Key points to successful service management

Successful service house management is dependent on how well the sow is managed throughout her previous pregnancy and lactation

Pregnancy
	Feed a high fibre dry sow diet – do not over feed in pregnancy follow agreed feed curve
	Make sure there is a regular cleaning policy for feed bins and feed lines- mycotoxin and yeast build up in feed lines can cause fertility problems
	Scan sows 28 5o 35 days post-service to confirm pregnancy
	Record keeping: ensure every sow has a sow card, without correct measurements there are no way to make positive improvements. The use of a white board to record batch production each quarter is a useful tool for both staff and management - helps to keep everyone focused.
Farrowing
	Feed sows on specific lactating diet
	Maximise feed intakes during lactation, target average daily intake >6.5 kg per sow during lactation. Increase daily from first week to end of period. Feed several times a day
	Provide free shatter through water nipple, >2 litres per minute
	Maintain temperature not greater than 20°C for sows, piglets require >30°C at birth through provision of heat pad or creep lamp
	Target a minimum lactation period of 27 days, ensuring body condition is good at weaning, make sure sows have to work by ensuring they have large litters to suckle
	Introduce creep feed to piglets after first 14 days – maintain fresh creep feeders
	Cull, the older less productive, troublesome sows at weaning (6^th parity plus), a young herd is more productive and less troublesome. Target a 45% herd replacement rate
	Remember that the sow’s potential performance for her next parity is hormonally “programmes” at the point of weaning. The better the lactation the more eggs will be shed at ovulation therefore, maximising the potential for a bigger litter next time
Wean to service
	Batch thin sows together at weaning and give supplementary feed
	Pre-service – “flush sows” feed lactation sows diet ad lib and/or top dress with high energy weaner diet/supplement if necessary. Reduce feed back to dry sow curve immediately post-service to avoid embryonic death.
	Ensure provision of minimum light level of 16 hours per day minimum 300 lux (time switch)
	Do not over expose weaned sows to the boar. Regulate and restrict daily contact pre-service to a few minutes in order to excite weaned sows
Semen storage
	Store semen at 17°C in semen storage cabinet, make sure there is a Max/min thermometer inside and that it is checked daily and recorded on chart
	Turn semen twice daily to re-suspend sperm cells and note on chart
	Rotate stock- use the oldest first
	Transfer to service house in an insulate box
	Avoid over exposure to light, heat or handling stock
Service routines
	Good service management is the fuel that runs the herd!
	Service routine on a large herd should be approached as a team effort in a regular routine manner. The team of people should tackle the task at a pre determined, routine time each day, fully prepared for the task in hand – ie a barrow or trolley containing semen, catheters, bungee cords, “breeding buddies” saddle bags, paper towel, disposable gloves, spray markers and service book.
	Always work in a same direction, ie introduce the chatty boar right to left each day, followed by a second and even third boar to maximize standing reflex in served sows. The service house manager must be aware of batch service targets and strive to achieve these with as little deviation from the target as possible to maintain a stable batch production flow. A clear gilt management policy is essential as the herd will require 45% replacements every 12 months
	Ensure sows are fully of heat (standing fully in presence of the boar) eg if weaned Thursday, am start serving Monday PM. If weaned Wednesday pm start serving Monday am Establish a routine that suits the sows wean to service interval and stick to it Every herd is different so there is no hard and fast rule regarding wean to service interval – the optimum time for service will be judged by the service house man
	Ensure service area is cleaned thoroughly (clean slats daily), use dry disinfectant powder if wet
	Wash hands and clean sow vulva with paper towel before starting inseminations
	Maximise boar contact at service thorough use of service passage, one mature boar to every five sows – nose to nose contact with mature chatty boar is vital to achieve good standing reflex. Follow up with a second and third boar if possible
	Maximise stimulus at service thorough use of all tools available: boar contact, bungee cords, breeding buddies, saddle bags and flank rubbing by stockperson
	Do not squeeze flat pack, allow sow to take in semen through maximum stimulus at service
	If first litter sows are slow to come on heat, consider using PG600 at weaning – discuss with herd vet
	Post-insemination- leave the catheter in the sow to continue cervical stimulation. To prevent back flow, double over the end of catheter and push through the hole in plastic of flat pack. Allow the sow to rest; do not attempt to move for at least three hours after service. Remove catheter after 10 minutes.
	Record the quality of the insemination. so if first service is poor, more attention can be paid to second insemination. Record which operator served each sow to allow for further analysis.
The key to successful service management are the four S’s
Segregate	Avoid over exposing boar to sow in wean to service period
Stimulate	Maximise standing reflex through use of boar, aids and stockperson
Sex	Inseminate when sow is receptive to above stimulus
Sleep	Do not move sow straight after second service – allow to rest and do not stress her – move quietly.