Throughput capacity of large quantities of chopped straw in partly slatted farrowing pens for loose housed sows

Abstract

The aim of the present paper was to study the throughput capacity (i.e. the ability of straw to drain through slatted flooring) of 15 kg of chopped straw used around the time of farrowing. A cohort study including 96 sows was conducted in two commercial herds, comparing chopped wheat straw of three length categories (mass median length 39, 70 and 130 mm). Straw with short and medium chop lengths was completely absent in 83% (plastic slats) and 85% (cast-iron slats), respectively, of the pens on Day 4 after farrowing, compared to 7% and 6% of pens provided with the longest straw category. We conclude that it is technically feasible to have an efficient throughput of straw and to maintain good pen hygiene in partly slatted farrowing pens provided with 15 kg of chopped straw at farrowing. However, straw chop lengths need to be adjusted to the type of slatted flooring used.

Keywords:

• Chop length
• drainage
• mass median length
• nest-building material
• pig
• slatted floor
• swine

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the farmers for kindly providing us access to their farms. We also thank Gunnar Lundin, MSc Agr. at the Swedish Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering for his help with analysing the chop length distribution.