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SWOH | So just out of curiosity AJ, how did you keep sows from fighting? And this isn't a dig, it's a legit question....also did you feed in the pens on the floor or did you have feeding stalls for the group pens? Do you remember how many sq ft per sow in the group pens you were using? Did you see more sows abort in group pens verses stalls? More or less stillbirths? Did the group pens affect litter size at all? Did you use any half partitions in the group pens so the sows had an escape from the bully sows? Did the sows smile more when they were in the group pens verses the crates? (Ok, that was a little bit of a dig, but the other questions I'm serious about and would like to know what you were seeing and how the group pens were managed). I think it's inevitable what is coming and even though I don't agree that pens are better for the sows than stalls, I'm willing to educate myself on both sides of the issue...and learn with an open mind. We've had sows in pens and sows in stalls...maybe the pens weren't managed right but we didn't like the pens...more of the welfare factor than the financial factor. We've also finished hogs outside in the lots and also in the 90's style curtain sided finishing barns and we favor the barns.
Here's my thought AJ, without sounding like I'm agreeing with what you've posted in this thread, because I don't agree with it. Grandpa and dad used to run hogs out in the woods and pasture. Then they evolved to keeping them all on concrete in the barn lots, because they thought it was better for the animals. Then in the early 70's grandpa built a farrowing house with crates and a nursery/finishing barn because he thought it was better for the animals. Then in the late 70's he built a gestation barn with stalls because he thought it was better for the animals. In the mid 90's we gutted 2 of those 3 barns and updated everything and built the (at the time) newer style curtain sided finishing barns and nursery and stopped using the outside lots because we thought the barns were better animal welfare wise than the outside lots. And also we thought it would make us better neighbors because it almost eliminated the odor and we have a few close neighbors. My point is we evolved to this point by thinking we were doing what was best for the animals. We will continue to evolve in that direction, and there will be sometime in the future I'm sure where we'll learn there's a better way to care for our animals than the way we're doing it now. I'm not sure the current proposals and changes are the right way, though. And sure there's the financial side of it, there has to be. But that's not the sole base for our decision making. Maybe it's different other places.
I'm willing to be educated, but my initial reaction when somebody tells me I have to do something is to push back. And I think most people are that way. If there is sound science that says there's a better way to do something, I want to know about it. If the only argument is that I'm a horrible human being that mistreats my animals, based on emotions and opinions, I'm apt to tune that out and push back a little harder and it tends to weaken the education process. Right now we think we're doing what is best for our animals, if there's a better way then I want to see the facts and get educated without the emotion, without the being talked down to, and without the name calling. And I do fully understand that is a two way street. I would appreciate answers to my questions. Without the attitude. It sounds like you were successful in how you were doing things and I'd like to know how you were doing it. | |
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McDonald's New Policy
