Adapting to Sow Housing

Trends/Conversion

Erin Ehinger

Dykhuis Farms, Inc

September 24, 2010

As an industry, we can manage sows in

pen gestation as successfully as we‟ve

managed sows in the past.

…with stalls for breeding and farrowing

… with the right people

Outline

• Overview of

Dykhuis Farms

• Barn Design

• Weekly Tasks in

Pens

• Animal Husbandry

• Worker Safety

• Production

Numbers

An Overview of Dykhuis

Farms

About Dykhuis Farms

• Head quarters in West

Michigan

• All the sow units are in

the Holland area

• Contract finishing in

Michigan and Indiana

• (Part of the Michigan

PRRS Eradication

Project)

About Dykhuis Farms

• 15,500 sows

• 5 commercial sow

units of 2800 sows

each

• 1 grandparent herd

unit with 1900

sows

• PIC sows

History

• Started in 1978

with all stall

gestation (80 sows)

• Steady growth from

1980 through 2009

• In 2009, cut sow

herd by 20%

– Early 2009, 70% of

DFI sows spent part

of gestation in pens

History

• 2004

– Purchased farrow to finish unit and kept

finisher pens for sow gestation

– Changed another finisher/gilt developer

into a gestation barn with pens

Changes in Europe

Group housed sows in Denmark.

History

• 2007

– Changed another finisher to pen

gestation

– Built new breeding and farrowing barn

attached to old finisher

History

• December 2009/February 2010

– Changed some pens into stalls

• 2010 Michigan Legislation

– Early 2020 takes effect

– Can be in stalls until “confirmed pregnant” and one week before due to farrow

Our People

• All of the managers in our pen barns

worked with stalls before pens

• Many of our gestation people worked with

stalls before pens

Barn Design

Feeding/Watering

30 inches

between feed

tubes (2 sows

per box)

30 inches between feed tubes (2

sows per box)

Trough for whey and water

30 inches between feed tubes (2

sows per box)

30 inches

between feed

tubes (2 sows

per box)

Sow lick

inside the

pipe which

causes the

feed to

hang up.

27 inches

between feed

tubes (2 sows

per box)

4 feet between feed tubes (2

sows per box)

Feeding Whey

This feeding system is not ideal

Feed wasted on backs of

animals

Hanging Waterer

Not our farm, but another

feeding system

18 inches between dividers

Other Systems

• Free Access Stalls

– Recent research published on amount of

time spent in and out of stalls

• Electric Sow Feeding System

Planning a Barn• Pens needed: Farrowing Target x

Number of weeks in the pens (e.g. 10)

• Stalls needed:

– Hospital area

– Gilts

– Wean sows

– Bred sows: Breeding Target x Number of

weeks in the stalls (e.g. 6)

Breed in stalls

Hospital Area

Small vs. Large Pens

• Either can work

• Needs to fit the system

• Bigger pens can make planning more difficult

– If a pen is only partially emptied, can leave unavailable

empty spaces.

Stocking Density

• We stock pens at 15

square feet per sow

• By the end of

gestation, goal of 18

square feet per sow

• Fall out:

– Opens

– Aborts

– Dead sows

– Thin

– Lame

Village Central

The Round Barn

• Built on top of existing cement manure

storage

• Built in 2007

Stalls: 1228

Pens: 16 square pens

642 ft2 (24‟ x 26.75‟)

Sow Capacity

• Stocked at 15 sq. feet: 43 sows

• Figure on 7 pulled out

• Last weeks of gestation stocked at 18 sq.

feet: 36 sows

Round barn: 8 pens(1 is slightly smaller)

102 feet in diameter

1003.7 ft2 per pen

(828.2 ft2 on one pen –aisle)

Sow Capacity

• 67 sows at 15 ft2 (1 pen 55 sows at 15 ft2)

• Expected fall out: 11

• 56 sows at 18 ft2 (1 pen with 46 sows at 18

ft2)

Farrowing: 516

Total Space

Available:

Stalls: 1228

Pens (18 ft2):

1014

Farrowing:

516

Sandy Ridge

• Half converted finisher

• Half new construction in 2007: farrowing &

breeding barn

Stalls: 1296

Pens: rectangle pens

Big Pens:

39‟10” x 18‟

=717 ft2

Small Pens:

19‟9” x 18‟

=355.5 ft2

24 Big Pens

Capacity:

48 sows at

15 ft2

Fallout: 8

sows

40 sows at

18 ft2

6 Small Pens

Capacity:

24 sows at

15 ft2

Fallout: 4

sows

20 sows at

18 ft2

Farrowing: 576

Total Space

Available:

Stalls: 1296

Pens (18 ft2):

1080

Farrowing:

576

Grandparent Herd

Stalls:

Stalls in

breeding

barn: 736

Stalls in

gestation

barn: 436

10 pens: 10.25‟ x 18.67‟

13 sows

at 15 ft2

11 sows

at 18 ft2

17 pens 8.5‟ x 26.5‟

15 sows

at 15 ft2

13 sows

at 18 ft2

10 pens: 8.3‟ x

25.5‟

14 sows

at 15 ft2

12 sows

at 18 ft2

Farrowing: 395

Total Space

Available:

Stalls: 1172

Pens: 451

Farrowing:

395

* This sow unit has 3 sites and has more farrowing than is

needed. Also, only half of the sows gestate for 10 weeks in

pens.

Weekly Tasks

Establishing Pens

• Sow are in stalls

from weaning until

35 days bred or

more

• “Confirmed

Pregnant”

Establishing Pens

• Group pens by

– Due date/breed date

– Size/Parity

Newly mixed pen

Mixed the previous day- gilts

• Sows get extra feed

the first 2-3 days in

a pen

• Helps reduce

fighting

Heat Checking/Breeding

Heat checking for returns in the

pen

Boar

Mark heats and move to stalls

Breed in stalls

Don‟t do this!

Gilts breeding in pens: not ideal

Works best with a lot of people

Boars can be aggressive

Quality Mating?

Vaccinating

Ultrasound

Record Keeping

Sows Marked to Move to

Farrowing

Animal Husbandry

Caring for Individuals

• Lame sows in pens

need immediate

attention

• Sick sows need

immediate attention

• Why did that sow

get beat up?

Injured Sows

Hospital Area

Feeding and Body Condition

• Fed as a group

• Thin sows

– Minimize

– Group together

– Pull out of pens

• 35 days gestation in

stall gives time to

gain body condition

Thin Sows

Worker Safety

Worker Safety

• Boars can be

aggressive during

heat checking

• Moving animals

• Be aware of

surroundings

• Some things may

be safer because

there are no stalls

to pinch hands and

legs

Production Numbers

Total Sows

• May 2009-April 2010

– Stall housed sows: 5426 (30%) (parity 3.9)

– Pen housed sows: 12931 (70%) (parity 2.7)

• June – August 2010

– Stall housed sows: 8561 (52%) (parity 2.8)

– Pen housed sows: 7782 (48%) (parity 3.6)

Farrowing Rate

• May „09-April „10

– Stalls: 82.1%

– Pens: 84%

• June – August „10

– Stalls: 87.2%

– Pens: 85.2%

Total Born & Born Alive

• May „09-April „10

– Stalls: 12.5/11.3

– Pens: 12.6/11.7

• June – August „10

– Stalls: 12.9/12.0

– Pens: 13.1/12.0

Percent Stills & Mummies

• May „09-April „10

– Stalls: 5.9%/3.7%

– Pens: 4.7%/2.4%

• June – August „10

– Stalls: 4.2%/2.6%

– Pens: 5.6%/2.9%

Pre-weaning Mortality

• May „09-April „10

– Stalls: 13.8%

– Pens: 12.8%

• June – August „10

– Stalls: 12.2%

– Pens: 14.0%

Pigs Weaned per Sow & PSY

• May „09-April „10

– Stalls: 9.7/24.1

– Pens: 10.2/24.9

• June – August „10

– Stalls: 10.4/25.8

– Pens: 10.2/24.2

Sow Death Loss

• May „09-April „10

– Stalls: 8.3%

– Pens: 7.7%

• June – August „10

– Stalls: 6.6%

– Pens: 6.4%

Conclusion

Overview of DFI

Barn Design

Weekly Tasks in Pens

Animal Husbandry

Worker Safety

Production Numbers

As an industry, we can manage sows in

pen gestation as successfully as we‟ve

managed sows in the past.

…with stalls for breeding and farrowing

… with the right people

Any questions?

Mom, aren‟t

these sheep?

Where are the

pigs?