SWINE

PRODUCTION

PREPARED BY:
CARRYL LENE S. SUAREZ
BASIC TYPES OF
VENTILATION IN
SWINE BARNS
 Ventilation can be defined as a process
for controlling several environmental
factors by diluting inside air with the
mixing of fresh outside air (The Service,
1990).
 Ventilation brings in oxygen and
expels or dilutes harmful dusts, gases,
and undesirable odors, as well as
airborne organisms and moisture from
the pigs.
 It affects various temperature and
moisture components including air
temperature, moisture level, surface
moisture concentration, air temperature
uniformity, air speed across animals, and
airborne dust and gases, which can result in
decreased health performance.
 In pork production today, there are
three types of known building
ventilation systems; mechanical,
natural, and a combination of the two.
 Mechanical ventilation forces air
through the building with fans.
Mechanical ventilation is the most
popular form of ventilation and is more
technologically advanced
 Natural ventilation, on the other
hand, is more dependent on the wind
and thermal buoyancy of the weather
outside of the barn.
 Typically, natural ventilation favors older
pigs that can retain more body heat, whereas
mechanically ventilated barns are typically
recommended for farrowing and nursery
pigs to control air temperature during winter
and summer.
CONTROL THE VERMIN OF
SWINE PRODUCTION
 The control of flies, cockroaches and
other insects is important because they
can transmit disease among pig
populations.
 Effective control is an integral part of
maintaining high health and
productivity in modern pig production.
Having a control system in operation
also forms part of assurance standards.
Management Guidelines
• Integrated fly control and manure management

The periodic use of chemical control when numbers

of flies become intolerable may produce a temporary
drop in the number of adult flies. However, as adults
make up only 15 per cent of the total fly population
they will soon be replaced.
• Minimize the breeding sites available to
flies with an effective manure
management strategy
• Wet and dirty straw and other bedding
material is a perfect fly breeding habitat
so remove at least twice each week to
break the seven-day breeding cycle
• Pay attention to areas where dirty material
may collect, such as the corners and edges
of pens and under feeders

• Larvae are unable to survive in very liquid

manure/slurry, however, debris and
floating mats will allow flies to breed in
slurry stores
SUSTAINABILITY OF
WATER QUALITY
 Water can no longer be taken for granted
mainly because access to good quality
water is becoming increasingly limited,
thus presenting major challenges to the
growth and development of swine
production
 Poor quality water negatively affects pig
performance and may encourage excessive
water usage. The latter will create manure
handling and disposal problems as a result
of increased slurry volume (McLeese et al.
1992).
Why Pigs Need Water

Pigs obtain water from three sources:

water contained in the feed, metabolic
water and water consumed by drinking.
They need sufficient quantities of water to
maintain optimal production levels.
 Water is the single largest constituent of
the body, making up to 82 per cent of a
young pig’s and 55 per cent of market hog
body weight (Kober, 1993) and is also a
major component of secretions made by the
pig, e.g. milk and saliva.
Sources of Water for Commercial Pork
Production

Water for pork production in North America is

derived from three main sources namely, well
(ground) water, surface (dug-out) water and
pipeline water (public supply).
Dealing with a Water Quality Problem

To ensure a supply of good quality water,

regular monitoring is critical. At the minimum,
water quality should be monitored at least once a
year and should always include a measurement
of bacterial (coliform) contamination (Kober
1993).
Best Management Practices for Water Use in Pork
Production

• Repair leaking water lines promptly

Water lines should be monitored routinely and leakage,
however, small should be fixed right away. According to Dr
Mike Brum, a drinker leaking at 90 drips per minute will
waste around 29 litres of water a day! (Brum 2007). This has
also been identified in many parts of the world as a major
cause of water wastage in commercial hog production units
(Gonzalez 2008).
• Use a power washer to clean barns
The amount of water used for cleaning
purposes can be substantial. Pre-soaking pig
housing facilities to loosen dirt followed by use
of power washing can help reduce the total
amount of water used for cleaning. This is
clearly illustrated by study reported by Hurnik
(2003, Table 6); pre-soaking reduced the pen-
washing time by 40 per cent.
 There are a number of management practices that can
reduce the total fresh water usage. These include: use of
waters that reduce wastage, correct diet formulation, use of
housing design and management strategies that minimize the
need for routine use of the sprinkler systems for cooling.
Possibility of using technologies which maximize whole farm
water usage efficiency such as solid manure handling and
water recycling might become attractive as means of
conserving water in the future.