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Pioneering closed herd technology, Babcock closed its nucleus herd
over 30 years ago. The health and production advantages of the
closed herd became immediately apparent. Shortly thereafter, we
made a commitment to bring closed herd technology to pork
producers worldwide. The development of reliable fresh semen
extenders in the 1990's paved the way for Babcock's current Closed
Herd System.
The decision to close your herd will yield benefits virtually
instantly. As your herd's Health status improves, performance will also improve. The proven advantages of the
Closed Herd System include:
Reduced disease risk
Stable herd health and immunity
Overall reduced mortality
Superior growth rate
Higher feed efficiency
Lower cost of production
Maximum genetic progress
More pounds of pork produced per sow
Consistent, reliable cash flow
Babcock genetics were developed specifically for closed herd
production. Consequently, many of the concerns associated with
closed herds simply do not apply to Babcock's Closed Herd System.
No pure line genetics are used - hybrid vigor eliminates the
management challenges associated with some GGP/GP programs.
Maternal line gilts and borrows perform as well as terminal line
gilts and barrows, thereby eliminating the need for special
handling or additional space.
All pork quality improvements made in terminal lines have been
made in maternal lines, resulting in maternal lines with
unsurpassed pork quality.
The key element to Babcock's Closed
Herd System is internal production of replacement gilts. While
open herds await deliveries, your replacement gilts are on-site,
under your control, and readily available to meet your breeding
targets. You determine their selection, and they are acclimated
using natural immunity and are stable before entering your
breeding herd. Replacement gilt production consists of three easy
steps:
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Breeding
10 - 20% of your weekly matings are gilt matings using maternal
line genetics, depending on your replacement gilt needs and your
weekly breeding target.
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Identification
At farrowing, all female offspring from gilt litters must be
identified with a hole punch in the ear opposite the mother's
hole punch. Once identified, no special treatment is required for
potential replacement gilts.
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Selection
When potential replacement gilts approach market weight, a
visual appraisal is done to determine the gilt's suitability for
breeding, including general soundness and structure, proper number
of nipples, etc. Once evaluated, available gilts are selected
RANDOMLY for introduction to the breeding herd. Selected gilts are
tagged with blue or white ear tags:
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If the gilt has a hole punch in her right ear, she receives a blue
ear tag.
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If the gilt has a hole punch in her
left ear, she receives a white ear tag.
The Closed Herd System provides
steady genetic progress, stable health, and reliable performance.
We've helped pork producers worldwide implement the Closed Herd
System, and we'll help you get started too. Our expert staff will
help you make the transition to the proven closed herd security of
the Babcock system. To date, not one customer using our on-site
Closed Herd System has repopulated due to disease or genetic
performance.
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