Canada’s Hub for Pork Research and Innovation

Water is one of the most overlooked inputs on a hog farm, and it may be costing you more than you think.

Prairie Swine Centre research shows that drinker height and flow rate have a big impact on how much water is wasted. Finisher pigs alone waste 25–40% of water from nipple drinkers, and about 65% of nipple drinkers on farms are set at flow rates higher than needed.

The fix is straightforward. Set nipple drinkers at shoulder height for the smallest pig in the pen. Flow rates should stay between 0.5 and 1.0 litres per minute for most stages. Check regularly for leaks and replace faulty drinkers promptly.

Small adjustments to height and flow rate can meaningfully cut water waste and reduce your water bill — without compromising pig health or performance.

Feed is the biggest cost in raising pigs, so finding ways to use it more efficiently is a top priority. Researchers studied over 14,900 Canadian Duroc pigs to compare different ways of measuring feed efficiency and understand how these traits are linked to growth and feeding behaviour.

The results are clear: selecting pigs based on Residual Feed Intake (RFI) — a measure of how much extra feed a pig eats beyond what's needed to grow — is a better tool than the traditional Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR). Improving FCR can unintentionally push pigs to gain more fat or reduce daily gains. RFI avoids these trade-offs.

Breeding programs that target low-RFI animals can lower your feed costs while keeping growth and meat quality on track.

PRRS virus is one of the costliest diseases for pig producers. When it hits a sow herd, newly weaned piglets often get sick fast — and without quick action, mortality rates can climb. Researchers in Quebec tested whether adding Tylvalosin (Aivlosin®) to drinking water could help nursery pigs fight through a natural PRRS outbreak. Half the pigs received the water treatment alongside a standard feed antibiotic; the other half received only the feed antibiotic. The results were promising. Nursery mortality dropped from 10% to 4% in treated pigs, and fewer pigs needed individual antibiotic injections. Survival rates from nursery to market also improved significantly. For producers dealing with PRRS, adding Tylvalosin to drinking water could be a practical, straightforward tool to reduce losses and cut down on injection treatments — without affecting daily gain or feed efficiency.