NL8502018A - Pig-farrowing and rearing sty - has peripheral passage for sow too narrow for her to turn round - Google Patents

Abstract

The sty is for the farrowing and rearing of pigs, giving sufficient freedom of movement and living space. It comprises a peripheral passage for the sow, along which seh can move in one direction only, it being too narrow for her to turn round. The passage can extend round the chamber for the piglets, the chamber being heated and accessible only to the piglets, from the lying position of the sow, and from which position they can be suckled. This position is between the chamber and the piglets' eating one, and when the sow lies down they can always escape into the chamber or the eating position, with no risk of being crushed to death.

Description

1.

The "Caroussel maternity breeding loft" for sows and piglets

Each pen is equipped for housing: - One highly pregnant sow and after piglets before: - The same sow with her piglets and their rearing.

Both parties have a lot of freedom of movement, living space and the conditions have also been created for an adapted climate for young and old. The floor in this loft consists of only 1/3 of metal grids and 2/3 of a solid floor on which litter can be used. In this pen, mortality of newborn piglets as a result of, inter alia, colouration and lying dead by the sow is largely prevented.

The traditional farrowing pens

After 1960, these farrowing pens are all equipped with whole or semi-slatted floors on which no litter can be used. The sows are attached to a withers or collar (-bracket) between two fencing or locked in a cage; so they have virtually no freedom of movement. An advantage of these slatted floors is that the care of the animals requires much less (heavy) work because, among other things, mucking out and spreading have been eliminated. Due to this modernization, higher demands had to be made on insulation, ventilation and heating of the stables.

Another reason why various pen types have been adjusted was to reduce the relatively high percentage of piglets between birth and weaning »this was not successful, however, because that percentage is still 15% on average in the Netherlands.

25 Results of an ongoing test with Carousel lofts are very favorable, if the current trend of the provisional results continues, then a halving of the above-mentioned failure rate is certainly possible

The invention meets known drawbacks of existing systems and is based on a carousel. The pens are mirrored against each other and the drawing shows the left part of the berth, ("nursery" and "bedroom"). Only in this space can the sow lie down, in the other spaces thresholds are placed, which prevent the sow from lying down The lying area is recessed 35 and is upholstered with litter The piglets can escape on both sides of the lying area when the sow lies down, ie to the piglet feeding room and the piglet room. During the piglet farrowing the sow lies in the direction of the arrow in the pen.

6: 02013 2.

A casting bracket has also been fitted here to save sufficient space for farrowing the piglets. When the piglets are farrowed and possibly suckled, they walk to the heated piglet room. This room is closed at the top and on three sides, is heated 5 and the bottom is upholstered with litter. In their first days of life, the piglets are mainly in the piglet room, which they leave alone to drink at the sow's berth. As we age, the piglets go to the piglet eating place. Here the piglets are given dry food, possibly in liquid form. The sow cannot enter the piglet feeding place 10 or enter the piglet room.

When the sow gets hungry or thirsty, she leaves the berth. In the carousel there is only one walking direction (all around) and the corridor is so narrow that the sow cannot reverse. The running sow crosses the thresholds and thus arrives at the sow feeding place, where the water and concentrates can be absorbed in the front. The thresholds serve to keep the newborn piglets out of this environment and prevent the sow from lying down here. If the piglets are large enough, they can cross the thresholds to reach the piglet nipple. In addition, the thresholds can be removed.

20 Fences are fitted between the lofts. The sows can only see each other at the location of the troughs, but cannot fight each other, because they are parallel to each other due to the carousel.

The invention is further elucidated on the basis of drawings 25 with an explanation of the figures used:

Fig. 1: shows a number of carousel lofts with the running directions. The lofts are back to back with a feeding passage on both sides.

Fig. 2: shows a top view of a carousel loft.

FIG. 3: show a cross section over a carousel loft.

1. Feed passage at the front and rear of a double row of pens.

2. Berth (= bedroom and nursery of the sow).

3. Heated piglet chamber, closed on three sides. Open side at 2, the lying place of the sow.

35 4. Piglet feeding place.

5. Heating of the piglet chamber. This can be installed on the top, around or in the floor (underfloor heating).

- *) 3.

6. The sow's running direction, one-way in the direction of the arrow, the sow cannot turn.

7. Thresholds. The sow steps over it, the piglets are kept out.

8. Sow feeding place.

5 9. Fertilizer site of the sow.

10. Door 11. Distance bracket 12. Plastic panels. The sows cannot see each other now.

13. Sow trough.

10 14. Drinking nipple of the sow.

15. Dry feeder for the piglets.

16. Drinking nipple of the piglets.

17. Manure pit under the manure site.

S 0 2 or 3

Claims (7)

1. Carousel in which piglets are born and raised and creating sufficient freedom of movement and living space, characterized in that the pen consists of a circular corridor, with one-way traffic for the sow, the passage being so narrow that the sow in the 5th corridor cannot reverse. Carousel as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the sow runs around the piglet chamber, which is heated and can only be entered by the piglets from the lying place of the sow. Carousel according to claim 1, characterized in that the sow 10 can only lie on the lying area in front of the piglet chamber, where the piglets can be suckled. The lying area of the sow lies between the piglet room and the piglet feeding place and if the sow lies down, the piglets can always evade to the piglet room or the piglet feeding place and are not at risk of being crushed to death. Carousel as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the door for the lying area is provided with a throwing bracket to save sufficient space at the birth of the piglets. 4. CONCLUSIONS: Carousel according to claim 1, characterized in that the newborn piglets can only come to the piglet feeding place, to the piglet room or to the lying place. The access to the manure and the feeding place of the sow is blocked by demountable bulkheads. Carousel according to claim 1, characterized in that the sow cannot enter the specific piglet areas, in particular the piglet room and the piglet feeding area. During feeding, the sow is above the manure site, waste products produced are removed almost immediately, which promotes hygiene. Carousel according to claim, characterized in that the carousel system allows the sows to eat parallel to each other and cannot bite each other through a partition. The thresholds in the system prevent the sow from lying down en route; the sow lies alone on the berth. yj. * w 'v ~, v; .