Reducing Water Consumption in Swine Barns: Alternatives for Animal Drinking and Barn Cleaning
More efficient use of water has both economical and environmental implication. Through surveys and reviewing literature it was found that washing pens and drinking nipples were two areas that could see improvements in water usage. Two studies were carried out at the Prairie Swine Centre to see potential improvements in water usage. The first study involved testing two new types of drinkers compared to a conventional water nipple. Tested was a water nipple with side panels, and a water nipple with side panels and a trough that kept water constant. Results showed that the side panels with a trough was by far the most effective method for not wasting water and it was able to keep water consumption at the ideal levels while not effecting average daily gain and feed intake. The washing study looked at different water nipples on pressure washers and the effectiveness of pre-soaking pens before washing them. As expected pre-soaking pens increased water usage but also reduced washing time. A Y-nozzle achieved the lowest microbial level on plastic while the conventional nozzle was the most effective at cleaning concrete.