What are the advantages and disadvantages of raising sows in positioning pens?

The benefits of raising sows in positioning pens

First, it can help breeders to feed them reasonably. During the early stages of pregnancy, four or five sows live together. They feed together and gather together when eating. It is difficult to know in detail which pig has not eaten enough. For pregnant sows living in single rooms, these conditions can be clearly seen, and the breeders can feed them reasonably according to their fatness.

Second, it can prevent sows from miscarriage. If pregnant sows still live in groups in large pens, they will inevitably have some fights and fights with each other. Living in the positioning column avoids fighting and thus avoids miscarriage.

Disadvantages:

Lack of exercise: The sow stall is generally 60 to 65 centimeters wide and 1.9 to 2.0 meters long. The sow lives in this narrow space, eating, drinking, and defecating. , there is no amount of exercise at all. In addition to eating, drinking, and standing, I usually lie down. After a long time, my motor function declines.

High culling rate: It is estimated that sows in fixed pens use more than one litter less per sow than in large pens. This is because sows only have five to six litters. That said, the impact is quite large.

Higher proportion of stillbirths: In terms of production, sows raised in positioning pens have a greater proportion of stillbirths than sows raised in large pens, and the vitality of the piglets they produce is weaker, that is, live and healthy piglets born in the same parity positioning pens The number of piglets should be small.

There are many leg and foot diseases: sows raised in positioning pens have a greater proportion of leg and foot diseases. Sows are often culled due to the onset of leg and foot diseases.

High temperature in summer is very harmful: if fixed in a positioning pen with a length of 2.1 meters and a width of 0.65 meters, the sow can only lie in a small space, and the left, right and bottom of the sow's body are In high-temperature areas, heat cannot be dissipated, and the effective temperature felt by sows is much higher than the temperature displayed on the thermometer. This is very harmful to sows and sows in labor within one month after breeding. Sows in large pens do not have these problems and may reduce heat stress through activity.

Irregular body development: Long-term inactivity will greatly reduce part of the sow’s body motor functions, resulting in inconvenience in movement, difficulty in getting on the farrowing bed, and a high proportion of dystocia, which will also have an impact on production. Very big.

Diseases spread quickly: The positioning pens are usually long troughs. After the pigs drink water, the leaked water flows in the ditch. If it is a sick pig, the pathogen will be quickly spread to other pigs through the running water. column.

Nutritional deficiency: Compared with pigs raised in large pens, the feed intake of pigs raised in fixed pens is generally lower, and the various nutrients they eat every day are lower than those of pigs raised in large pens. However, pigs in large pens exercise more than pigs in positioning pens, and the nutrients consumed during exercise are mainly energy. In this way, pigs in positioning pens receive relatively less nutrients every day, which has an impact on the healthy production of pigs.

Reproductive function declines, anestrus, transient estrus, infertility, and empty pregnancy rate increase

Due to the decline in physiological activity, hormone secretion is affected, and the ovaries of sows raised in pens are affected. The function is disturbed, causing ovarian quiescence. If the ovarian function declines for a long time, it will cause ovarian tissue atrophy and hardening, which will increase the culling rate of sows.

The spirit has been suppressed for a long time: sows also have certain emotional and thinking activities. The positioning pen is like a prison cell. The sow lives in it for a long time, which causes her temperament to change, such as: being grumpy, bumping into the pen, and chewing water. They attack each other at the food trough and through the railings. Some sows are also emotionally apathetic and indifferent to anything and stimulation. These phenomena directly affect the normal physiological activities of the organs in the body and increase the elimination rate. In some European countries, animal protection organizations have applied to abolish pig farming in positioning pens.