19. The foundation breeding stock arrive

 

Breeding stock

The foundation breeding stock came from Boroma.  I knew the herd because I had visited the site on multiple occasions over the period from 2013 -2019.  I knew its health status, its medication use and the origin of the herd in Australia.  I also knew the source of new Australian genes used to upgrade the herd.  In addition, we had used Boroma pigs in our proof-of-concept trials.  They performed well.  Just as importantly Boroma, through its CEO Craig Bradfield and herd manager Bruce Sutton, had assisted our staff members with skills development.  They were long term friends.

Table one:  Genetic make of the WAL NPO foundation herd

8 LARGER GILTS
TAG	DAM	SIRE	D.O.B	BREEDING
440Y	923Y	Y.FORD.WW	23/03/2022	62%LW
841W	676W.RR	W.ASS.WW	23/04/2022	F1
845W	676W.RR	W.ASS.WW	23/04/2022	F1
846W	676W.RR	W.ASS.WW	23/04/2022	F1
855G	314G.R	G.KING.RR	25/04/2022	62%LR
879W	660W.W	W.ASS.WW	13/04/2022	62%LW
888G	G1963	G.KING.RR	24/04/2022	50%LR
889G	G1863	G.KING.RR	24/04/2022	50%LR
16 SMALLER GILTS
TAG	DAM	SIRE	D.O.B	BREEDING
101Y	G329	Y.RAY.R	19/06/2022	50%LR
102Y	G329	Y.RAY.R	19/06/2022	50%LR
103Y	G329	Y.RAY.R	19/06/2022	50%LR
200Y	F1665	Y.RAY.R	19/06/2022	50%LR
201Y	F1665	Y.RAY.R	19/06/2022	50%LR
202Y	F1665	Y.RAY.R	19/06/2022	50%LR
300W	339G	W.ASS.WW	19/06/2022	50%LW
301W	339G	W.ASS.WW	19/06/2022	50%LW
302W	339G	W.ASS.WW	19/06/2022	50%LW
303W	339G	W.ASS.WW	19/06/2022	50%LW
304W	339G	W.ASS.WW	19/06/2022	50%LW
401Y	143Y	Y.CHEV.WW	22/06/2022	50%LW
402Y	143Y	Y.CHEV.WW	22/06/2022	50%LW
403Y	143Y	Y.CHEV.WW	22/06/2022	50%LW
501W	F1677	W.ASS.WW	3/07/2022	50%LW
501W	F1677	W.ASS.WW	3/07/2022	50%LW
2 BIGGER BOARS IMPORTED SEMEN FROM AUSTRALIA
TAG	DAM	SIRE	D.O.B	BREEDING
783G	6087.W	014W	16/04/2022	75%LW
833W	345B	002R	18/04/2022	75%LR
SMALLER BOAR (part  DUROC )
508W	508W.R	*B.ODIN.RR	6/06/2022	62%LR

*BOAR NAME CODES EXAMPLE ODIN     B.ODIN.RR

FIRST  B = FROM FAMILY, NAME. R = 50%LR, RR = 75%LR. RRR = 82%LR

Bruce proved to be very helpful when it came to selecting breeding stock based on different parentage and so that breeding stock could be managed with a rotational cross breeding program in a way that avoided inbreeding and optimised heterosis.  The parentage of each foundation animal and its proportion of large white or landrace genetics is presented in table one.  The plan was to mate the big gilts with the older boars and use the younger boar on the smallest gilts.  Then staff would match the other two boars with the remaining sows according to breed to optimise heterosis.  Thereafter the progeny would be mated according to a program where a predominantly large white females would be mated to a predominantly landrace male or vice versa and so on.  Females would not be mated to their brothers nor their fathers.

Shipping container

It was Craig who had mentioned that he had seen or heard about cattle transported in modified shipping containers.  We arranged with TWL staff to find an old shipping container for us.  We hired contractors to cut vertical windows along the vertical corrugations in the sides down to about 600 mm to permit maximum airflow but provide enough depth for pig comfort and to retain about 200-3000 mm of sawdust bedding on the floor.

Figure 1.  Modified shipping container

Inside at one end the contractors built a metal stand to hold a 1000 Litre intermediate bulk container (IBC) for water and installed a water line to the three pens.  We allowed 200 L per day.  The pen sizes were made to fit the pigs; that is to provide a space allowance to meet their needs for a short journey of about three days.  A rack to hold about 200 Kg of feed for was installed.  This was enough for 40 kg per day for the three day journey plus a contingency, see Figures 2 and 3.  Four cubic metres of sawdust was supplied as bedding.

Figure 2.  Sketch of the layout inside the container

Figure 3.  Inside the container

Figure 4. From truck to wharf

Figure 5.  Lester Bagom at Port Moresby with 280Kg of feed

Figure 6. The gilts in the container             

The journey

The pigs were meant to travel on the 9^th October but a series of delays put the date back to October 14.  They were loaded at Boroma late in the afternoon of October 13 and unloaded at the port at about 5.00 pm (Fig 4). They left the next morning at 0800.

Lester Bagom (Fig 5) travelled with the pigs.  He is a very capable stockman and during the proof of concept study was the assistant manager at Farm Alstonia.  I had great confidence in him. 

The pigs travelled well.  We had originally planned to ship in late September, so these pigs were considerably bigger, by as much as 20 kg, than planned for.   

We had planned for a three day journey but the shipping company had cargo for Oro Bay/ Popendetta.  What made things harder for us was that there was another ship at the wharf so it was a wait of 36 hours before we could dock.  Rather than limit feed the pigs, Lester thought he had plenty of feed and had given them as much as they wanted This meant that by the time we docked at Oro Bay we were very low on feed.  Worse, we were out of water but the captain helped us there from the ship supplies

 

Figure 7.  Oro bay marked in red.

By truck from Lae to Nogoli

The pigs were quite dirty but generally okay.  The saw dust became very messy but did a good job soaking up urine and faeces which the pigs used to keep cool.  Lester bought more feed.  The ship left Oro Bay on 19^th October and arrived Lae the next day at 0215, nearly a six day trip.  TWL had organised additional stock feed and sawdust in Lae and early on the 20^th October the container was loaded onto a transport for shipment to Nogoli via Goroka, Hagen for an overnight stop and to join a convoy , Tari to pick up an escort and then onto to Nogoli

Between Lae and Goroka the truck had a mechanical failure and Lester and the driver had to wait several hours for assistance to arrive from Goroka.  While they were waiting, they were robbed of their spare cash and phones by local villagers, but the pigs were unharmed.

The truck was repaired and travelled to Hagen where there was a further delay of three days when it joined the regular HGDC convoy of trucks traveling to Tari on 27^th October.

Figure 8.  Pigs after Oro Bay

Figure 9. Oro bay departure.

Near Tari, on a particularly sharp corner, the pigs were thrown to the side of the container.  The container fittings were damaged and one pig was injured.  She was covered in little scratches, moved very slowly and had probably been at the bottom of the pile.  Unfortunately, her injuries, most likely severe bruising, reduced her capacity to feed and she did not eat for several days.  Not unexpectedly, because of the reduced intake, she suffered a gastric ulcer and died about three weeks later.

Figure 10.  Container and WAL landcruiser rendezvous near Tari.

Arrival

The shipment arrived and unloaded at the TWL camp at Nogoli on October 28.  The pigs were washed down and fed there for a week while things were readied at the WAL Nogoli Pig Operations site (NPO).  On November 4 they were moved onto the NPO and into their permanent accommodation.  The whole journey from start to finish had taken 22 days.

Figure 11.  Unloading the container at the NPO

The space allowance for the pigs provided 1.8M² per sow if there were ten sows in the pen or as planned, 2.2 M²  per sow if a group of 8 pregnant sows were taken through to farrowing.  The images show the local interest in the pigs.  Our local staff were unable to restrict access to the site on that first day.  There was just too much interest.  It was to become a biosecurity problem that later haunted the project. 

In the local Hela language Nogoli means home of the pigs.  Local legend foretold that one day the pigs would return to Nogoli.  This event in part fulfilled that prophesy. END

Figure 12.  The pigs leaving the container and entering the sow house at the NPO

Figure 13.  The pigs quickly found the drinking water nipple in their new pens.

Figure 14. Pigs in their new pen at the NPO