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Farrowing Crate Designs with 'Freedom' in Mind

In the United Kingdom, the Farm Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (FAWAC) has for many years, been raising concerns for the welfare of farm animals. The livestock industry in the United Kingdom and rest of the European Union have responded to these concerns and implemented, over the last few years, a series of measures to protect and improve farm animal welfare. It seems to be a matter of time before North American livestock producers will have to take further steps in the same direction.

One of the newer inventions that have interested European swine producers are freedom farrowing crates which allow the sow to move around more freely while still protecting the piglets from being crushed. In this article, we compare two designs of freedom farrowing crates that are available in Europe and accommodate for the five freedoms of an animal set out by the FAWAC (i.e. freedom from thirst, hunger and malnutrition; freedom from discomfort, pain, injury and disease; freedom to express normal behaviour; and freedom from fear and distress).

It is important to note that none of the freedom farrowing crates we looked at was ideal or that one was preferred by producers over the other. There is still much research needed to determine the full effects of these new designs, not only on the sows and piglets, but also on management for pro ducers.

Danish manufacturer, Ikadan has developed a new farrowing pen based on the traditional design of the sows confined movement and space. The VIP farrowing pen™ (figure 1) allows the sow to move around more freely while still protecting the piglets from being crushed.

Figure 1: VIP Farrowing Pen Developed by Ikadan (http://www.ikadansystem.com/default.asp?ID=675)

The design includes a diagonal pen for the sow to lay with open space on either side for the piglets to move around. The diagonal design enlarges the sow's available space to move. The rails, located on the outside of the sow's crate provide added protection for piglets. With greater space, the sow is able to perform motherly instincts to her young and as a result piglets grow at faster rates.

Ease of management has also been taken into consideration with this new system. The height of the panel which guides the sow when lying down can be modified. A huge benefit that is recognized by most producers is that the VIP farrowing pen™ does not require any additional space, replacing a traditional crate with the dimensions 320 cm x 240 cm for 2 pens. The design team has been very successful in terms of the farrowing pen meeting current demands for improved animal welfare.

Figure 2: Side view of 360°of Freedom Designed by Midland Pig Producers (http://wattagnet.com/g/16172.html)

Midland Pig Producers (MPP) has also introduced a new freedom farrowing crate design they call 360° of freedom™ (figure 2 and 3). The model has been given many positive reviews and is available in the United Kingdom and many other countries worldwide. What is unique about the design is that it allows the sow's movement to be restricted when needed. Once piglets are born, sows are restricted from turning around and after four days are released to move around the pen. With the ability to turn around, the sow can take part in motherly behaviours which increases sow fertility and well being.

Figure 3: Top view of 360° of Freedom designed by Midland Pig Producers (http://wattagnet.com/g/16172.html)

From a management perspective, the crate is easily modified due to the adjustable penning bars. Producers have access to the sow through vertical poles located on the side of the crate which allow them to be protected and safe while monitoring and working with the sow. As a result, both piglets and sows are more visible due to the pens' open side.

While not generally used in North America, freedom farrowing creates can have application in many niche and organic production systems. Whenever evaluating new technology, producers should take into consideration that the system or product may need to be adapted for the production practises, climate, etc. we have in North America. As consumers place greater demands on swine production practises we will see more innovations and technologies developed, like the 360 degrees of freedom™ and the VIP farrowing pen™, that allow for high production efficiency, ease of management and put more emphasis on animal welfare.