OESOPHAGOSTOMUM SPP IN GROUP HOUSED DRY SOWS ON DEEP STRAW BEDDING

摘要

Pigs in modem highly intensive production systems are only infected with nematodes at low levels (3). Such herds have a high level of hygiene and pigs of all categories are often kept on slatted floors without bedding or straw supply and dry sows aremostly kept in individual stalls or tethered. Especially Oesophagostomum (Oes) spp has been shown to be sensitive to intensive management factors (3). In 1994 the Swedish animal welfare law stated that sows must be loose housed. Several years before, Swedish farmers had started to group house sows during the gestation period. Today all dry sows are group housed in different pen types. Smaller groups (10-20 sows) arc mostly kept in pens with concrete lying area (1.1-1.3 m2 / sow) and a dung area with orwithout slatted floor. Small amounts of straw is added daiiy to the lying area. The predominant housing system for dry sows is however big pens with deep straw bedding (2,5 m~2 / sow). Up to 100 sows may be kept in one pen. The depth of the straw bed isusually between. 30 - 40 cm. Fresh straw is added at regular intervals and the bedding is emptied every 2nd - 3rd month. Some herds empty the bedding before a new sow group is introduced into the pen.