Graduate Courses: POPM*6700 Swine Health Management (W)

Calendar Description:

Diseases of swine are studied with particular emphasis on preventive medicine and herd-health management.

Instructors:

Dr. Robert Friendship - course coordinator

Dr. Cate Dewey

Course Goals

• To understand the flow of pigs through farrow-to-finish and SEW systems. To determine the regular work schedule of swine farm personnel.
• To expose students to the normal range of production parameters and typical pigCHAMP reports.
• To illustrate changes in productivity due to management and disease problems.

Course Outline:

• Swine Production
  - understand the flow of pigs through farrow-to-finish and SEW systems.
  - determine the regular work schedule of swine farm personnel
  - expose students to the normal range of production parameters and typical pigCHAMP reports
  - illustrate changes in productivity due to management and disease problems
• Swine Diseases
  - review the major swine diseases using the categories of production phase, body system, biological agent, and economical significance.
  - discuss treatment, prevention, and management of diseases
• Antibiotic Use
  - understand the types of antibiotics used in swine, the efficacy of antibiotics and the resistance patterns of antibiotics
  - understand the economics of growth and growth promotants, disease and treatment, or eradication
• Record Keeping and Analysis
  - become familiar with running the PigCHAMP program to determine production losses in swine farms
• Food Safety
  - understand the food safety issues facing pork production today
  - evaluate the programs offered by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the national Pork Producers Council in U.S.A.
  - understand the principles of HACCP and discuss how the principles can be applied to farms and slaughter plants
  - be familiar with the APHIN program from the University of Prince Edward Island that was recently implemented in Ontario
• Reproduction: Farm Visit
  - demonstrate techniques used in swine reproduction including collection of boars, semen evaluation, artificial insemination, pregnancy diagnosis
• Genetics
  - understand genetic programs, estimated breed values (EBVs), carcass evaluation, and factors affecting carcass quality and growth
  - be familiar with marketing strategies and the names of the large breeding companies
• Growth Performance
  - understand factors affecting productivity in the grower/finisher barn including feed: gain, average daily gain, disease, and facility use
• Compare Sew to Farrow-To-Finish Production: Farm Visit
  - to fully appreciate the differences between SEW and farrow-to-finish production.
• Nutrition
  - understand the major decisions in swine nutrition including feeding frequencies and feeder and waterer design.
• Animal Behaviour
  - understand the most common behaviour problems seen in swine and discuss the associations between housing and management and behaviour problems
• Ventilation
  - understand how ventilation is evaluated in a swine facility.
• Herd Health Programs
  - outline a herd health program including the use of vaccines, antibiotics, wormers, strategic medication, health monitoring, biosecurity, and records.

Required/Suggested Texts:

n/a

Assessment/Examination Strategies:

Assignments 15%
Participation 10%
Lead a seminar 20%
Major paper 50%