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Advanced Planning and Training Key to Grouping Sows
Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Production by student on June 26, 2018
Author: Harry Siemens
Reference: Prairie Hog Country – October/November 2017
Summary:
” Consult and get as much information as you can before you do your conversion because there is going to be a learning curve”
Doug Richards, the project coordinator of the National Sow Housing Conversion Project (NSHCP) believes that the most valuable lesson learned from the project is the importance of advanced planning. He believes that barn staff that are involved in the operation should be involved in the process from the beginning making the change over less drastic.
Although the producers are not yet at 100%, not of them stated that they would do anything differently, according to Richards. He believes that the overall result of this change has been positive for both the producers and the animals.
Richards has visited barns all across Canada that are making the switch, seeing barns that started in 2004 and ones that are just converting now, and he believes that everyone is happy about the change. For the sows, it is just an acquired environment. Although the switch has not yet been in place long enough to determine the full implications to production Richards states that the production numbers he does not think will decrease if anything they will stay the same, if not better.
Advance Planning and Training Key to Grouping Sows