Mixing sows

[Tommy]

With a change of “system” coming what’s the best way to mix sows? They are currently kept in 4 groups of 10-12 but we are soon going to be keeping them as one big group. Inevitably there will be some fighting to start with, would stresnill work or has anyone here used https://www.provimi.eu/uk-behavepro . We don’t have a dosatron at the minute to give it but it could be handy in the future???
Thanks all

 

[Suffolk Serf]

Depends on the temperament of the sows. We used to run "dynamic groups" of sows running with boars, adding and taking from the group every week, sows were only added at weaning and taken from the group 10 weeks in pig. Worked quite well, but it was outdoors.
Best to avoid any mixing up to 6 weeks in pig really though as the embryos don't implant properly until then and any stress could lose you piglets.

 

[Pan mixer]

With a change of “system” coming what’s the best way to mix sows? They are currently kept in 4 groups of 10-12 but we are soon going to be keeping them as one big group. Inevitably there will be some fighting to start with, would stresnill work or has anyone here used https://www.provimi.eu/uk-behavepro . We don’t have a dosatron at the minute to give it but it could be handy in the future???
Thanks all

I had this same worry back in 96 when I went from stalls to a dynamic group of 100 on electronic sow feeders indoors.

They did fight a bit as I trained the groups of 7 through the feeders but once they got to a group of over 40 they stopped, apparently they forget who they are annoyed with at about 40 pigs.

We are still keeping sows in a group of 100, there is very little agression except for a bit of arguing at the back of the 2 feeders when the new feeding day starts.