The Effect of Different Farrowing Housing Systems on the Reproductive Performance of Sows and the Losses and Growth of Piglets

Pavel Nevrkla (), Jan Sečkář, Eva Weisbauerová, Pavel Horký, Drahomíra Čtvrtlíková Knitlová, Alena Lustyková, Zdeněk Hadaš and Miroslav Rozkot
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Pavel Nevrkla: Department of Animal Breeding, Faculty of AgriSciences, Mendel University in Brno, Zemedelska 1, 613 00 Brno, Czech Republic
Jan Sečkář: Department of Animal Breeding, Faculty of AgriSciences, Mendel University in Brno, Zemedelska 1, 613 00 Brno, Czech Republic
Eva Weisbauerová: Institute of Animal Science, Prague-Uhrineves, Kostelec nad Orlici, Komenskeho 1239, 517 41 Kostelec Nad Orlici, Czech Republic
Pavel Horký: Department of Animal Nutrition and Forage Production, Faculty of AgriSciences, Mendel University in Brno, Zemedelska 1, 613 00 Brno, Czech Republic
Drahomíra Čtvrtlíková Knitlová: Department of Animal Breeding, Faculty of AgriSciences, Mendel University in Brno, Zemedelska 1, 613 00 Brno, Czech Republic
Alena Lustyková: Institute of Animal Science, Prague-Uhrineves, Kostelec nad Orlici, Komenskeho 1239, 517 41 Kostelec Nad Orlici, Czech Republic
Zdeněk Hadaš: Department of Animal Breeding, Faculty of AgriSciences, Mendel University in Brno, Zemedelska 1, 613 00 Brno, Czech Republic
Miroslav Rozkot: Institute of Animal Science, Prague-Uhrineves, Kostelec nad Orlici, Komenskeho 1239, 517 41 Kostelec Nad Orlici, Czech Republic

Agriculture, 2024, vol. 14, issue 7, 1-11

Abstract: The aim of the experiment was to analyze the reproductive performance of sows and the losses and growth of piglets in three different systems of farrowing houses. A total of 120 sows of the Prestice Black-Pied breed were included in the study with 40 litters evaluated in each of the systems. The housing systems compared were conventional farrowing cages, pens with temporary fixation, and free farrowing pens. The housing system significantly affected the length of pregnancy ( p < 0.05). Its effect was 0.35 days shorter in the sows in the free-farrowing system than in the cage technology and 0.6 days shorter than in the temporary fixation. Housing also influenced the onset of post-weaning oestrus ( p < 0.01), which occurred 0.31 days earlier in the sows in a free-farrowing system and in those in pens with temporary fixation. A significant effect of housing on the overall losses of piglets ( p < 0.05) was also found. The crushing of piglets by sows was also significantly affected by the housing system ( p < 0.05), with the highest incidence found in the free-farrowing system. The effect of the housing system on the individual weaning weight of piglets was also found to be significant ( p < 0.001). The piglets of the sows in the free housing system showed higher growth intensity when compared to piglets in the other housing systems. In conclusion, it can be stated that the lowest losses caused by the crushing of piglets were found in the cage systems. However, the combined system seems to be very perspective in terms of losses of piglets. The free-farrowing system has positive effects on the growth of piglets.

Keywords: housing of sows; alternative pens; losses of piglets; crushing; growth of piglets (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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