As young farmers who recently built a new nursery barn for their wean-to-finish hog farm, brothers Brenden and Lukas Fricke have a unique opportunity. The Frickes, who manage Union Farms near Ulysses, are partnering with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Animal Science Department for several research projects related to pig behavior and health.

In addition to some cutting-edge research using an Xbox Kinect, the Frickes are partnering with the Animal Science Department to research water consumption habits in pigs, starting in December.

See related story: UNL, Union Farms research Kinect camera in hog barns

FOCUS ON PIG HEALTH: Pigs at Brenden and Lukas Fricke’s wean-to finish hog farm will be part of a study on water consumption habits in pigs at the UNL Animal Science Department.

Brenden notes monitoring water usage isn't necessarily new, but being able to monitor water usage per pig, when paired with the ability to monitor individual pig movement via Kinect camera, provides new insight into how water consumption relates to pig behavior. There's also a strong correlation between water consumption and feed consumption — pigs that are more efficient in water are likely more efficient in feed.

"Pig health is the biggest thing; increases and decreases all mean certain things depending on the genetics of pigs," he says. "We know this pig is drinking this much water through the use of a meter, and the camera knows which pig is drinking water at which time. We're trying to know what every pig does 24/7. The pattern it's following, and at what time is the pattern broken, because that might mean the pig is sick."

How does this work? The study uses a water feeding device with a water meter mounted on it that can record water intake down to the milliliter, says Benny Mote, UNL Extension swine specialist.

"When the pig triggers the water nipple, it will record how much flows out per second," Mote explains. "The meter will tie that information to a time stamp. Using that information we can tie in either RFID [radio frequency identification] technology or the Xbox Kinect technology to identify individual pigs drinking at different times."

Exploring alternatives to antibiotics
Veterinary feed directive (VFD) regulations, which require producers to work directly with their veterinarian when using feed-grade antibiotics with all food-producing livestock, will go into effect on Jan. 1. To explore the potential of alternatives when antibiotics aren't an option, the Frickes are also partnering with the Animal Science Department to research probiotics to build gut health.

"We aren't trying to say antibiotics are bad, we're just looking at other options, other tools in the toolbox," says Mote. "Lukas and Brenden are trying to go the antibiotic-free route in their nursery barn. And if you have pigs that get started better, they can go through the production system healthier, and more efficient."

The study, which is starting in 2017, will also take place in the Fricke's new nursery barn, which is set up to run two separate treatments for probiotics to promote gut health. This will involve the use of two feeders — one for each pen to compare the two diets. This will also include a pig weigh-in and weigh-out to measure feed efficiency, which will tie into the research on water intake and the Kinect camera.

"We're looking at increasing pig immunity especially in the nursery phase and helping them get started," says Lukas. "It's a dual-action way to help boost the animals' immune systems in a natural way. There are no antibiotics. It's all naturally derived products that will build the immunity for the animal."