Swine Housing.ppt

Swine Housing The majority of pigs today are raised in total confinement Confinement Production What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of raising swine in confinement? Advantages Less labor per cwt of pork produced A more stable environment Fewer parasites Less disease problems Increased productivity Disadvantages Buildings and equipment are very expensive Energy costs Reproductive problems Waste disposal Waste Handling Manure disposal is a critical part of raising pigs in total confinement (3-4 T/200 lb hog/yr. Typical methods of handling waste in confinement buildings include: Gutter flush to a lagoon Manure pit Mechanical scraper Floors in Swine Buildings Solid concrete Partially slotted Total slotted Expanded metal Plastic coated expanded metal Plastic Farrowing Facilities In the past individual farrowing houses were quite common when sows and pigs were raised on pasture Today most farrowing houses are ‘central’ in design. Central farrowing houses consist of one or more rooms that accommodate groups of sows Farrowing House Continued Most producers use farrowing crates Years ago the majority of sows were kept in individual pens prior to and after farrowing Crates are preferred today because they result in more pigs weaned per litter Nursery Facilities Nursery barns often contain several rooms with each room designed to accommodate the number of pigs from an individual farrowing room Small pens designed to handle 6 to 8 pigs are very common although some pens may be large enough to handle 16 to 25 pigs Nursery Building Continued The facilities are designed to provide a fairly stable environment These facilities may be designed to accommodate 3 week old pigs or perhaps 10 d old pigs Supplemental heat is provided via heat lamps, radiant heaters or perhaps heat in the floor Grow-Finish Facilities Environmentally enclosed (totally enclosed) buildings are the most popular today Open-front buildings popular in the 60s Modified open front (MOF) buildings