Adapting to Sow Housing Trends/Conversion · Adapting to Sow Housing Trends/Conversion Erin Ehinger...
Transcript of Adapting to Sow Housing Trends/Conversion · Adapting to Sow Housing Trends/Conversion Erin Ehinger...
Adapting to Sow Housing
Trends/Conversion
Erin Ehinger
Dykhuis Farms, Inc
September 24, 2010
As an industry, we can manage sows in
pen gestation as successfully as we‟ve
managed sows in the past.
…with stalls for breeding and farrowing
… with the right people
Outline
• Overview of
Dykhuis Farms
• Barn Design
• Weekly Tasks in
Pens
• Animal Husbandry
• Worker Safety
• Production
Numbers
An Overview of Dykhuis
Farms
About Dykhuis Farms
• Head quarters in West
Michigan
• All the sow units are in
the Holland area
• Contract finishing in
Michigan and Indiana
• (Part of the Michigan
PRRS Eradication
Project)
About Dykhuis Farms
• 15,500 sows
• 5 commercial sow
units of 2800 sows
each
• 1 grandparent herd
unit with 1900
sows
• PIC sows
History
• Started in 1978
with all stall
gestation (80 sows)
• Steady growth from
1980 through 2009
• In 2009, cut sow
herd by 20%
– Early 2009, 70% of
DFI sows spent part
of gestation in pens
History
• 2004
– Purchased farrow to finish unit and kept
finisher pens for sow gestation
– Changed another finisher/gilt developer
into a gestation barn with pens
Changes in Europe
Group housed sows in Denmark.
History
• 2007
– Changed another finisher to pen
gestation
– Built new breeding and farrowing barn
attached to old finisher
History
• December 2009/February 2010
– Changed some pens into stalls
• 2010 Michigan Legislation
– Early 2020 takes effect
– Can be in stalls until “confirmed pregnant” and one week before due to farrow
Our People
• All of the managers in our pen barns
worked with stalls before pens
• Many of our gestation people worked with
stalls before pens
Barn Design
Feeding/Watering
30 inches
between feed
tubes (2 sows
per box)
30 inches between feed tubes (2
sows per box)
Trough for whey and water
30 inches between feed tubes (2
sows per box)
30 inches
between feed
tubes (2 sows
per box)
Sow lick
inside the
pipe which
causes the
feed to
hang up.
27 inches
between feed
tubes (2 sows
per box)
4 feet between feed tubes (2
sows per box)
Feeding Whey
This feeding system is not ideal
Feed wasted on backs of
animals
Hanging Waterer
Not our farm, but another
feeding system
18 inches between dividers
Other Systems
• Free Access Stalls
– Recent research published on amount of
time spent in and out of stalls
• Electric Sow Feeding System
Planning a Barn• Pens needed: Farrowing Target x
Number of weeks in the pens (e.g. 10)
• Stalls needed:
– Hospital area
– Gilts
– Wean sows
– Bred sows: Breeding Target x Number of
weeks in the stalls (e.g. 6)
Breed in stalls
Hospital Area
Small vs. Large Pens
• Either can work
• Needs to fit the system
• Bigger pens can make planning more difficult
– If a pen is only partially emptied, can leave unavailable
empty spaces.
Stocking Density
• We stock pens at 15
square feet per sow
• By the end of
gestation, goal of 18
square feet per sow
• Fall out:
– Opens
– Aborts
– Dead sows
– Thin
– Lame
Village Central
The Round Barn
• Built on top of existing cement manure
storage
• Built in 2007
Stalls: 1228
Pens: 16 square pens
642 ft2 (24‟ x 26.75‟)
Sow Capacity
• Stocked at 15 sq. feet: 43 sows
• Figure on 7 pulled out
• Last weeks of gestation stocked at 18 sq.
feet: 36 sows
Round barn: 8 pens(1 is slightly smaller)
102 feet in diameter
1003.7 ft2 per pen
(828.2 ft2 on one pen –aisle)
Sow Capacity
• 67 sows at 15 ft2 (1 pen 55 sows at 15 ft2)
• Expected fall out: 11
• 56 sows at 18 ft2 (1 pen with 46 sows at 18
ft2)
Farrowing: 516
Total Space
Available:
Stalls: 1228
Pens (18 ft2):
1014
Farrowing:
516
Sandy Ridge
• Half converted finisher
• Half new construction in 2007: farrowing &
breeding barn
Stalls: 1296
Pens: rectangle pens
Big Pens:
39‟10” x 18‟
=717 ft2
Small Pens:
19‟9” x 18‟
=355.5 ft2
24 Big Pens
Capacity:
48 sows at
15 ft2
Fallout: 8
sows
40 sows at
18 ft2
6 Small Pens
Capacity:
24 sows at
15 ft2
Fallout: 4
sows
20 sows at
18 ft2
Farrowing: 576
Total Space
Available:
Stalls: 1296
Pens (18 ft2):
1080
Farrowing:
576
Grandparent Herd
Stalls:
Stalls in
breeding
barn: 736
Stalls in
gestation
barn: 436
10 pens: 10.25‟ x 18.67‟
13 sows
at 15 ft2
11 sows
at 18 ft2
17 pens 8.5‟ x 26.5‟
15 sows
at 15 ft2
13 sows
at 18 ft2
10 pens: 8.3‟ x
25.5‟
14 sows
at 15 ft2
12 sows
at 18 ft2
Farrowing: 395
Total Space
Available:
Stalls: 1172
Pens: 451
Farrowing:
395
* This sow unit has 3 sites and has more farrowing than is
needed. Also, only half of the sows gestate for 10 weeks in
pens.
Weekly Tasks
Establishing Pens
• Sow are in stalls
from weaning until
35 days bred or
more
• “Confirmed
Pregnant”
Establishing Pens
• Group pens by
– Due date/breed date
– Size/Parity
Newly mixed pen
Mixed the previous day- gilts
• Sows get extra feed
the first 2-3 days in
a pen
• Helps reduce
fighting
Heat Checking/Breeding
Heat checking for returns in the
pen
Boar
Mark heats and move to stalls
Breed in stalls
Don‟t do this!
Gilts breeding in pens: not ideal
Works best with a lot of people
Boars can be aggressive
Quality Mating?
Vaccinating
Ultrasound
Record Keeping
Sows Marked to Move to
Farrowing
Animal Husbandry
Caring for Individuals
• Lame sows in pens
need immediate
attention
• Sick sows need
immediate attention
• Why did that sow
get beat up?
Injured Sows
Hospital Area
Feeding and Body Condition
• Fed as a group
• Thin sows
– Minimize
– Group together
– Pull out of pens
• 35 days gestation in
stall gives time to
gain body condition
Thin Sows
Worker Safety
Worker Safety
• Boars can be
aggressive during
heat checking
• Moving animals
• Be aware of
surroundings
• Some things may
be safer because
there are no stalls
to pinch hands and
legs
Production Numbers
Total Sows
• May 2009-April 2010
– Stall housed sows: 5426 (30%) (parity 3.9)
– Pen housed sows: 12931 (70%) (parity 2.7)
• June – August 2010
– Stall housed sows: 8561 (52%) (parity 2.8)
– Pen housed sows: 7782 (48%) (parity 3.6)
Farrowing Rate
• May „09-April „10
– Stalls: 82.1%
– Pens: 84%
• June – August „10
– Stalls: 87.2%
– Pens: 85.2%
Total Born & Born Alive
• May „09-April „10
– Stalls: 12.5/11.3
– Pens: 12.6/11.7
• June – August „10
– Stalls: 12.9/12.0
– Pens: 13.1/12.0
Percent Stills & Mummies
• May „09-April „10
– Stalls: 5.9%/3.7%
– Pens: 4.7%/2.4%
• June – August „10
– Stalls: 4.2%/2.6%
– Pens: 5.6%/2.9%
Pre-weaning Mortality
• May „09-April „10
– Stalls: 13.8%
– Pens: 12.8%
• June – August „10
– Stalls: 12.2%
– Pens: 14.0%
Pigs Weaned per Sow & PSY
• May „09-April „10
– Stalls: 9.7/24.1
– Pens: 10.2/24.9
• June – August „10
– Stalls: 10.4/25.8
– Pens: 10.2/24.2
Sow Death Loss
• May „09-April „10
– Stalls: 8.3%
– Pens: 7.7%
• June – August „10
– Stalls: 6.6%
– Pens: 6.4%
Conclusion
Overview of DFI
Barn Design
Weekly Tasks in Pens
Animal Husbandry
Worker Safety
Production Numbers
As an industry, we can manage sows in
pen gestation as successfully as we‟ve
managed sows in the past.
…with stalls for breeding and farrowing
… with the right people
Any questions?
Mom, aren‟t
these sheep?
Where are the
pigs?