Tip: Panel to block the aisles during heat checking

To get good reproductive results, using boars to detect estrus is indispensable. Ideally, the sows would be taken to the boar... but this is impractical on large farms as it would be very time-consuming and have associated costs. Considering that weaned sows are housed in individual crates on most farms, they would have to be let out one by one and taken to the boar twice a day until estrus was detected. Imagine a farm with 1,000 sows that had to move 50 sows daily... unthinkable!

So what happens is the boar is taken to the sows, walked down the aisle, and stopped in front of each sow. In the same way, once estrus is detected, the boar is brought in front of the sow during insemination, since it produces olfactory, tactile, and audible stimuli that induce contractions of the cervix that assist in the proper progression of semen into the uterus.

To reduce the number of personnel required for these procedures, it is common nowadays to equip the aisles with fixed doors or movable partitions such as the one shown in the photos.

On this farm, they use an aluminum panel cut to size to fit exactly between the two adjacent cages on either side of the aisle. Once in place, two lateral locking systems with latches secure it in place.

The bolts also have a screw lock to prevent boars from opening them.

Because it is lightweight, it is easy to move around and also has a handle for easy handling.