Batch Farrowing Alternatives

Most swine farms in Ontario have operated on a weekly schedule where sows are weaned every Thursday of every week. For smaller herds, continuous flow rooms are used for farrowing and weaning, which has led to compromises in disease control. Larger operations have built all-in/all-out rooms with as many as five farrowing rooms and six weaner rooms. A batch farrowing system where sows are weaned once every 2nd, 3rd or 4th week allows for the adoption of all-in/all-out even for a smaller herd and significantly reduces the number of rooms for operations of any size.

Batching has not been common in Ontario, but the interest is growing. In addition to the reduction in the number of rooms required, there are other advantages:

1. Some major tasks such as washing or processing are larger (and less frequent) and can be done more efficiently.

2. The large number of litters of a similar age means the management effort can be focused on fewer tasks at any one time. Cross fostering is easier as there are more litters from which to draw pigs.

3. A larger group of same age pigs can be offered if weaners are being sold.

4. There are regular periods of less work during which maintenance, holidays or field work can be scheduled.

Batch farrowing has several disadvantages:

1. A larger number of sows must be bred at one time. With the wide adoption of A.I., this is much less an issue than in the past.

2. Whereas some swine farmers like a work schedule that varies from week to week, others feel the times of peak work load will be overwhelming. Some hire part time labour once a month to work specifically on the large tasks of washing or processing.

3. Getting the system going takes six months during which time pigs are weaned at a wide variety of ages. There will be some reduction in pig and cash flow during this period.

4. Keeping the sows on the chosen schedule is a challenge. Hormones are used as an aid to keep farrowings together. Introduction of gilts into the system is more of a problem. Some buy bred gilts which are selected with specific breeding dates that allow them to be introduced smoothly into the system.

If the advantages are appealing and the disadvantages can be managed, batch farrowing does have these additional requirements:

1. a commitment to the system with greater attention to details of management

2. a nursery facility that can handle some number of early weaned pigs

3. a good understanding and above average skills in the breeding of sows

4. a high and consistent farrowing rate
   
   

There are many possibilities for batching systems, three of which are described below.

3 Week Cycle, 4 Week Weaning, 7 Groups of Sows

In this system, the farrowing area houses two farrowing groups at any time. The sows are weaned at four weeks and the crates turn over every six weeks leaving a two week period for washing and sow introduction. As the system is based on a three week cycle, most sows who return to heat simply fall back into the group following with minimal disruption to the system. As there is a long down time for the crates, this is the least intensive system with a theoretical maximum of 8.7 farrowings/crate/year. With two nursery rooms, baby pigs will enter the nursery room at four weeks of age and stay until they were ten weeks of age.

4 Week Cycle, 3 Week Weaning, 5 Groups of Sows

With this system there is only one group farrowing. Thus, a barn with a single farrowing room can, at least in theory, operate all-in/all-out. The sows are weaned at three weeks and the crates turn over every four weeks. Sows who do not conceive and return to heat three weeks later are a problem as they do not fit nicely into the group following. Alternatives are to operate the farrowing room as continuous flow and simply wash around those sows who are out of step. From time to time, the farrowing room will be completely empty and a thorough all-in/all-out washing can be done. The system has a higher efficiency with a theoretical maximum of 13 farrowings per crate per year. With two weaner rooms, baby pigs enter the weaner room at three weeks of age and leave at 11 weeks of age. A farmer might start with System 1 at the lower intensity and then after some period of time change to System 2 when he or she wishes to expand. This would involve no changes to the number of farrowing crates but would require doubling the weaner capacity and increasing the dry sow capacity by 70%.

3 Week Cycle, 3 Week Weaning, 7 Groups of Sows

This is the most intensive system of all. The four week cycle described in System 2 is tightened down to a three week cycle by reducing the down time to a day or two. The crates that are washed on Thursday are immediately filled with sows who will farrow as soon as the next day. The system is based on the assumption that when a group of sows are weaned on Thursday, only 15% will farrow before Friday of the 17th week following their weaning. Thus, the main farrowing room is designed to accommodate 85% of the farrowings and a second room, also all-in/all-out, with a capacity of 15% of the crates is used for those sows who farrow early, i.e. before Friday. The sows in the small room are subsequently weaned on Monday and are often the ones culled as they do not fit the schedule. This system has a theoretical 18.2 farrowings/crate/year but requires tight management to operate smoothly. It does have the same advantage of the first system in that the cycle of three weeks matches the sows' return to hear. Again, two weaner rooms are required. Baby pigs enter them at three weeks of age and stay until they are nine weeks old.

Conclusion

Batch farrowing has the advantages of an all-in/all-out system with fewer rooms, the potential for better management through the focus of effort on fewer daily tasks, producing larger groups of weaner pigs to sell and periods of low labour into which maintenance or holidays can be scheduled. It is a more intensive system which requires a strong commitment to keep it on track. A careful investigation of the various options needs to be considered before any decision is made to adopt the system.

Additional Reading:

McNaughton, C. Batch Farrowing Systems. Swine Housing Seminar, Shakespeare; 1993. (Available - OMAF, Fergus)

Lank, T, and Hurnik, D. The Potential for Batch Farrowing and Weaning as an Alternative to Weekly SEW Methods. American Association of Swine Practitioners Annual Meeting, Nashville, Tenn., 1996