Barn Wash/Disinfection Trials
By Dr. Dan Hurnik, Industry Chair for Swine Research - Washing of pens or barns has become a routine part of pig production. The reasons are numerous, but the main one is that washing removes bacteria, viruses and parasites left behind from the previous...

For Pigs, Size Really Does Matter
By Bernard Peet, Pork Industry Consultant, Lacombe, Canada. Pigs in intensive production systems rely on us to provide for all their needs, whether this be related to space, temperature, light, feed or water.

Cutting costs with multi-size penning
By Norman Dunn - Better Pork Magazine - Large hog production units in Denmark, as elsewhere, aim for as uniform a batch of pigs as possible per feeding pen. But costs per hog feeding place spiral for smaller enterprises trying to follow this system. With...

The long, winding road to obtain planning permission
By Norman Dunn, Better Farming Magazine (Ontario) - Germany and Denmark are taking two different paths to hog barn approvals. Just as in Canada, growing environmental awareness in most parts of Europe is forcing farmers to conform to a bewildering number...

Diagnosing Common Water-System Problems
By Jim Carlton, Pork Magazine - Improving the quality and delivery of water to pigs may not be the answer to perfect herd-health, but it can lead to healthier pigs and more efficient production.

Hoops vs. Confinement: Comparing the Economics
By Jane Messenger, Pork Magazine - While the results tend to favor confinement facilities when compared annually, hoop structures can be competitive in certain situations

The Rearing and Finishing Herd
By Livestock Knowledge Transfer, UK - This article is the second of two reports on "The EU Directive On Pig Welfare" and looks at the implications for future housing designs including health aspects

The Breeding Herd
By Livestock Knowledge Transfer, UK - This article is the first of two reports on "The EU Directive On Pig Welfare" and looks at the key changes for the breeding herd

Housing of sows and gilts in Denmark
By Dr Eric van Heugten, Assistant Professor, North Carolina State University - Political pressure and consumer demands in Denmark during the 1990s led to new legislation requiring pregnant sows to be loose-housed, reported Niels-Peder Nielsen at the Banff...

An Alternative to Traditional Swine Housing
By Kim Waalderbos, Ontario Pork Newsletter - Innovative and economical loose housing designs are many and varied. Guelph researchers recently compared how one loose housing system measured up to traditional gestation stalls at the newly-renovated Arkell...

Effects of Photoperiod (light) on Weanling Pig Performance - A summary
By Christina Wiggins, MU Animal Sciences student - Weaning time is stressful for every animal. Large amounts of stress can be damaging to an animal's future performance. During this time there is a high potential for morbidity and mortality. To lessen...

Maintenance of Evaporative Cooling Systems
Dr. Joe Zulovich, P.E, Livestock Housing Systems Engineer, University of Missouri-Columbia - For evaporative cooling to function, the water handling equipment components of evaporative cooling systems need to be kept relatively clean. Different maintenance...

Why Evaporative Cooling Works
By Dr. Joe Zulovich, P.E. Livestock Housing Systems Engineer, University of Missouri-Columbia - Evaporative cooling is used to relieve heat stress conditions in swine production. Two different types of evaporative cooling can be used in swine facilities....

Current Status of Housing and Penning Systems for Sows - May 2002
By John J. McGlone, Pork Industry Institute, Texas Tech University - Sow housing in the broadest sense refers to how sows are kept. Sows may be kept indoors or outdoors in a variety of systems. Penning with indoor or outdoor systems differ substant...

Tooling Up to Fine Tune Indoor Environments
By Bill Raufer, Pork Magazine - Tooling Up to Fine Tune Indoor Environments Minor refinements in the environment of a pork production building can make major differences in animal health and performance. But it's not a job for guesswork, emphasizes...

Basic requirements for intensive pig housing
By Ken Casey, DPI Toowoomba , revised by M J Moore, Pig & Poultry Production Institute - Profitable pig production depends largely on the design and provision of suitable housing.

Saving Money by Maximizing Energy Use Efficiency in Swine Production
By Ron MacDonald, P.Eng., Agviro, Inc, Guelph. - Last winters’ rapid rise in natural gas prices coupled with electricity deregulation in Alberta and Ontario presents both opportunities and challenges for hog producers.

How to Cut Hot Weather's Toll
By Bill Raufer, Pork Magazine - Giving your facilities a comprehensive cooling inspection can be one of your best time investments. That is, provided you follow up with needed repairs and maintenance.

Performance of Pigs in a Swedish Bedded Group Lactation and Nursery System
By Iowa State University Researchers - In the 1980s, Swedish swine producers were forced to develop several production models to remain profitable due to the strict legal policies facing the swine industry. By 1994, approximately 150 Swedish farms were...

Sow and Litter Performance for Two Genotypes in Crated and Group Gestation Systems
By Iowa State University Researchers - This article looks at the effects of swine gestation housing on sow and litter performance of two genotypes as evaluated at the Iowa State University Lauren Christian Swine Research and Demonstration Farm near Atlantic,...

Outdoor pig production: an approach that works
By Iowa State University and the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture - This series of publications will offer specific information on alternatives to current industry trends for producing hogs. This first installment describes outdoor alternatives...

Environmental Housing Requirements: Climatic needs and Responses of Pigs
By William H Close - Close Consultancy, Berkshire, England. - The main function of housing is to provide an optimum environment within which animals can achieve high rates of growth and efficiency of feed utilisation, yet live comfortably under good...