Page 3 of articles about farrowing room in Articles
Measures to reduce neonatal mortality: management, genetics and new housing for lactating sows
Neonatal mortality does not only depend on the design of the farrowing crate, but also on genetic and management factors, as well as litter size, especially with the increased use of hyper-prolific dam lines.
Strategies to control piglet weight variability in the nursery (1/2): farrowing, segregation of animals, environmental comfort
Although dispersion in the farrowing quarters is decisive in the final dispersion, we can take steps to correct some of this dispersion in the nursery.
Reducing the number of nurse sows on the farm
Finding alternatives to reduce the number of nurse sows by maximising the number of suckling piglets per sow.
At long last, we can now predict a sow's performance from her first farrowing
We can predict a sow's production based on the number of piglets born alive at first farrowing. In addition, the best sows' performance will outdo the others' continuously.
Milk replacements
The use of milk replacers is helpful, both to increase the number of weaned piglets and to simplify the management of nurse sows.
When the farrowing pen is small, we invent a nest
This trick consists in creating a nest using the crates back corridor.
Creep feeding and lactation length
The objective of supplementing piglets with creep feeds is to reduce the number of under-developed animals during the first days after weaning and, albeit with some differences, it is beneficial for both 21-day and 28-day lactations.
Farrowing quarters: notes on the card wrapped in a plastic bag
Wrap the sow's card in a clear plastic bag and write down the data with a thick marker
Control of feeding with a chart wrapped around the water pipe
The goal is to record the sows' feeding level when fed manually.
Coloured clothes pegs to identify the sow's production stage
The goal is to know the production stage of gestating sows in a quick and visual way.
The importance of the sow's feed intake and the weaned piglet's weight
The most productive farms are not always the best. We must also bear in mind the weaned piglet's weight and the sow's feed intake.
Marking foster sows on the back with the number of piglets to adopt
The trick consists in selecting the appropriate foster sows and marking them on the back with the maximum number of pigs that they can take care of.
Energy costs savings during split suckling
This system does not provide an improvement in the production data, but a saving in energy costs and a better use of the resources in general.
Energy savings using cover-nests in farrowing rooms
The use of these nests help create two well-differentiated areas: a warmer one for the piglets and a cooler one for the sows.
Use of coloured clothes pegs for the daily management in the farrowing quarters
It is very important that all the staff on the farm can know quickly what is going on in the farrowing quarters, because in this way everybody will be able to carry out the daily duties in this area.