Module 1

Breeder Administration
(Recordkeeping and Analysis)
FARM ADMINISTRATION:
RECORD KEEPING
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page

Module 1- Introduction 3
1.1 Definition of Technical Terms 4-6
1.2 The 4 D’s of Farm Administration 7
1.3 Recording System 8
1.4 Methods of Identification 9
1.5 Records 10
Module 2- Sow Administration 11-12
2.1 Calculation of Technical Figures – 13-19
For Individual Sow and Herd
Exercise 1 19
Answer Key 21-23
Exercise 2 24
Answer Key 25-27
 MODULE 1. Introduction

Welcome to FARM ADMISTRATION.

The main aim in pig raising is to earn profit. To attain such, the level of production (output)
should be maximized through good management and optimum use of available resources.
However, a prerequisite of a well managed farm is to have proper and accurate recording
system. Always remember that in any kind of business, records are very important!!!

In a piggery operation, the data/information recorded should be translated to

understandable figures (technical figures). It is necessary that these technical figures should
be analyzed to identify any weaknesses or failures of the farm performance. The results
from the analysis will further serve as basis for the farm owner/manager in making
adjustments or improvements in the farm.

It is hoped that after studying this subject on Farm Administration, you will have a clear
understanding of record keeping and analysis of technical figures and more importantly,
implement the proper and appropriate recording system in your farm for better management,
thus realizing your objective --- profitable pig production.

It's good
. to see you still, with smiles,
high energy and determination to
learn more about pigs. I hope you
will stay with me till the end and
help me work out some exercises
to better understand this subject.

Ready??? Okay, let's start!

EXPECTED OUTCOMES:
At the end of this Subject, you should be able to:

1. Understand technical figures.

2. Evaluate and analyze these figures.
3. Determine economic impact.
4. Apply appropriate adjustments/ decision-making.
 Chapter 1. 1 Definition of Technical Terms

ACCUMULATIVE collective
FARROWING act of giving birth in pigs
FOSTERING of transferring piglet(s) from one sow to another during
suckling period
GESTATION PERIOD stage wherein the sow is pregnant
GILT a mature female pig which has not yet been served/given
birth

LACTATION PERIOD
OR SUCKLING PERIOD the stage wherein the piglets are still with the sow. At this
stage the piglets are called sucklings.

LITTER INDEX OR the average number of times a sow farrows in a

FARROWING INDEX OR year.
LITTERS/SOW/YEAR nth time of farrowing of a sow
LITTER NUMBER OR
PARITY NUMBER

LITTER SIZE the total number of piglets born in 1 farrowing. This

consists of piglets born alive and piglets born dead
(stillborn)
LIVEWEIGHT the weight of a live pig
LOST DAYS the number of days a sow is neither pregnant nor
lactating nor in the normal period between weaning and
service (maximum of 7 days)
MORTALITY dead pig
MUMMIFIED piglet which died during the gestation period (after 35
days of gestation)
PIGLETS BORN ALIVE the average number of live born piglets in 1
PER LITTER farrowing

PROCEEDS money obtained from sales

PRODUCTIVE CYCLE one whole cycle say, weaning to weaning; service to
service.
PRODUCTIVE LIFE OR the period from first service till last date of
PRODUCTIVE PERIOD weaning.
REARED PIGLETS the average number of live piglets in 1 litter
PER LITTER which were raised after weaning

REARED PIGLETS PER the average number of piglets raised from 1 sow
SOW PER YEAR in 1 year

STARTING WEIGHT initial weight

STILLBORN fully developed piglets born dead
SOW a female pig which has been served at least once

WEANED PIGLETS the average number of live piglets in 1 litter

PER LITTER which were separated from the sow at weaning time.
Included here are the fostered piglets.
WEANED PIGLETS the average number of piglets weaned
PER SOW PERYEAR from 1 sow in 1 year

WEANER a pig that has been separated from its mother at

weaning time. Normally, piglets are weaned at 30-35
days depending on their condition.
WEIGHT GAIN the weight earned from one period to another
 Chapter 1.2 The 4 D’s of Farm Administration

Farm Administration can be defined as the systematic gathering/collecting of data, working

out, analyzing and judging of these technical farm data for a production period in order to
obtain a better management approach.

To better understand this, farm administration can be divided into four steps known as 4D’s:

1. Data gathering/record keeping

2. Data processing into understandable figures called technical figures
3. Data interpretation/analysis of the gathered data and/or calculated results
4. Decision on and implementation of necessary adjustments and/or improvements

Please tell me what Farm

Administration can do to my
pig farm….

FUNCTIONS

Ø to control the level of production

Ø to create a data bank for comparison purposes
Ø to control the production costs
Ø to report and determine production results
Ø to aid in farm analysis
Ø it serves as proof for treasury, subsidy loans, etc.
 Chapter 1.3 Recording System

RECORDING SYSTEM

Production records are lacking in many piggeries. As a result, proper evaluation of the
performance of pigs becomes complicated and unreliable. Record keeping as a problem
calls for a simple solution. Nevertheless, it should not be ignored. There are some swine
producers who keep good records but never use them to their advantage. Keeping records
and not using them is as bad as not keeping records at all.

In keeping a record for the farm, a question that must be answered first is: "Which data has
to be collected?" The answer to that question largely depends on the preset targets and the
kind and the purpose of the farm/enterprise.

Recording system should be simple and precise and

be directed towards improving productivity and
profitability.

It is obvious that only those data which can be processed and interpreted without delay
and which are relevant to the production process should be collected.

However, before one can make a record of these animals, recognition or identification of the
animals is very important. Some methods that can be used are described on the next page.
 Chapter 1.4 Methods of Identification

Records of animals in the farm should always be available . However, before one can make a
record of these animals, recognition or identification of the animals is very important. Some
methods that can be used are:
F tattoo - identification mark placed on
the ear using tattooing pin and ink

F plastic ear tags

F ear notching - "cutting" the ears

following an earnotch guide using an
ear notcher.
 Chapter 1.5 Records

What are the qualities of a good record?

A good record is: -systematic
-clear
-complete
-simple
-contains the right or true
information

There are two types of records:

1. Technical - records which deals with production and activities at
the farm.

1.1. Reproduction - examples of these records are litter index and litter size.
1.2. Production – examples are average daily gain (ADG) and feed conversion ratio
(FCR).
2. Financial - records which deals with the financial aspect of pig raising e.g.
cost of medicines.
 MODULE 2. SOW ADMINISTRATION

The most important technical figure in sow-weaner operation is the number of piglets
reared per sow per year. An increase or decrease of one piglet in a litter would
mean a significant change in the income of the farmer.

F Factors that influence the technical result of reared piglets per sow per
year:

Two major factors affect the number of reared piglets per sow per year. These are
litter index and reared piglets per litter which in turn are affected by other factors
as given in the diagram on the next page.
Factors That Influence the Number of Piglets Reared Per Sow per Year

Care/Feeding
Age
Heat Season
Occurrence Housing/Climate
Hormone Injection
Length of Lactation
Age of
Weaning

Timing of Insemination
% Pregnancy Quality of Semen
Abnormality of Sows
Litter Season
Index Abortion

Sow Culled Disease

During Accidents
Pregnancy Leg Faults
Piglets
Reared Breed
Per Sow Culling
Per Year Lost Control
Days Housing
Management

Housing
Age
Number Born Season
Cross Breeding
2 x Breeding

Diseases
Number of Housing
Weaned Stillborn Age
Piglets Care/Feeding

Housing
Litter Size
 Number of Diseases
Dead Piglets Abnormalities
Age

Chapter 2.1 Calculation of Technical Figures-

for Individual Sow and Herd

1. Litter Index (LI) - refers to the number of times an animal farrows in a year. It
can be calculated per animal or on a herd level.

Both the theoretical and actual litter index may be calculated.

Theoretical LITTER INDEX is:

365

Length of one production cycle

Production Cycle refers to the length in days between successive farrowings. The
number of days between successive weanings and successive productive
inseminations can also be used. The shorter the production cycle, the better,
because this tells us that our animals are producing more per year.

Sometimes also called as farrowing interval.

A good sow is expected to have a production cycle as follows:

Pregnancy period 114 days

Lactation period 30 days
Dry period
+ 7 days

Production cycle 151 days

A sow with a 151 days production cycle will have a litter index (theoretical) as
follows:

L.I . = __365 days/year__

151 days/cycle

L.I. = 2.42
 Now, to get the actual performance of an individual sow or even a sow herd, Litter
Index may be calculated using the following formula:

Actual litter Index is calculated as follows:

Individual sow: Total litters

Sow’s productive life (years)

Sow herd : Total litters

Average No. of Present Sows

2. Number of Lost Days (Non-Productive Days)

LOST DAYS (NPD):

Actual production cycle –target

production cycle

Where actual production cycle is

365/actual LI

Lost days or non-productive days are the periods when the animals are unproductive
or have exceeded target time allotment. Lost days may be caused by breeding and
reproductive failures such as: missed breeding, late heat occurrence or long dry
period, repeaters, abortions, pseudo pregnancy, mortality, culled pregnant sows and
longer age of weaning.

It is important that lost days be kept at a minimum level. The longer the lost days
or non-productive period, the higher the maintenance cost of the animals!!!

It can be calculated as follows:

Target Production Cycle Actual Performance

(days) (days)

Pregnancy pd 114 114

Lactation pd 30 42
Dry pd + 7 +18
 Production Cycle 151 174

Therefore:

Lost days = 174 days – 151 days

Lost days = 23 days

23 days x 2.5 kgs of feed/day x P13.50/kg would mean P776.25 feed cost per
sow!!! Imagine if you have 10 or more sows! That’s a lot of feed cost for the
sows alone!!!

3. Number of piglets weaned per litter

Number of piglets weaned per litter is

Total piglets born alive (+/- total fostered piglets) – total pre and post weaning mortality

Number of litters

This refers to the number of pigs weaned and calculated as follows:

Example: Born alive = 13 piglets

Fostered to other sow = 2 piglets
Number of dead piglets = 1 piglet

Reared Piglets/litter = (13- 2) – 1

Reared Piglets/liitter = 10

4. Piglets Weaned Per Sow Per Year (PWSY)

This refers to the number of piglets weaned by a sow in a year.

Piglets weaned per sow per year (PWSY) is:

Litter Index x No. of Piglets Weaned/litter
 Therefore:

PWSY = 2.4 littter index x 10.0 piglets weaned/litter

= 24.0 piglets weaned per sow per year

In case of a lower litter index but with the same number of piglets:

PWSY = 2.1 litter index x 10 piglets weaned per litter

= 21piglets weaned per sow per year

5. Average Present Sows

This refer to the average number of sows present in the farm. It is important also
to remember that a farm should maintain a regular number of breeders in the
farm to maximize the utilization of labor, housing and equipment. Few sows will
result to under occupancy of housing facilities and will result to higher production
cost per pig.

GILTS MAYBE CLASSIFIED AS A SOW

USING THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA:
1. When it is served or bred
2. When it farrows
3. When it turns 8 months old

F In the Philippines, the commonly used definition of

a sow is: once an animal farrows and once the animal is
4. When it is served or bred
served. 5. When it farrows
6. When it turns 8 months old

It is calculated as follows:

AVERAGE NUMBER OF PRESENT SOWS:

# of sows in mo. 1 + mo. 2 + …. + mo. N

-----------------------------------------------
number of months

Example:

January 98 sows April 102 sows

February 99 May 101
March 100 June 103
 Average Present Sows = 98 + 99 + 100 + 102 + 101 + 103
6
Average Present Sows = 100.5

6. % Pre-weaning Mortality

This refers to the percentage of piglets born alive that died during the suckling
period or before weaning. A 10 % pre-weaning mortality is acceptable.

% PRE-WEANING MORTALITY

Total No. of dead piglets (suckling period)

---------------------------------------------------------- x 100
Total number of piglets born alive

Therefore, given the example:

Total born alive 12 piglets

Died during suckling period 1 piglet

% Pre-weaning Mortality = __1__ x 100

12

= 8.33%

7. % Post –weaning Mortality

This refers to the percentage of weaners that died after weaning and before
fattening. A 3% post-weaning mortality is acceptable.

Therefore, given the following:

Number of weaned Piglets 100

Number of dead weaners 2

% Post-weaning Mortality = 2 piglets

---------------- x 100
100 piglets

= 2%
 How much did you learn?

Exercise 1. Calculation of Technical results for an INDIVIDUAL SOW

Sow No. 0001

Date born 25 May 2005

Date of first service 25 January 2006
Total no. of litters 8
Total no. of piglets born alive 103
Fostered to other sows 5
Total no. of piglets weaned 84
Last date of farrowing 24 December 2010
Date for weaning 23 January 2011

Calculate:

1. Litter index
2. Piglets born alive per litter
3. Weaned piglets per litter
4. Pre-weaning Mortality, %
5. Piglets weaned per sow per year
6. Lost days
7. Judge the performance of Sow 0001
8. What would you recommend to the owner of this sow based on the production
results?
 Exercise 2. Calculation of Technical results for a SOW HERD

In one of your farm visits to a farmer, you were asked to help him calculate the technical
results of his farm for the year 2014. He also needs your recommendations regarding the
performance of his farm. The following are the data on his record book:
Inventory Sows (including bred gilts)
January 1 120
February 1 120
March 1 119
April 1 117
May 1 111
June 1 112
July 1 120
August 1 123
September 1 121
October 1 119
November 1 128
December 1 125
December 31 120

Total Litters for the year 241

Services per Litter 1.33 (75%)
Total piglets born alive 2,525
Pre-weaning mortality 262 heads
Post-weaning mortality 165 heads
Total pigs sold 2,035 heads

Farm Targets: Sow Level 120

Services per litter 1.25 (80% FR)
Litter Index 2.20
PBA/litter 10
Pre-Weaning Mortality 7%
Post-Weaning Mortality 3%
Finishing Mortality 3%
Calculate:
a. Average Number of Active Sows f. Piglets weaned per litter
b. Litter Index (actual) g. Piglets weaned per sow per year
c. Lost days per cycle and per sow per year h. Post-weaning mortality, %
d. Piglets born alive per litter i. Piglets produced per sow per year
e. Pre-weaning mortality, %
 MODULE 3. SETTING TARGETS

In order to judge the results of a farm, TARGETS should be set. Generally, these targets depend
on the following factors:
a. the breed of the pigs
b. quality of the feeds
c. availability of the feeds
d. health condition of the animals
e. management (attitude, skill, ability)
f. housing facilities
g. climate, weather
h. availability of extension and veterinary services

As conditions will vary considerably in different regions and countries, it is very difficult to give
general targets. It is therefore important to have at least some reference or insight on the
actual production performance common in the area.
F STOCKMANSHIP STANDARDS

REPRODUCTIVE INDEX TARGET INTERFERENCE LEVEL

Weaning to service interval 5 to 7 days >10%
Repeat services (regular returns 18-24 days) <10% >15%
Irregular returns (25-37 days) <3% >5%
Litter Index (litters/sow/year) 2.2 <2.0
Abortions <2% >2%
Farrowing rate >855 <80%
Born alive/litter 10-12 <10
Stillbirth 3% >10%
Mummified <1% >2%
Pre-weaning mortality <10% >15%
Culling rate 30-35% >42%
Culling pregnant 1% >2%
Sow parity at culling 6-7 <6; >8
Post-weaning mortality 3% 5%
 Fattening mortality 3% 5%

F FARM COMPARISON

Farm comparison is done to find the week as well as strong points of the farm. In order to get
a clear understanding of the results, it is necessary that the factors which can influence the
results are known.
Before farm comparison can be carried out, it is important that the following conditions be
fulfilled:

G the data should be reliable

G the results should not come in too late
G the farm situation should be comparable
G breeds
G quality of feed
G climate
G farm inventory, equipment
G market prices
G the number of farms for comparison should be sufficient
G the farm objectives should be the same
G the results should be calculated in the same way

A. INTERNAL FARM COMPARISON

In this method, the technical and economic results of a certain farm in a certain period are
compared with the results of the previous period. Differences which are found are analyzed
further. Special attention is paid to those results which have been influenced particularly byt
eh decision of the farmer.
Example: The most important results from a farm are:
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3

No. of piglets born per litter 10.8 10.8 11.0

No. of piglets born alive per litter 9.42 9.52 10.0
Mortality percentage 14.0 15.0 17.0
Reared piglets per litter 8.1 8.1 8.3
No. of litters per sow per year 1.7 1.86 2.02
Reared piglets per sow per year 13.8 15.1 16.8

The most important comments on these figures are:

1. as the number of piglets born alive increases, mortality also increases
2. generally, the fertility of the sows is improving rapidly
Besides, it is also necessary to make use of a judgment scheme which consists of figures of
averages from other farms. With the help of the latest averages of practical results, we can
make such a scheme with the qualifications: very good, average and poor.

B. EXTERNAL FARM COMPARISON

Besides the internal farm comparison, the external farm comparison is of major importance.
The comparison can be carried out with:
- the averages of big groups or subgroups
- group classification

Example :
Number of present sows per farm (group)
<40 40-60 61-80 81-100 101- >150
150
Number of farms 27 58 66 93 128 71
Number of sows per farm 31 52 69 90 121 228
Litters/sow/year 1.95 1.97 2.01 2.07 2.08 2.11
Reared piglets/litter 8.17 8.56 8.39 8.45 8.65 8.72
Mortality percentage 15.8 16.6 17.6 16.4 15.5 14.9
Reared piglets/sow/year 15.9 16.9 16.9 17.5 18.0 18.4
Culling percentage 53.8 46.1 46.1 45.7 45.1 47.0
Amount of feed/sow, kgs 1116 1099 1087 1097 1093 1062
Average present sows 738 860 835 921 977 1008

If we compare with the help of the group classification, one factor is used as a classification
criterion. However, one must be aware that the differences which appear in the results are
mostly not only the result of the differences that exist with regards to that criterion.
Factors which are often used for the classification:

G number of present sows in the farm

G feed level of the sows
G breed or crossbreed
G weaning age of the piglets
G housing
G health care
G production control

Congratulations!
You did a great job!
 ANSWER KEY TO EXERCISE 1
1. Litter index = Total litters
Sow’s productive life (years)
Sow’s productive life:
25 Jan. ’06 =4
4 years
25 Jan.’10 11 mos./12 = 0.92
25 Dec.’10 + =0.079
29 days/365
23 Jan.’11 4.999
Litter index = 8
4.999
= 1.60 * Poor Sow Performance

2. Number of piglets born alive/litter

total piglets born alive

piglets born alive /litter= ----------------------------

total number of litters

PBA/ litter = 103

8
= 12.88 PBA/litter vs 10 * Excellent

3. Piglets weaned/litter

total piglets born alive (± fostering) - total dead piglets before weaning

Piglets weaned/litter = ________________________________________________________________

total number of litters

PW/litter = [ (103-5) – 14] = = 84

8 8
= 10.5 PW/litter vs 9.3 * Excellent
4. % Pre-weaning Mortality

total dead piglets before weaning

% pre-weaning mortality = ------------------------------------------ x 100

total piglets born alive (± fostering)

% Mortality = 14
98
= 14.2 % vs 7% *Identify what are the causes of mortality?

5. Piglets weaned/sow/year (PWSY)

PWSY = Piglets weaned per litter x LI

PWSY = 10.5 x 1.60

= 16.8 PWSY vs 20.46 * Economic impact!!!

6. Lost days/cycle

365 365

Lost days = --------------- - ---------------

Actual litter index Theoretical litter index

LD/cycle = 365 - 365

1.60 2.20
= 228.125 - 165.90
= 62.22 Lost days
LD/year = 62.22 x Actual litter index (1.60)
= 99.55 Lost days
ECONOMIC IMPACT!!! Lost days x Amt of Feed given/day x Price of Feed/kg
 ANSWER KEY TO EXERCISE 2
1. Average number of present sows
Ave. Present Sows = Number of sows in Month 1 + Month 2 +…+ Month N
Number of months
Average no. of active sows = 1555
13
= 119.6
2. Actual Litter Index
Litter Index = Total no. of litters
Ave. Present Sow
= 241
119.6
= 2.02

• Check the breeding system, health management and culling

3. Lost days/Cycle
365 365
= ---------------- - _____
actual litter index theoretical litter index

365 365
= ---------------- - _____
2.02 2.2

= 15.7 days/cycle

4. Lost days/sow/year

= 15.7 days x 2.02 = 31.71 days lost per sow/year

Analysis:

Lost days x amount of feed given daily x Price of feed/kg

P 1585.5/ sow/ year x 119.6 sows = P 189,625.8 per year for unproductive days of the sows on
feed alone!!!
5. Piglets born alive/litter

total piglets born alive

= -------------------------------
total number of litters

2525
= -------------------------------
241
= 10.48 vs 10 target Very good

6. Pre-weaning Mortality %

= Total dead piglets (suckling period) x 100

Total born alive
262
= ------------------------------- x 100
2525
= 10.38% vs 7% target = 3.38% difference

Analysis:
2525 x 3.38% = 85.35 heads lost aside from the allowable %. of mortality (7%)
85 heads x P 2000 = P 170,000 lost

7. Piglets weaned /litter

total piglets born alive - Total dead piglets

before weaning
= ---------------------------------------------------------
total number of litters

= 2525 – 262
241
= 9.39
8.
9. Piglets weaned /sow/year

= Actual litter index x 9.39

= 2.02 x 9.39
= 18.97
10. Post weaning Mortality %

= dead piglets after weaning x 100

Total weaned
165
= ------------------------------- x 100
2263
= 7.29% vs 3% target = 4.29% difference

Analysis:
2263 x 4.29% = 97.08 heads lost aside from the allowable no. of mortality(3%)
97 heads x P 3000 = P 291,100 lost