the place your food comes from- IOWA |
What attitude ? lol
OK if your serious, I can appreciate that.
How to prevent fighting:
1 - Space and plenty of it.
2- Management and plenty of it.
Its time that Livestock production is returned to true Stockmen, instead of just Owners and workers. That is one reason we have seen the total confinement structure grow. Its easy.
Or at least easier.
did you feed in the pens on the floor or did you have feeding stalls for the group pens?
Both, and both can work provided enough space, and I know that will be a big deterrent to some who want / need to maximize the most animals per footage possible. But that very need is what causes the most problems in health, animal welfare, cost of gain, human welfare ( safety ), disease, etc. to begin with. I have to admit the best method was individual feeding in a crate, but then they didn't live in the gestation crate, as it was only a tool in my view, not as permanent housing.
Your questions revolve around group housing even though that is not my ideal; I will try to address it.
There will be problems in moving to this model from a 24/ 7 crate method. Not to be repetitive, but space will be key.
Since it is likely that space will be maxed for efficiency, there will be train wrecks for those unprepared.
Obviously keep the sows / gilts in the same group for life. The trouble isnt that they will fight, they will, again they need space to escape, recover and adjust. Provided
there is ample feed-station space, injuries will be kept to a minimum. There will be a need to be different size pens, preferably pens that can be re-portioned at will.
Do you remember how many sq ft per sow in the group pens you were using?
I dont remember the footage per, but Whatever it was in that situation, I doubled it, but then I could afford the space, few will be willing or able to do so.
Did you see more sows abort in group pens verses stalls? More or less stillbirths? Did the group pens affect litter size at all?
No, but then every attempt was made in to insure no stress during breeding and the first 30 days of gestation, that is critical.
Farrowing and litter size were improved as the animals had actual condition ( working muscle ). Less still borns.
Did you use any half partitions in the group pens so the sows had an escape from the bully sows?
No, but they had plenty of room to avoid and still get their allotted ration.
Did the sows smile more when they were in the group pens verses the crates?
YES ! All but one.
The ideal situation in my opinion is a combination of farrowing, group, and gestation in outdoor Lots. Yes, I am well aware of the arguments against that.
Deep bedded hoop buildings Ought to be utulized, as well as pasture farrowing again. ( we have the genetics and technology to make that succeed ).
But none of that will work in a 300,000 sow operation, so I guess we will have to go back to fewer sows and more farmers, which would allow for small town growth, jobs,
schools, increased taxed base, cleaner water, on and on and on..... so of course we cant let THAT happen at any cost. ;)
Our current system allows for cheap meat, thats great until it isnt and now it isnt.
My Ideal would make meat much more expensive, I get that. However I dont think its healthy to have red meat every single day,on every single plate and I think this cheap
meat is costing more that we know or will admit.
I am guilty of loving red meat to my own detriment and will continue to do so.
AJ
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McDonald's New Policy
