Farrowing

Optimal environment for piglets and sows

The farrowing unit can be designed either for loose sows or with farrowing crates. At SKIOLD we have a solution that meet your requirements.

Pen design - crates

Farrowing crates are the most commonly used production system in farrowing units due to high animal safety, creating an environment for high production efficiency. This is because the piglets are protected by the farrowing wings which prevent the sow from laying on the piglets, thus significantly reducing piglets mortality. In addition, the farrowing wings also ensure that the sow can not turn around in the pen, dunging in an appropriate area to help maintain the hygiene of the pen. The modern farrowing crate is adjustable in both length and width to accommodate both small and large sows. To ensure the vitality and growth of the piglets, the design of the crate is made with consideration of the space the piglets need - both in the covered creep area but also to create the best possible conditions for a good nursing period. 

Feeding in sow crates could be either dry feeding or liquid feeding. 

Pen design - loose sows

Farrowing pens for loose, lactating sows can be designed according to two principles: no crate or with a short-term use of a crate. The farrowing pens for completely loose sows are largely designed with a focus on the sows’ as well as the piglets’ behaviour, incorporating features that protect the piglets when the sow will lay down.with pens for sows housed loose throughout or most of the nursing period. These farrowing pens allow a far greater freedom of movement than traditional systems to increase sow welfare. At the same time, productivity is in focus, which puts requirements on layout and dimensioning of the pen.

Feeding - loose sows

SKIOLD has designed and developed an electronic feed station (ESF) for loose sows with high focus on feed efficiency, animal welfare and ease of use. At the same time, the station has been designed to match the natural eating behaviour of the sows. The station can be designed to suit different feeding principles, depending on the choosen feeding system - either dry feeding or liquid feeding. Choosing dry feeding, the farmer can feed the loose sows with either volume dispensers or floor feeders. 

Water

Water is important - and especially for the sow as water consumption has a direct impact on milk production and thus indirectly affects the growth of piglets. Therefore, both accessibility and water quality and quantity have an impact on production efficiency. In addition, a larger feed intake for the sow requires a larger water requirement, but several factors affect the water requirement, i.e. the composition of feed, the general health and temperature and climate conditions.
In general, a nursing sow needs 25-35 litres of water per day.

The piglets' needs are 1-2 litres per day, incl. sow milk. Complementary to the sow’s feeding, our SKIOLD MiniFeeder makes it possible to improve and homogenize the weight of the piglets while preserving the health and the good state of the sow.

Ventilation, heating and cooling

The climate in the farrowing unit is of great importance for the wellbeing and health of both sows and piglets. Therefore SKIOLD continuously work to minimize energy consumption and optimize reliability for all our climate systems. SKIOLD is a total supplier of ventilation for pig farms; negative pressure, equal pressure, diffuse pressure, combi-diffuse as well as tunnel ventilation. The SKIOLD VisioVent controls all climate solutions covering diffuse ventilation, controlled air intake, tunnel and combi-tunnel ventilation, as well as heating, soaking, high pressure cooling and sprinkling.

Flooring

The flooring has great impact on the health and well-being of your animals in the pen, but it can also impact the behavior of the pigs. The floor can be combined in many different ways to take the pigs, the staff and the environment into consideration and what is the right solution is not always the same from farm to farm.

Contact us for more information

or see our catalogues here:

Farrowing Loose         Farrowing Crates