This project by Bernardo Predicala set out to investigate the optimum environmental temperature requirements of sows and grower-finisher pigs, reducing energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining long-term overall productivity and performance.
The project consists of four phases: in Phase 1, group-housed gestating sows will be kept for 6 weeks either at 16.5 °C (current recommended set-point) or 8 °C (preferred temperature determined in a previous study); in Phase 2, the preferred environmental temperature of grower-finisher pigs will be determined, using the operant mechanism and experimental protocols developed in the previous sow study; in Phase 3, grow-finish pigs will be kept for 6 weeks at either the current recommended set-point temperature or the preferred temperature determined in phase 2 to assess growth performance; and in Phase 4, an assessment of the environmental (carbon) footprint will be completed, along with cost analysis and development of recommendations for practical application of the optimized temperature management in commercial barns. Preliminary results of Phase 1 show a reduction in energy consumption of >50% in group-housed gestation rooms with a setpoint of 8 °C vs. 16.5 °C.
Optimizing temperature requirements of pigs to reduce energy use in swine production (full article)
