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- Prevention Works
Piglets making a good start
Animal welfare is becoming an extremely important consideration in pig rearing. The safety of vaccines is an important factor in this. Stressful treatments have negative impact on weight gain. Careful observation is essential and can make all the difference:
Comparing the safety of vaccines in routine use:
In a German field trial, vaccination with two different Circovirus-vaccines in the 3rd week of life showed a weight difference in body weight of almost 1 kg (960 g) after 40 growing days. (Source: Myashita et al., 2014)
| Circovirus-vaccine A | Circovirus-vaccine B | |
|---|---|---|
| No. of animals | 230 | 230 |
| Weaning | 6,8 (a) | 6,7 (a) |
| Growth rate in flatdeck in 40 d | 13,62 (a) | 12,66 (a) |
| Difference (kg) | +0,96 |
p ≤ 0,05
This weight difference at the end of the growing phase is equivalent to about 1 Euro for each piglet reared.
HINT: To prevent any further decrease in feed intake in the first 3 days after weaning it is important to check safety of the vaccines administered as well choosing the most appropriate time of vaccination (not around weaning).