Table 2.
Distribution and univariable analysis of management routines in 42 herds experiencing neonatal porcine diarrhoea (NPD herds) and 56 herds with no or occasional cases (Non-NPD herds)
| Variablea | NPD herds n (%) |
Non-NPD herds n (%) |
P valueb |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manual cleaning of the farrowing unit (times/day) c | 0.12d | ||
| 0–1 | 27 (64) | 26 (46) | |
| 2–3 | 15 (36) | 30 (58) | |
| Washing of the farrowing unit between batches | <0.01e | ||
| Always | 35 (83) | 32 (57) | |
| During summer | 5 (12) | 9 (16) | |
| No | 2 (5) | 15 (27) | |
| Disinfection of the farrowing unit between batches | 0.07d | ||
| Yes | 28 (67) | 26 (46) | |
| No | 14 (33) | 30 (54) | |
| Maternal vaccination against NPD | 0.02e | ||
| Yes | 40 (95) | 43 (83) | |
| No | 2 (5) | 13 (25) | |
| Employment of nurse sows | 0.01d | ||
| Yes | 24 (57) | 17 (30) | |
| No | 18 (43) | 39 (70) | |
| Monitoring of farrowings | 0.17e | ||
| Only if indicated | 3 (7) | 11 (20) | |
| During daytime | 35 (83) | 38 (68) | |
| During day and night | 4 (10) | 7 (13) | |
| Efforts made to save weak-born piglets | <0.01d | ||
| None/some | 18 (43) | 43 (77) | |
| Moderate/ambitious | 24 (57) | 13 (23) | |
| Type of supplemental heating in the creep area | 0.19e | ||
| Heat lamp | 11 (26) | 24 (43) | |
| Floor heating | 4 (10) | 6 (10) | |
| Lamp and floor heating | 27 (64) | 25 (45) | |
| Other | 0 (0) | 1 (2) |
aRespondents were requested to base their answers on an average farrowing batch during the last 12 months
bP value of the entire variable
cFirst week after farrowing
dχ2-test
eFisher’s exact test