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.

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.

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Open

Copyright Owner

American Society of Animal Science

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

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