Zambia Agribusiness Society

Ross Kiehne, DVM, and staff at the Swine Vet Center in St. Peter, MN, have compiled a top ten (10) list of successful farrowing tips: 1. Prepare farrowing rooms: Ensure rooms are warm enough and controls are reset for newly farrowed pigs. Ensure hot boxes are cleaned, dried and disinfected and drying agents are available. Ensure heat lamps are working and adjusted to proper location (at the rear of the crate over the mat) and height to achieve 95°F temperature on the surface of the mat. Ensure mats are in place. Ensure the tote is ready with farrowing supplies (oxytocin, sleeves, lube, etc.) Ensure the room is quiet. 2. Make sure sows are ready to farrow: Guarantee correct sow condition (18 - 19mm/0.70 - 0.74 in. backfat). Guarantee vaccinations are done according to the sow farm vaccination schedule. Guarantee sows are fed 4 lb./day starting at Day 112 of gestation. 3. Evaluate environment daily: Ensure room temperature is 72 - 75°F. Ensure pigs are laid out (not p...

1. How long does it take for lime to work? Since water is required for lime to react with the soil, effects of a lime application will be slower in a dry soil. It often takes a year or more before a response can be measured even under perfect conditions. However, a response may be observed within weeks of the application when soil pH is extremely low. It is important to apply lime immediately after the growing season or crop removal to allow lime to react, correcting soil pH before the next growing season. The reactivity time also depends on the type of lime used. Liming materials differ widely in their neutralizing powers due to variations in the percentage of calcium and/or magnesium. Usually, liming materials with a high calcium carbonate equivalent (CCE) tend to neutralize soil acidity faster than those with a low CCE. The coarseness of the liming material will also influence how fast the lime will react. In other words, the finer the liming material, the greater the surfac...