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Know How / Pigs / Housing and handling

From slatted to straw-based or balcony systems, we explore the options and provide advice on how to provide the best housing environment possible for pigs. You can also find advice on building new accommodation and take a tour around existing pens featured in What’s in your Livestock shed.

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WHATS IN YOUR LIVESTOCK SHED

What’s in Your Livestock Shed? visits a high-tech pig unit

A state-of-the-art indoor pig farrowing and dry sow unit, projected to produce more than 10,000 piglets a year, is showcasing some of the highest levels of indoor pig welfare and…

WHATS IN YOUR LIVESTOCK SHED

What’s in Your Livestock Shed? visits an £11m research unit

A multimillion-pound pig research unit has been designed to test the commercial value of new technology. The £11m unit was the brainchild of Leeds University professor Helen Miller. Its aim…

LIVESTOCK

Dutch pig farm rises from the ashes of a devastating fire

When a Dutch pig farm was devastated by fire in 2013, the owners rebuilt, creating a state-of-the-art, high-health, low-emission unit from the ashes. More than half of Von Farm, Oirschot,…

BREEDING AND FERTILITY

Inside a boar stud looking at how semen is collected

Attention to detail in the boar stud when it comes to housing, health, feeding, semen collection and processing has allowed farmers to access superior genetics of the highest health status…

HOUSING AND HANDLING

How freedom farrowing pens match crates on performance

Traditional farrowing crates are used in the pig industry as they give piglets the best chance of survival. However the supermarket drive to increase pig welfare in indoor systems could…

PIGS

How a Spanish enrichment system reduces tail biting in pigs

A rotating system of chains which moves hanging pig enrichment material from one pen to another is helping keep tail biting at bay on a Spanish pig farm. At Rosa…

Practical advice

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PIGS

How to make the most of pig ventilation systems

Effective, well-managed ventilation is vital for pig production – particularly in preventing heat stress. However, while newbuilds include the latest technologies to optimise the pig’s environment, there is scope to…

PIGS

On test: 3 types of shade for outdoor pigs

A Norfolk outdoor pig unit is trialling three ways of providing shade to find out which one offers the most practical solution to improving pig welfare and productivity. Digging wallows…

LIVESTOCK

Why environmental monitoring can help pig health and welfare

Monitoring key environmental parameters in pig buildings can help producers understand their potential influence on pig health and behaviour, investigate the reasons behind problems and take steps to avoid them…

HOUSING AND HANDLING

Tips on preparing your pig unit for winter

While it has been unseasonably warm, winter is coming. And as the saying goes, failing to prepare is preparing to fail. By making sure you are prepared, you will be…

LIVESTOCK

Causes of pig aggression and how to reduce it

Aggression among grouped pigs can cause stress, growth checks, suppressed immunity, injury and even death. Researchers Simon Turner and Lucy Oldham from Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) have urged pig farmers…

HOUSING AND HANDLING

Advice on converting farm buildings for pig B&B

New-build sheds on greenfield sites have been a popular choice for farmers setting up a bed and breakfast pig enterprise, with short payback periods, new-build bonuses, and a good return…

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PIGS

Pig tech promises 5-day advantage detecting coughs

A listening device that monitors coughing in pigs can alert the producer to the onset of respiratory disease up to five days earlier than farm personnel. SoundTalks, launched across the…

PIGS

Q&A: Pig housing - balcony systems explained

Balcony systems can offer a practical housing solution for pig units by increasing floor space within the footprint of existing sheds. Few of these systems exist in the UK but…

HOUSING AND HANDLING

10 Danish loose farrowing pens compared

Ten European loose-housed farrowing pens are being assessed for pig, piglet and worker welfare in a world-leading product test. This follows industry targets for 10% of Danish sows to be…

LIVESTOCK

Housing issues cause losses of £224 a sow a year

Pig producers could gain an additional £224 a sow a year by improving their environment to ensure pigs meet their genetic potential. On average, pigs only realise 35% of their…

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