Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Narrower slats improve sow footing

Narrower slats and narrower gaps between them improved sow health, according to trials funded by Swine Innovation Porc.

Now that gestation crates are being phased out, more sows are housed on slats for easier manure management.

Dr. Laurie Connor, the Head of the University of Manitoba's Department of Animal Science, says, after reproduction, lameness is the second highest cause for culling sows.

She told Bruce Cochrane in an interview thatWe determined basically that the ease with which the sow moves, or her gait, is least affected by flooring which has a slat width of four inches and a gap width of three quarter inches.


Both of those are just slightly below the actual industry standard at the moment.”