
Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Publications
Document Type
Article
Publication Version
Published Version
Publication Date
5-2007
Journal or Book Title
Journal of Animal Science
Volume
85
Issue
5
First Page
1311
Last Page
1317
Abstract
The effects of gestation housing systems on sow and litter performance were evaluated for 2.5 yr in southwest Iowa. Gestation housing system treatments were as follows: 1) individual gestation stalls in a mechanically ventilated confinement building with a partially slatted floor and a manure flush system and 2) group pens with individual feed stalls in deep-bedded, naturally ventilated hoop barns. In all, 957 litters from 353 sows were evaluated. Number of pigs born alive per litter differed for the 2 housing treatments (P = 0.002). Sows gestated in hoop barns gave birth to more live pigs per litter (10.0 ± 0.2 pigs) than sows gestated in stalls (9.3 ± 0.2 pigs). Preweaning mortality was not different for the 2 housing treatments (P = 0.70). Cross-fostering was done to equalize litter size within 24 h of birth, which resulted in an equal number of weaned pigs per sow (P = 0.50) regardless of gestation housing treatment. The weaning-to-breeding interval was different (P = 0.01), with sows kept in stalls (4.3 ± 0.6 d) returning to estrus sooner than sows gestated in hoop barns (6.0 ± 0.6 d). These results indicate that gestating sows can be housed as groups in deep-bedded hoop barns equipped with individual feeding stalls and will perform comparably to gestating sows housed in confinement systems with individual gestation stalls.
Access
Open
Copyright Owner
American Society of Animal Science
Copyright Date
2007
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Lammers, Peter J.; Honeyman, Mark S.; Mabry, John W.; and Harmon, Jay D., "Performance of gestating sows in bedded hoop barns and confinement stalls" (2007). Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Publications. 126.
https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/abe_eng_pubs/126
Included in
Agriculture Commons, Animal Sciences Commons, Bioresource and Agricultural Engineering Commons
Comments
This article is from Journal of Animal Science 85, no. 5 (May 2007): 1311–1317, doi: 10.2527/jas.2006-437. Posted with permission.