Introduction

Resulting from particular state laws or market necessities many farms must home gestating sows in teams. Administration practices must be modified for farms to achieve success when housing sows in teams throughout gestation. Gilts and sows have a dominance hierarchy based mostly on aggression and avoidance. Combating amongst sows primarily happens in the course of the first 2 to three hours after mixing. The hierarchy is primarily established inside 24 hours. An necessary consideration might be combine sows and gilts in teams to scale back general, extended aggression. This text will present pointers that can be utilized to formulate normal working procedures for mixing sows into gestation pens. For this ‘How-To’ sheet, will probably be assumed that females (gilts and sows) might be blended after they’re mated.

Goal

Present customers with standards for use to assign sows and gilts to pens for gestation housing.

Mixing Earlier than or After Being pregnant Conformation

• Restricted literature means that being pregnant charges are comparable for gilts regardless when they’re blended after mating and earlier than being pregnant affirmation close to 30 days of gestation [1].
• Sow conception charges are instructed to be decrease if blended after mating and earlier than being pregnant conformation close to 30 days of gestation [1].
• To enhance constant administration of each gilts and sows and facilitate effectivity being pregnant detection, sows and gilts ought to be held in breeding stalls after mating and earlier than being pregnant detection, previous to mixing.

Making ready to Combine Sows and Gilts

• Examine the pen for slick, damaged or broken flooring, penning, protruding bolts and many others. that might trigger damage.
• Examine drinker gadgets for correct working order.
• Throughout scorching climate, verify cooling devises for correct working order.
• Evaluation flooring house and feeding house allocation for correct allotment for the variety of females to be positioned into pens.
• Evaluation normal working procedures for animal care and consider animals which were just lately blended.

Mixing Sows and Gilts in Static Teams

Determine 1. An instance of a static sow group
housed in non-gated stalls.
Picture courtesy of Automated Manufacturing Programs

Static teams are pen teams of females which are blended as soon as and no new animals added to the pen after formation. Sows that turn into open or injured could also be eliminated; nevertheless, no new animals are entered into the pen.

• Pens ought to have one feeding house per feminine, aside from digital sow feeders (ESF). Don’t overstock and have animals “share” feeding areas.
• Place females into the pen on the identical time [2].
• Type teams by parity, dimension and physique situation. Home gilts with gilts. Small and skinny sows may be housed collectively. Older and greater sows ought to be housed collectively [3].
• Flooring house allocation ought to be satisfactory. 15-18 sq ft for gilts; 19-24 sq ft for mature sows, 18-23 sq ft for a mix of gilts and sows [3].

Mixing Sows and Gilts in Dynamic Teams

Determine 2. An instance of a dynamic sow group with three ESF stations. Picture of Legacy Farms, Truthful Oaks, Indiana courtesy of Dr. Tom Parsons

Dynamic Teams are these wherein females are frequently added to pens with females already in them. Usually dynamic teams are massive teams with greater than 40 animals within the pen, and may be as massive as a number of hundred.

• Every feminine ought to have one feeding house.
• Don’t add females into teams which are at 1-3 weeks of gestation.
• Flooring house allocation ought to be satisfactory. 15-18 sq ft for gilts; 19-24 sq ft for mature sows, 18-23 sq ft for a mix of gilts and sows [3].
• The variety of new females coming into the group ought to be larger than 20% of the full [4]. • Feed new entrants their each day allotment earlier than placement into pens.
• Add new females within the night and/or low mild if potential.
• Ideally, new introductions right into a dynamic group shouldn’t happen greater than as soon as each 5 weeks [5].

Administration of Compromised Females

Compromised Females are these which are sick or injured and wish administration and probably medical consideration.

• Compromised females ought to be recognized early, handled throughout the pen and stay of their group if potential.
• Compromised females not in a position to stay within the pen ought to be moved to “reduction” or “hospital” areas for therapy and restoration.
• Reduction areas are sometimes small pens or stalls.
• For essentially the most half, females faraway from their pens for therapy, shouldn’t be returned after restoration.
• Compromised females that full their being pregnant and farrow ought to be evaluated to both stay within the herd or be culled.

Mixing pens

Combating inside a brand new group of sows is biggest at formation. To reduce aggression, some pork producers use particularly designed mixing pens. Mixing pens are notably useful to youthful, smaller sows and gilts. Design and administration specs for specialised mixing pens embody:

• Females positioned right into a mixing pen are the identical group that might be positioned right into a gestation pen. Usually females are positioned into mixing pens at 28 to 42 days of gestation.
• As soon as nearly all of the dominance order has been established (inside 2 to 4 days after mixing), the group is then moved into designated gestation pens for the remaining period of gestation.
• An oblong form pen is greatest to permit a larger flight distance. Analysis has indicated that 75% of battle encounters end in a chase distance of lower than 8 ft.
• Every feminine sow ought to be supplied an area allowance of 36 to 37 sq. ft.
• Any pen fixtures within the pen (e.g. nipple drinkers, feeders) ought to be nicely protected to reduce the chance of damage.
• Ideally, a non-slippery stable flooring ought to be used. If potential, the ground ought to be lined with perforated rubber mats or straw to guard the sow’s ft throughout preventing.
• If sows are blended on slatted flooring, there ought to be no massive gaps between the slats and the sides of the slats shouldn’t be jagged or damaged.
• For the primary two days, advert libitum (full) feeding may be thought-about. This may increasingly reduce aggression.
• The presence of a boar might or might not scale back aggression amongst sows and is a questionable apply.

Abstract

Group housing may be efficiently carried out on industrial sow farms. Growth and utilization of protocols to kind sow teams might be a key element of a profitable administration plan. Following the factors mentioned on this ‘How-To’ sheet will assist pork producers develop profitable normal working procedures to combine sows. For additional info on group sow housing, overview the Nationwide Pork Board factsheets on sow housing at pork.org/Sources/3703/SowHousingOptions.aspx.

References