Effects of 3 methods for weaning sows into group housing

摘要

CONSUMERS have been driving the conversion of sow farms toward the use of group housing for sows. The swine industry has been hesitant to adopt this practice due to concerns over sow aggression and lack of control over individual feed intake in some group housing systems.This study compared the effects of three mixing strategies on sow performance in fully-slatted group pens, with sows fed daily in free-access stalls. A total of 252 sows were studied over six replicates, in groups of 14 sows per pen. The treatments consisted of: 1. Early mixing (EM) — sows mixed into groups at weaning; 2. Late mixing (LM) — sows stall-housed at weaning and mixed at five weeks gestation; and 3. Pre-socialization (PS) — sows mixed for two days after weaning, then stall housed for breeding and up to five-weeks gestation, after which they were mixed (same groups).