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One producer's (John Van Engelen, Ontario) lessons in making the transition to group sow housing. As presented to a Group Sow Housing Seminar in the fall of 2017. https://youtu.be/WOzUdmEDsLs ...
The following resources are designed for producers looking to make the transition to group sow housing. ...
Group housing is a complex system, but it is one that the society is moving towards. There are many options in regard to choosing group housing for gestating sows. The housing systems from lowest to highest welfare are: tethers and stalls, indoor group housing then group housing with outdoor and substrate access. Electronic sow feeders (ESF) and individual feeders do not differ in productivity or physiological aspects of the pigs,...
Grouping of sows is important to have increased fitness and freedom but if done improperly, limited access to feed and aggression can be apparent. Electronic feeding systems (ESF) decrease aggression by sows having limited feeding competition, but young sows may still have to fight for access to the feeder and receive more injuries with lower production due to their lower ranking. Aggression may be decreased if sows are in groups...
Social stress from mixing sows has the potential to negatively affect sow production and welfare. Housing sows in stalls from weaning until five weeks after breeding is a common strategy used to prevent aggression and ensure control over individual feeding during breeding, conception and implantation. However, alternative management options are needed as pressure to reduce stall use is likely to continue. This study compared the effects of three mixing strategies on sow performance in group sow housing....
Two experiments were conducted to determine the influence of dietary Ca and P levels in the gestation and lactation diets of high producing sows on Ca and P balance, productivity, bone turnover, and bone development in piglets. The objective of the first study was to determine if the recommended levels of dietary Ca and P are adequate for sows housed in groups that have potential for increased mobility. The second...
A concern with any type of group housing is the aggression performed when mixing unfamiliar sows into a group, as they compete to form a social hierarchy. Ongoing aggression is another related concern. It is important to understand how different grouping practices influence sow aggression, and how to manage these systems to optimize productivity and wellbeing. Three grouping treatments were compared in gestation: Control – sows housed in stalls for 35...
Sow mortality is an area of increasing concern as production records indicate a significant increase in spontaneous death losses over the past 10-20 years. This project gathered information on sow mortality in Canadian herds through a literature review, a producer survey, visits to 13 farms for live sow measurements, and will analyze historical sow culling and mortality records from 34 farms. Survey results from 104 herds across Canada found that the...
Sow loss can cause psychological harm to workers and also results in loss of profits. Sow longevity is decreasing even with the new genetic advancements and a switch to group housing. A survey is being done on reasons for culling and mortality for sows in Canadian farms. Group housing practices are also being researched to see what is most beneficial to the sows. Early mixing has been shown to decrease...