AgSpeak Blog

NON-NEGOTIABLE POINTS FOR HEALTHY PIGLETS Several factors influence piglets’ health during lactation, making this a challenging phase. The present article will discuss the main points related to their development, presenting some non-negotiable actions that should be practice in routine. Colostrum and milk yield. Sows’ capacity to produce colostrum and milk and is related to genetic…

Photometric Flicker and the impact on poultry performance Photometric flicker is the rapid change in light intensity from a light source and is caused by three effects. The first is light density flicker which is caused by changes to brightness levels caused by a light source such as a bulb, fluorescent tube, or LEDs, powered…

Poor air quality impacts not only animals but also human health and welfare. Gases released by animals and equipment, dust, and airborne microorganisms, when in high concentration, may contribute to the occurrence of diseases. This article will discuss the leading causes, consequences, and solutions for poor air quality in swine production. Gases Ammonia, carbon monoxide…

The swine industry recognizes that water requirement intake and flow rate are crucial to pig performance and farm management. Still, water evaluation is frequently based on subjective monitoring of physical properties like smell, color, temperature, and taste. However, water quality also includes chemical and microbiological characteristics that must be considered and assessed. Mineral composition, conductivity,…

5 Biosecurity Practices Everyone Should Follow Biosecurity refers to procedures used to prevent the introduction and spread of disease-causing organisms in livestock farm sites. We need to undertake biosecurity measures to minimize the risk of disease to livestock, as well as spread of organisms of public health concern such as salmonella and campylobacter. Preventing disease…

Five Steps to Better Chick Brooding Improving chick brooding to get new baby chicks off to a good start can impact their growth and performance for their entire time spent on your farm. Chicks require feed and water within 24 hours to jump start their appetite. They also lack the ability to thermoregulate, so we,…

Normally this week of the year we would be wrapping up IPPE and we would be taking this time to showcase again all that we shared with you at the show. But of course, this tradeshow season is a little different. since we couldn’t see you in Atlanta, we didn’t get to share with you…

Reuben King, a 29-year old poultry farmer and business owner, has made a name for himself in Bradford, OH. For 22 years, Reuben has helped out the family slaughtering chickens. His parents, William and Marilyn King, started raising and processing chickens by hand in the barnyard in 1983. They purchased an automatic picker and fixed…

This year has certainly been a tumultuous one. It started our normal enough. The International Production & Processing Expo took place in Atlanta, Georgia. We featured our newest addition to the VAL-CO fan line, the variable speed V-Fan. VAL-CO has stepped up to help achieve the ideal environment with the introduction of the versatile, highly…

Woody breast syndrome has been an on-going concern for integrators. It’s not a modern problem; research has shown that it did exist in genetic lines from the 1950s, it was just less noticeable because the condition did not progress far enough. While not detrimental to the birds themselves, it does create a less-than-desirable end product…

Don’t Let Salmonella Ruin your Holiday When it comes to food safety, everyone has a roll to play. Farmers and integrators often work closely together to ensure that the birds live a healthy life and are processed in sanitary conditions. The entire food chain is designed to reduce salmonella contamination, but let’s face it, the…

Alternative Breeder Management Practices: Male Restaurant Feeding Male “restaurant” feeding is a breeder management practice that is utilized by some integrators in certain parts of the world. It is a feeding practice where males are trained to come to the sound of a whistle to enter a separate feeding pen. This allows the males and…