Hovers Can Help

As an alternative to heat lamps and farrowing mats, hovers have been used to provide supplemental heat and draft protection within the farrowing crate. Research trials comparing hovers with traditional supplemental heating methods have not shown a large difference in piglet survivability, but they definitely reduce the amount of energy used in farrowing rooms because the desired temperature can be reduced more than with mats and heat lamps alone. Table 2 shows a daily log of recommended farrowing room temperatures.

Critical Colostrum

The first 24-48 hours after farrowing is a critical time for the newborn. Piglets that spend time shivering in the corners of farrowing crates quickly become chilled, have a decreased ability to seek out the sow, and often do not receive adequate colostrum. Pigs that do not get sufficient colostrum within the first 6-12 hours after birth are more susceptible to disease and more likely to perish.

That is why it is important to get pigs warm, dry and nursing as soon as possible. Warming and split-suckling techniques that increase the probability that each pig has been dried off, warmed up and received colostrum are very popular among successful sow farms.

This warming and split-nursing process requires a clean container with a layer of wood chips, preferably a drying agent and a supplemental heat source. After newborn piglets are dried, warmed and allowed to nurse to ensure they've received adequate colostrum, they are placed in the container so their littermates that follow have a chance to nurse without competition. This process gives the piglets the best start possible.

Farrowing Room Ventilation

There are usually two primary goals that we are trying to achieve with the ventilation system in the farrowing room. First is the removal of excess moisture and gas without over-ventilating, which wastes energy and causes drafts on the piglets. Second is to assist in cooling the sows to keep them comfortable during warmer months.

It is very important to evaluate the ventilation equipment to ensure the best environment for the sows and litters. Figure 1 provides a set of farrowing room environmental standards.

Many farrowing rooms are ventilated through a negative pressure system, so in general, the equipment to assess includes: exhaust fans, air inlets, heaters and the controller that ties some or all of these together.

To ventilate properly, a farrowing room must have adequate fan capacity to meet minimum ventilation requirements, yet be able to operate at levels that do not over-ventilate during cold times of the year.

A range of minimum ventilation cfm (cubic feet/minute) requirements from several sources can be summarized into the following recommendations for a sow and litter:

• Cold weather, 20 cfm;
• Mild weather, 80-100 cfm; and
• Hot weather, 500-1,000 cfm.

The simple calculation in Figure 2 will help determine if a farrowing room has adequate fan capacity.

Being able to cover fans that aren't in use during the winter is a must for reducing room heating needs and saving energy.

Assessing Air Inlets

An assessment of air inlet capacity and condition is another important part of evaluating farrowing room ventilation.

A wide variety of air inlets exist among farrowing facilities. End wall and ceiling inlets are often designed to bring air into the room from an inner hallway, which helps control air temperature before entering the room. Many air inlets are manually adjustable or can be weighted to self-adjust as fans turn on and off.

Actuated inlets, which have become popular for farrowing rooms, allow for more precise control of the amount of air coming into a room, and prevent drafting that can occur on windy days when the attic becomes pressurized. Regardless of style of inlets, if not adjusted properly and routinely, they will allow drafts to enter the room and chill piglets.

Heating and Cooling

Forced air heat remains a common part of farrowing room environmental control. Furnace placement is important. They should not direct heat toward minimum ventilation fans, as that would directly remove heat from the room without benefit.

Likewise, forced air heat near temperature probes in a room will give inaccurate readings and often lead to excess speeding up of fans. When multiple heaters are placed within a room, they should be spaced evenly and staged together so that heat drifts evenly throughout the room.

Cool cells have undoubtedly become an important tool for keeping the farrowing room environment comfortable for sows during warmer months. Cool cells can decrease incoming air temperature by 10 degrees or more.

Being able to keep sows cool and comfortable during hot months, when lactation feed intake is historically decreased, has helped with milk production and reduced the number of sows removed from lactation prematurely due to poor conditioning. The operation of cool cells can also reduce electrical demands in farrowing rooms by lowering the number of fans required because rooms maintain cooler air temperatures.