The size of individual sow farms continues to increase; just a few years ago 2,400 head units were considered large, but new sow farms under construction this year range between 5,000 to 14,000 head in size.
Building cross-section comparison
Designing the central production facility into two o...
Here’s another selection from the 1960 edition of The Yearbook of Agriculture on the latest trends in farrowing.
Welfare-friendly farrowing pens
Caption in yearbook:
In this minimum-stress pen, the shape of the guardrail encourages the sow to lie with the teats toward the pigs. The pigs stay...
Hog Slat’s newest feed drop hangs straight under the feed pipe to reduce twist. Available in two models; HSSD60C for mounting on Grow-Disk metal pipe or HSS55DC for model 55 PVC pipe.
The Center Drop is molded from UV stable polypropylene to prevent damage from sunlight and cold temperatures. ...
The main objective of this study was to collect lactation and rebreeding data from sows fed with SowMAX self feeders opposed to sows that ...
As the swine industry searches for alternatives to stall gestation, another option has emerged and is in the process of being refined. Stanchion Housing refers to short stall-like dividers that are added to open pen gestation to separate and protect the animals as they are fed. It is a refinement ...
As the food industry responds to animal welfare issues, many producers have started to consider alternative options to stall-based gestation systems. We took a few moments to speak with Hog Slat’s national sales manager, Fritz Richards, about group housing systems.
Can you describe the options availa...
The 2012 Pork Expo is in the books. Great weather this year and great food. Especially the 260 lb pork burger Vinny and crew from Hog Slat cooked up. This wasn’t just an inedible gimmick either…..the slice I had was very good.
Walking around the trade show, I noticed there were a few companies w...
I recently caught up with Mark Daughtry of Prestage Farms in North Carolina to discuss his experience with SowMax farrowing ad lib feeders. Mark is the Sow Production Manager in North Carolina and oversees about 55,000 sows. He quickly corrected my terminology regarding the SowMAX.
“First of al...
Ever notice how some people or companies try to make a job more difficult than it has to be?
Today I read an article about a show case farm with an integrated computer system including electronic sow feeding. There is a picture showing a hand held computer programming in the amount of feed that a...