Fenders on Farrowing huts

[Dan.gerous]

Hi everyone,

Just curious, does anybody drop the fender before the pig farrows?

We always drop it as we check and find them with piglets, however it seems like unecesarily disturbing the pig at a tender moment. I wondered if having the fender down as soon as the sow moves in would be better. The fender up is a handy visual clue as to whats left to Farrow, but it wouldnt be difficult to have a different system for that.

Thoughts appreciated - I'm not a farmer, but help my wife a lot when not working away at sea and sometimes you see things from a different perspective.

 

[Suffolk Serf]

We leave fenders off until they start to farrow. When they have started, or more often, farrowed during the night, we put the fender on back to front. Then the following morning put it on the correct way round at the same time as processing the litter (tail docking, PRRS vaccination and baycox iron.
As you allude, a lot of it is about visual cues so that anyone having a check around can see at a glance what is going on.

 

[Dan.gerous]

We leave fenders off until they start to farrow. When they have started, or more often, farrowed during the night, we put the fender on back to front. Then the following morning put it on the correct way round at the same time as processing the litter (tail docking, PRRS vaccination and baycox iron.
As you allude, a lot of it is about visual cues so that anyone having a check around can see at a glance what is going on.

I was thinking a plastic flag on the feed bin to let you know it had farrowed - like the old mail box style.

Half of our huts have the plastic fender attached, the other half still have a detached steel one (it likes to get good suction in the mud). I can't see the fender always being down as an issue for the pig before she farrows, she probably barely notices walking over it.

 

[Suffolk Serf]

I was thinking a plastic flag on the feed bin to let you know it had farrowed - like the old mail box style.

Half of our huts have the plastic fender attached, the other half still have a detached steel one (it likes to get good suction in the mud). I can't see the fender always being down as an issue for the pig before she farrows, she probably barely notices walking over it.

We’ve got ten of the plastic huts with fenders attached permanently to try out. The 300 or so others are mostly A frame. With the plastic ones we drop the fender at farrowing and if we get more we will need some visual cue for processing. Stones on top of the hut have served that purpose for us in the past. Very readily available here and free!

 

[Dan.gerous]

We have a couple of Ardvark huts as a trial as well, and the other 150 are the steel half round ones half of which have been retrofitted with plastic bolt on fenders.

We keep the doors on the top of the steel huts as a nice visual clue for the afternoon feed, but the plastic huts look the same no matter what stage the sow is at....confusing for me as I am only home half the year!

Have also got some trials out for nipple drinkers instead of troughs in the farrowing pens - seems to be a lot less water leaking everywhere with that system.