120 pig unit tour - farrowing house
- Batch farrowing is practised on this unit with sows farrowing every three weeks.
- The pigs are weaned at four weeks of age.
- There are two different farrowing room layouts on this unit.
- In the first Proctor crates are used with the sows being fed manually
- As there is only one passage to the rear the producer has to step into the pen to feed the sow
- Zig-zag creeps to the side of the farrowing pens provide a warm lying area for the pigs
- Currently supplementary heat is provided by infra-red bulbs. In the future electric heat pads which have lower running costs will be installed
- In the second layout the pens run along the length of the room rather than across the room.The crates are positioned diagonally in the pen
- Side opening prong type crates have been installed. As there is only one central passage the side opening crates eases the movement of sows in and out of the crates
- Sows are also manually fed in this house. However in this layout the troughs can be accessed from the passage
- A fully slatted plastic floor ensures pen cleanlines and sow and piglet comfort
- Supplementary heat is provided by electric heat pads.
- Purpose made triangular heat pads provide a corner creep area.
- Creep lids with plastic flap fronts ensure a comfortable creep environment
- An attraction light in the creep encourages pigs to lie in this area.
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