3 LEVEL 1 New Slats and Slight Wear The first areas to exhibit significant wear will be around the feeders and waterers. These areas may show damage in as little time as six months. This wear is expected and does not indicate poorly made or inferior slats. A conventional method of preventing this damage is to cover the slats around feeders with a plastic mat. While this does protect the slats directly under the mat, it only moves the problem to the edge of the mats. Water, manure and feed salt gather on the mat surface and run off the mat edge damaging the concrete slats. The pigs can also chew and damage the plastic mat. The same limitations occur when a concrete feeder pad is used; the corrosion is moved to the edges, and in this case, the concrete pad is subject to the same wear and deterioration as the slats. A better solution is to cover the slat surfaces around the feeders with a protective coating to protect the concrete from acid compounds and pig traffic. Instead of pooling on a solid surface, any moisture or manure drains away through the slat openings. Premature damage to slat surfaces results from acidic compounds found in building environments, particularly near feeders and waterers. If left untreated these rough, eroded surfaces can cause animal injuries and lead to structural damage of the slats. We identify three levels of damage with suggested repair products. SECTION 1 - SLAT SURFACE DAMAGE
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