Farrow and ball hallway: Inspiration für Flure

In any reproducer, the layout of the farrowing area is an important component of success from an economic and production point of view.

The layout includes many factors such as number and size of farrowing pens, room size, heating, ventilation, etc.

The purpose of this and the following article, which will be published in a few months, is to answer most of these questions. For this, we have worked closely with two well-known experts, Heraclio Corchon and Javier Lorente, who have extensive experience in the management, design and construction of farms.

Number of farrowing pens

Today, this is one of the first questions that comes up at the beginning of a new project. Hyper fertility encourages farmers to install more rigs, which greatly increases investment.

Lorente speaks frankly: “About 10% over your weekly plans. If your goal is 50 farrowings per week: 55-56 pens per week. With hyper prolific sows, additional space will be required for stepmothers.”

What room size will you choose?

How are we going to plan the room in the farrowing house: should the room be bigger or smaller?

Lorenta doesn’t like small spaces. He is sure that the presence of premises in which you can split the weekly game into two is a good option. “If my goal is 90 farrowings per week, I would prefer two rooms that can accommodate 48 animals per week. It is important for me to be able to wean twice a week, if necessary. If I have only one room for a week, then this is difficult to do without violating the empty-busy principle. I don’t like to break up a weekly batch into a large number of rooms, as this is not very convenient in terms of work optimization.

Korshon also advocates splitting the weekly batch into two: “I don’t like rooms that can hold more than 40 machines. For me, the ideal room is where 40 looms fit, a central aisle with 20 looms on each side of it. ”

Farrowing house planning

One of the key points is the positioning of the farrowing cages: should the sows face the wall or the passageway?

Of course, if the sow faces the wall and the passage is at the back (picture 1), it is easier to observe the farrowing and provide the necessary assistance. The work will be safer and more comfortable and, in addition, the machines will be easier to clean. On the other hand, to access the feeder, we have to enter the pen each time, which is time-consuming and increases the risk of infection.

Lorente favours, without a doubt, the rear or a double passage. The feeding system in place will determine our decision. If the feeding system is automatic (for example liquid feeding or an electronic dispenser with intake control), allowing for the control of the feeding from the rear passage, Lorente would place the sows facing the wall, without the need for a front passage. But in more manual systems, or those that need to be constantly adjusted (dispensers), a double passage is necessary (figure 2), in order to have an easier access to the trough.

Figure 2. The cost of a farrowing room with a double passage is a 10% higher, but it simplifies work because it provides good access to the feed trough and the rear of the farrowing pen.

For Corchón, placing the sow facing the wall has some advantages: you have a better view of the trough, the sow can be checked more easily from behind, and even, from a construction point of view, the crate is more securely fixed. Though scarcely used in many countries, he would go for the double passage, the main one behind the sow (0.9-1m wide), and a narrower one (0.6m) in front that would allow access to clean the trough, etc. This option of the double passage increases the construction price by approximately 10%.

In addition, both of them clearly support the option of piglet shelter areas (figure 3), and that would require a rear passage to observe the piglets in the creep area. The creep areas provide a good environment for the piglets and, at the same time, keep the farrowing rooms at the right temperature for the sows (19-21 ºC).

Figure 3. The temperature requirements of the piglet and the sow are completely different. The creep area allows us to give the right comfort to the piglets without compromising the comfort of the sow.

Cell types

There are many different options. The korshon prefers cages with teeth (Figure 4) that prevent the teat guard from covering the teats. He says: “The movable bar can be moved to avoid completely covering the top row of teats, however, based on experience, it’s better to make things easier because workers don’t always adjust the height of the bar to the height of the sow’s teats.” On the other hand, Lorente prefers the bottom rail (figure 5) because, in his opinion, the teeth of the cage can take up space for the piglets, which, given the large size of the nest, should be avoided if possible.

Figure 4. Crate with fingers and a floating rail. The floating rail is a very efficient system to prevent piglets from being laid on. The purpose of the fingers is to facilitate access to the sow udder.

Lorente insists on the importance of a movable inner rail to avoid crushing the piglets: “it is extremely important to prevent the situation when the sow unexpectedly lies down on the piglets. In modern feeding systems, where we aim for high feed intake during lactation with multiple feedings throughout the day, this handrail is extremely important. Without it, the risk of a sow laying down on her piglets could increase exponentially.”

Figure 5. Adjustable rails are more comfortable for the sows because they offer a greater width for them to lie down and nurse their piglets. Despite this, proper adjustment is essential, so that they do not cover a complete row of teats.

Heated mat cage and dimensions

Korshon doubts: “The standard dimensions used in modern production systems are 1.80m wide by 2.6m. in din. Perhaps soon they will increase to 1.90m x 2.6m, but personally I would not be in a hurry to expand them. Before you take this step, you need to answer a few production questions.

Lorente agrees with this point of view, but notes that “we must remember to increase the size of the heating mats (if we use them) or the size of the piglet den. If we are dealing with hyper prolific sows, the area should be at least 1.2 x 0.5 m; the old dimensions: 1.2 x 0.4 are not sufficient.” (Figure 6).

Figure 6. Narrow farrowing pens or narrow warmer mats should not be used if the sows are hyper fertile. In this way, we will prevent a high death rate of piglets from crushing.

In the next article, Heracleo Corchon and Javier Lorente will talk about floor types, ventilation, heating and such an important aspect as the feeding system.

This area is not intended for authors to consult about their papers, but for open discussion between users of pig333.ru

09-March-2018a.doljenko Instructive article, thank you!
I would like to hear the opinion of the authors about the rising floor farrowing pen for the sow at the time when she gets up. How effective is it from their point of view? Is it a worthwhile investment?
As I think: – the machine will reduce the number of deaths of piglets from crushing by the sow and what else (important for me) will reduce the width of the machine to 1.6 m when used with sows of Danish genetic lines i.e. with a lot of piglets in the nest.

Leave a new Comment

Restricted to users 333. You must be logged in to comment irrigation to lactation, however, in practice, such changes usually occur quickly.

12 July 2021

0

4