Inspiring examples
Dossier: Group-housing and mixing of sows
For good practices implementing EU legislation on-farm, inspiring examples and demonstrators are identified.
The examples of commercial farms given here address some good practices regarding group-housing and mixing of sows.
Demonstration of good practices are excellent ways and proven methods of dissemination of knowledge, exchanging ideas, harmonizing assessments, and changing attitudes.
Mixing pens
Standard group-housing systems may not provide sufficient space at the time of mixing. Consequently, several authors suggest to use particular mixing pens in which sows should be kept for the first 2-3 days after mixing. These pens should:
- Allow the sows to achieve a flight distance of 10-12 m.
- Include straw or rice hulls as bedding providing both rooting material and a good grip for the claws while fighting or fleeing.
- Include visual barriers to allow sows avoiding fights by hiding from dominant sows. Barriers may reduce total aggression by nearly 30 % in the 12 h after mixing.
Links
- Effects of group housing on sow welfare: a review, Verdon et al, Journal of Animal Science, 93(5), pp. 1999-2017, 2015
- Group housing of sows in early pregnancy: A review of success and risk factors, Spoolder et al., Livestock Science, 125(1), pp. 1-14, 2009
Provision of roughage
Roughage, provided as feedstuff, should always be offered in racks or (automatically) in troughs. A rack for pregnant sows:
- Is suitable when having a feeding height of 40-45 cm and when the distance between bars (axial dimension) is 11-13 cm in order to allow ready access to the roughage.
- Can be placed in the outdoor run if available.
- Should be placed in a position allowing access for all sows and, thus, avoiding that roughage becomes a limited resource.
Links
- Ökologische Schweinehaltung – Zukunftsweisende Haltungsverfahren, Baumgartner et al., Darmstadt: Kuratorium für Technik und Bauwesen in der Landwirtschaft e. V. (KTBL)
Rubber mats
Rubber mats are a suitable alternative for straw bedding to offer a comfortable lying area for pregnant sows:
- Soft rubber mats improve lying comfort considerably compared to concrete floors.
- Lying times and frequency of lying in half-recumbent position increase compared to sternal lying.
- The prevalence of limb lesions and the risk for lameness can be reduced.
Links
- Longitudinal study of the effect of rubber slat mats on locomotory ability, body, limb and claw lesions, and dirtiness of group housed sows, Diaz et al., Journal of Animal Science, 91, pp. 3940-3954, 2013
- Pressure load on specific body areas of gestating sows lying on rubber mats with different softness, Schubbert et al., Journal of Animal Science, 92(8), pp. 3537-3542, 2014
- The effect of rubber mats on preference and lying behaviour of group housed sows, Baumann et al., Landtechnik, 68 (6), pp. 385-388, 2013
- Synthetic lying mats may improve lying comfort of gestating sows, Tuyttens et al., Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 114(1), pp. 76-85, 2008