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Prairie Swine Centre is an affiliate of the University of Saskatchewan
Prairie Swine Centre is grateful for the assistance of the George Morris Centre in developing the economics portion of Pork Insight.
Financial support for the Enterprise Model Project and Pork Insight has been provided by:
RETROFIT FOR LOOSE HOUSING
Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Production by admin on May 10, 2017
There are many factors that affect the success or failure of retrofitting farms to group housing. Properly managed with the right care and attitude, many different forms of group housing can result in performance similar to gestation stalls. However, the challenge lies in the transition period, and making the choices which fit the resources, cost, and staff available on your farm. Due to the inherent unique features that differ between farms, peer-reviewed research alone can never answer all of the questions. Nonetheless, the transition to group-housing offers an opportunity to apply a focus on stockmanship in your herd. Future opportunities exist to reduce feed costs, minimize aggression and increase performance of group-housed sows through utilization of new technologies and pig production strategies.
This article discusses
- Common group housing questions
- Is retrofitting the most cost-effective investment long-term?
- When is the best time to mix sows into groups?
- When is the best time to mix sows into groups?
- Static or dynamic grouping?
- How many sows per pen?
- Pen structure and design
- Flooring type
- Waterers
- Nesting walls and gating material
- Lighting
- Hospital Pens
- Cost of retrofitting existing facilities
- Managing people and pigs in the transition
- Planning the process
- Stockmanship
- Old sows
- Feeding strategies for group housing success
- Optimization of sow body condition
- Gestation diet
- Common mistakes