Farmer Focus: Still battling piglet scours scourge
Tony Bayles © Tim Scrivener The days are slowly getting longer and it’s just as well, as we are trying to keep on top of the clean-up and seem to be losing the battle at the moment.
Every time we start, the wet weather reappears and puts a stop to it yet again.
This scenario must be really frustrating for you outdoor pig keepers. It is driving me to distraction.
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The scour outbreak I mentioned last month continues to cause problems. The lab results have so far proved inconclusive, but the final tests should hopefully be back shortly.
I’ll be surprised if rotavirus is not involved somewhere, but E coli is probably the main culprit. We wait to be proved wrong.
With fuel prices on the rise, I have filled up the tanks, which should see us through to the summer.
Electricity deal
I have also started to look at the electricity price. Our contract expires in June and as we are coming off a two-year deal, I want to avoid a big surprise.
We got a superb deal last time and it is unlikely to be repeated. Electric is our third-largest cost and any savings are worthwhile, but deciding on the length of the contract is always difficult and potentially costly.
The news on our plans to convert the farrowing shed are progressing, but a new idea has developed and I need to look into its potential before we progress, as it could make life easier and save a considerable amount of downtime and money.
The good news is that the space we allocated for the farrowing container is large enough to fit not only the two containers I’m looking at, but also a third if ever needed.
The concerns I had about access for the crane have been allayed, but we will have to hard-core a larger area than I had anticipated.
Finally, my wife and I would like to express our respects and condolences to the Easey family after the sad loss of Malcolm. He was a true gentleman, a farmer and a lover of country pursuits. He will be sorely missed.
Tony Bayles runs a herd of 1,000 sows producing 7kg pigs and all his own replacement stock on contract to a large local producer.