventures are federally licensed stud facilities who will start production this month. We are pleased to have worked with you during the design and training of your facilities and wish you every success in the swine AI industry. For those of you who are interested in checking out the genetics in these facilities the addresses are listed below. Box 11A, Newton, Manitoba • R0H 0X0 Phone: 204-267-2812 • Fax: 204-267-2270 Magnum Swine Genetics Inc. Box 1514, Fort Macleod, Alberta • T0L 0Z0 Phone: 403-553-4844 • Fax: 403-553-4845
To this date very little is known about the impact of stockman ship on herd productivity. Billy Flowers, a researcher in North Carolina presented the following data at a conference in Wisconsin in May of this year.
Notes: (a): Each technician bred 221 sows. (b): Total pigs that were born alive from the 221 matings performed by each technician. (c): Standard error of mean. (x,y,z): Mean within the same column with different superscripts differ (p less than 0.05). This data demonstrates very clearly that not everyone is capable of inseminating sows effectively. There is no specific formula for identifying a person who will be effective, however, logic can help us determine less likely candidates. For example, a person who does all the vaccinating and health treatments tends to be viewed by the sow as a painful experience is not likely to be a good inseminator. |
| IN CLOSING... |
Our page is just about full, so we are wrapping this newsletter up. We wish each and everyone of you a happy and healthy holiday season, and look forward to working with you for a productive 1997. |
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