Do any of you immunocastrate your swine? After you read this article from Pig Health Today, you might consider this instead of physical castration. Larry Rueff, DVM, a swine veterinarian from Greensburg IN, stopped castrating his swine physically for four years.
Rueff uses a protein compound that blocks boar taint like an immunization if you will. He says he has noticed improvements on markers like feed efficiency and growth. He says the procedure solves certain aspects like pain-mitigation and infection concerns, which are common in physical castration.
Larry Rueff has run 13 groups of immunocastrated pigs from wean to finish. He has noticed an improvement of 14% to 15% in feed conversion compared to barrows with the same genetics. Also, carcasses from immunocastrated pigs are leaner. He also says that they are much less aggressive than boars that are sexually mature. Is this something that you would try on your pigs? Let us know what you think about this procedure. You can view the video here.
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Andy Chatterjee • Beef & Swine Recruiting Specialist
Andy Chatterjee is a Talent Scout for Continental Search. He handles placements for the feed industry. He is currently undergoing training for this demanding position.
Andy was handling operations for Continental Search for four years before he was promoted to Talent Scout. His understanding of the business from the ground up will make him an ideal addition to the recruiting team. You can reach him at (302) 353-4065 ext. 571 or andy@consearch.com.
