Hållande av sugga och smågrisar i grisningsbox

This report aims to describe current scientific knowledge on the housing of sows and piglets in farrowing pens. The Swedish legislation differs from other countries and thus, scientifically published literature valid under Swedish conditions is scarce. Today, no construction or production of farrowing pens occur in Sweden. The report therefore also includes student’s master theses published at SLU, and other published reports on the subject relevant for Swedish conditions. In case the source is not scientifically scrutinized, this has been noted in the text. Domestic pigs have to a large extent the same behavioural needs as the wild boar. Modern keeping of pigs may satisfy several of those needs, but others may be difficult to meet, and the use of a pen is always a limiting factor. A farrowing pen is a compromise between the needs of the sow and the needs of her piglets. However, the maternal characters of the sow and the skills of the staff are considered more important for the piglets’ survival than the construction of the pen. In the pre-partum period, the sow has a great need to move and perform nest-building, and the pen must have a size that allow for these behaviours. The pen should also allow for the use of straw or similar materials, to satisfy the sows’ nest-building behaviour. It is commonly believed that the size of the sows has increased during the last decades, but scientific evidence for this is currently lacking. Since the number of piglets per litter has increased, it is possible that enlarged pens are needed and for the functional parts of the pen to be adjusted to allow for the pigs’ needs for resting, eating, dunging, suckling, etc. In the early post-partum period the pen must allow the piglets to easily find their way between the udder, the creep area, and the dunging area. The creep area, were the piglets are protected from the sow and provided with extra heat, is an important part of the pen. It should be large enough to allow the entire litter to rest simultaneously, and be covered by a roof and a front, constructed to reduce air movements and retain the warmth. It should be equipped with supplemental heat and provided with sufficient bedding material to meet the piglets’ needs for a warm environment. It should also be possible to administer creep feed in the area. The pen should be constructed to facilitate for the sow to lay down in a way that allow the piglets an easy access to the creep area, and it should be constructed and positioned to allow for an easy inspection of the piglets. Several factors needs to be considered regarding the position of the pen in relation to the inspection corridor, to allow for a good overview without unnecessary disturbance of the sow. To handle the piglets, the front-view-pen is often preferable, since the creep area is placed next to the inspection corridor. The construction of the floor is an important part of the pen design. The solid part of the floor is usually made out of concrete. Alternative materials are available but few have been validated and adequate experience is lacking. The floor should be smooth and non-slippery for the sow, and without causing any injuries to the piglets. The floor and the bedding material should offer a comfortable lying area and also allow for a good hygiene. To meet the piglets’ need for a warm environment the solid part may be provided with floor heating, or with extra bedding material, especially at farrowing. The total area of the pen, the material of the slatted floor, and the width of the openings, are important for the pen hygiene. Bedding and nesting material is important to satisfy the pigs’ demand for enrichment and may be important for the production results. Bedding material is also mandatory according to the Swedish legislation. The slatted floor, the lying area and the manure system should therefore be designed to allow for use of adequate amount of bedding material to satisfy the behavioural needs of the pigs. 8 The Swedish pig production has undergone substantial structural changes during the last decades. The herd sizes have increased and the workload has become more physically demanding. The work tasks have become more specialised and monotonous. Different pen types require different workload and stress injuries caused by poor ergonomics may be a problem. The so-called front-viewed pens reduce the time spent on manure removal and the construction of the slatted-floor area is of importance for the total time spent on this work task. Furthermore, it is important to enable the staff protection from aggressive sows when working inside the pen.