A Research Scientist with the Prairie Swine Centre says those who have made the switch from stall housing of gestating sows to group housing have been generally pleased with the change.
In response to changes to Canada's Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Pigs, which calls on pork producers to move from stall housing of gestating sows to group housing by 2024 scientists working in partnership with Swine Innovation Porc have been tracking and documenting barn conversions to provide information that can be used by producers considering the change.
Dr. Jennifer Brown, a Research Scientist Ethology with the Prairie Swine Centre, says those who have made the change are finding the sows in these systems are relaxed and easy to work with and it's more interesting because you can notice more of the individual differences and behaviors of the sows.
Dr. Jennifer Brown-Prairie Swine Centre:
One thing that we've seen that is very consistent across the board is that producers are very happy with the systems.
You go into a free access or an ESF barn, it's very quiet.
The sows are easier to manage.
They're used to walking around so people often note that they're easier to get into a farrowing pen because they're more comfortable to walk down the hallway and to walk into a farrowing crate than they would be if they spent their gestation in a stall.
Source : Farmscape