It may seem crazy, but a legitimate solution to the ongoing labor shortage is to let your pigs vaccinate themselves against certain common diseases. Boehringer Ingelheim has developed a new administration method for its oral Salmonella and Lawsonia vaccines- Enterisol Salmonella T/C and Enterisol Ileitis- that vaccinates young pigs when they chew on designated floor mats in farrowing crates. Dr. Greg Cline, senior key account veterinarian with Boehringer Ingelheim, said that swine producers need to vaccinate for these diseases due to how common they are.
This new vaccination method takes advantage of a pig’s natural curiosity- since they like to chew on things, it makes sense to apply the vaccine to something they can chew on. Now, as opposed to other labor-intensive vaccination methods, Dr. Cline said producers can vaccinate a barn of 48 litters in as little as three minutes.
This method isn’t just easier for the producer- Dr. Cline said it’s also less stressful for the pigs.
For more information, visit bi-animalhealth.com.
