As a former nursery grower, Matt Joyce (one of our Business Development Managers for the U.S.) brings an interesting perspective to the topic of wet/dry feeding in the nursery. Matt says that his main goal was to produce as many viable, healthy pigs as possible by getting every group of pigs off to the very best start.
The problem is, “The process of weaning, no matter how carefully managed, results in changes in the gut of the pig to make it more susceptible to digestive upset, diarrhea, and impaired appetite” (Hans et al., 2006).
So how can a producer accomplish the goal of getting pigs off to the best start possible while knowing those piglets are experiencing an underlying problem with changes in their gut? Here’s what the research says…
As with our other feeders, we have invested in research studies to prove the value of our innovative nursery solutions for producers. Following are the results of one of those studies, comparing our Wet/Dry Nursery Feeders to conventional dry feeders. The research was done at New Horizon Farm in Pipestone, MN.
As you can see, these results show how the Crystal Spring nursery feeder gave the pigs a better start—namely their overall increase in gain, adjusted for days on feed (DOF). The pigs on our feeders gained a whopping additional 6 lbs (2.8 kg) or an Average Daily Gain improvement of .10 lbs (.045 kgs)!!
So how can you accomplish your goal of producing as many viable, healthy pigs as possible in the nursery? Simply put, give them a better start for better gain on a Crystal Spring Wet/Dry Nursery Feeder.
Want more information? Please reach out to us directly at info@cshe.com or contact your authorized Crystal Spring dealer.
