Demonstrating Water Conservation
An essential nutrient for pig growth is water. Water wastage leads to increased costs and often comes from nipple drinkers. When they are adjusted properly the water wasted is up to 25%, but commonly commercial farms report 40 to 60%. Flow rates and nipple heights...
Washing Procedures, Auditing Best Management Practices
The top uses of water in swine barns are drinking and cleaning. Reducing water through water conservation strategies will reduce the cost of production and have a more sustainable environmental effect as less manure is produced. Most barns audited pre-soak rooms before washing, though this...
Assessing Trailer Cleanliness
An important step in maintaining biosecurity is proper washing and disinfection of transport trailers. Visual inspection is not aa reliable assessment for measuring cleanliness. Using microbiological culture works, though the plating of media and incubation time make it somewhat impractical as test results take awhile...
Ventilating Converted Sow Rooms
Ventilation has a large effect on barn operating costs and many aspects of the environment. Using the existing ventilation system in converted sow facilities (from stall to group housing) will lead to over-ventilation during the winter as the minimum ventilation fans are designed for higher...
Prairie Swine Centre Testing Nanotechnology Applications in Pig Industry
Nanotechnology uses small particles and has many applications. One of notice is their antimicrobial properties that could aid in biosecurity and gas emissions of swine barns. Previously, they have been used for filtering air and water purification. The nanoparticle zinc oxide was proven to be...
Effectively Assessing Barn Renovations
A checklist is provided to help make objective barn investment decisions for renovations. Walk around your barn with a flashlight, a ladder and some tools to assess equipment. Four areas that are considered in this checklist are biosecurity, utilities, operation and structural. Walk the barn,...
Geothermal Systems for Heating in Pork Production
Energy costs are increasing over the years and costs can be very high, especially in cold climates. 80% of the energy used in swine barns in Saskatchewan is for heating and ventilation costs. A geothermal system uses ground heat and may be a better option....
Force Plates Assessment
Up to 25% of culling reasons for gilts involve lameness. It is one of the most important welfare issues. More objective quantitative methods are needed to assess lameness in pigs. Force plates analyze weight distribution on limbs in cows and may be useful in sows...
Canola Oil Sprinkling and Low Crude Protein Diet Reduce Respirable Dust and Ammonia Concentrations From Swine Production
Dust and ammonia levels are often high in swine facilities and pose a risk for workers. Methods for reducing these levels are needed in order to keep the workers and animals safe. High levels of nitrogen in the pigs diet can increase ammonia output. Canola...
Comparative Evaluation of Infrared Radiant and Forced-air Convection Heating Systems for Hog Barns
Heating costs in pig production rooms can be expensive. A gas-fired infrared radiant heating system was compared to a conventional forced-air convection heater, which heats the air by the ceiling that is then moved with fans. Heat is transmitted to the surfaces with a radiant...