Nursery and Grow/Finish

Todays Plan
Todays plan includes

Nursery housing and surroundings

Handle with care nursery
Grow/finish housing and surroundings
Handle with care grow/finish
The public and pork production

Nursery Housing and

Surroundings

Nursery Objectives
The primary objective of the nursery is to optimize growth and
performance during the first weeks after weaning.
Pigs are supplied with clean water, ample feed, and a proper
environment to optimize growth and well-being.

Nursery Objectives Video

Nursery Phase
The nursery phase marks the beginning of piglets independence
as they are transitioned from their mothers milk to dry diets.
Pork producers take special steps to help piglets transition
through this phase.

Weaning Piglets
Weaning piglets:
Typically occurs around
three weeks of age at a
weight of about 10 to 12 lbs
Piglets are removed from
the sow and moved to the
nursery facility
Diet changes from a liquid
diet to a solid-food diet

Facilities

Facilities should be thoroughly cleaned

and disinfected before new groups of
animals are brought in

Producers ensure:
Proper space is available
Feeders and watering equipment are in
place

Facilities Requirements
Piglets are grouped
by: size, age, and/or
sex.

Pen should be rectangular

or square allowing the
piglets to separate their
living area into sub-areas

Grouping helps reduce

fighting and allows
piglets to get water and
food as desired. It also
helps reduce stress and
disease.
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Environmental Temperature Control

Environmental Control of the Temperature is Essential!

Temperature should be:

Constant in nursery
facilities to help optimize
growth and well-being
Decreased to match the
pigs requirements as
they grow

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Temperature Variations
Piglet behavior can indicate temperature variations
Cold piglets pile/huddle together

Warm piglets spread apart

Shao et al.,
1997

To increase temperatures, add a

heating lamp to the bedding area.

To cool pigs, mist with water and/or use

stir fans to increase air movement.
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Ventilation

A ventilation system helps

maintain proper:
Air temperature
Humidity
Air quality

This helps to:

Reduce disease and
temperature-related stress
Maximize productivity

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Making Production Decisions

Directions
You are the production manager for a pork operation and need to
move piglets from the farrowing facility to the nursery. Several
important decisions need to be made when moving the piglets.
Complete the decision tree by answering the questions found on
the student activity titled, Moving from Farrowing to the Nursery.
You will have five minutes to complete this assignment.

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Handle with Care Nursery

Care and Handling

Directions
Assemble into groups of three
Read your assigned one-page article, and briefly explain it to the
other members of your group
As you read or listen to the information in your article, think
about how it pertains to the nursery phase of pork production

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Feeding
Piglets eat every hour and must
have feed readily available
Pans or feeding mats may be
used until pigs learn to eat from
the feeders
A nutritional plan optimizes pig
growth by including multiple
diets, or phases, coordinated
with the animals growth and
development

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Water
Pigs must have constant access to
ample, clean water which is supplied
through nipple, bowl, or cup
waterers
The height of the waterers are
adjusted as pigs grow
Nipple waterers are placed at the
shoulder height of the smallest pig
Cup and bowl waterers are adjusted
to provide easy access for the
smallest pig

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Handling Piglets
Piglets can be hard to handle
Small size
Tendency to squirm
Able to move quickly
Precautions are needed to prevent
injury

Preventing injury and ensuring animal

well-being is in producers best interest

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Grow/Finish Facilities and

Environment

Space Requirements
Nursery pigs are moved to a finishing facility when they reach a certain size.
Finishing Facility
Environmentally Controlled Barn
Adequate space for pigs feed,
water and socialization needs

Space
Temperature*

Reduced temperature compared to

the nursery phase

Ventilation

Control of dust, humidity, gases, air

temperature, and airborne
pathogens

Ability to control is reduced in a hoop barn vs. an environmentally-controlled barn

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Space Requirements
Nursery pigs are moved to a finishing facility when they reach a certain size.
Finishing Facility
Hoop Barn
Space
Temperature

Ventilation

Adequate space for pigs feed,

water and socialization needs
Heat produced from decomposing
corn stalks or other bedding
material helps maintain temperature
Difficult to regulate with a
naturallyventilated system

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Handle with Care

Grow/Finish

Sorting Pigs
Sorting pigs by social
relationships:
Sex barrows and gilts grow at
different rates
Weight pigs of similar weight will
grow at a similar rate
Health pigs with health conditions
should be sorted and penned
separately

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Feeding Methods
Producers utilize several feed strategies to optimize herd performance.

Split-Sex
Male and females
are housed in
separate pens and
fed different diets
to maximize feed
conversion
Meets specific
nutritional
requirements of
males vs. females

Phase

Combination

Meets specific
nutritional
requirements of
pigs as they age
During this phase
feeding, six to ten
phases may be
used

Uses both splitsex feeding and

phase feeding for
maximum effects
Optimizes feed
conversion rates
Helps reduce
potential
environmental
impacts

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Observation
Producers walk pens at least
daily to:
Check functionality of
feeders and waterers
Look for abnormal
behavior patterns
Acclimate pigs to human
interaction
Look for signs of illness
or injury

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Observation - Video

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Recordkeeping
Producers record information
during observation times and
when treating a sick or injured
animal.
Analysis of records helps allow
for:
Identification of patterns
and/or the need for
management changes
Meeting regulatory
requirements for medication
use
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What Would You Do?

In a group, discuss the potential impacts and possible action steps
to address the scenario.

Scenario
As a cost-saving measure,
an operation closes one of
its nursery pig locations
and moves its nursery
stock into another nursery
site that contains pigs of a
similar age and size

Impact
What impact could
this have on
production?

Action
What steps could be
taken to reduce the
impact?

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Summary
During this lesson, you learned to

Identify the types of facilities and the environment necessary to

maintain healthy nursery pigs
Determine the proper care and handling techniques for nursery pigs
Identify the types of facilities and the environment needed for
grow/finish pigs
Determine the proper care and handling techniques for grow/finish
pigs

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