straw based pigs. ideas to stop dunning in lying area

[ploughman1963]

I’ll try to get a photo tomorrow. 32t bin

 

[Mad For Muck]

I’ll try to get a photo tomorrow. 32t bin

thanks very much

 

[Matt]

This is ours.
At the time weigh cells wasnt hugely popular.
Would have the weigh cells with the system ploughman speaks about if doing it again.
One advantage of our set up is if it was drawing straight out of.bin it would be at its max for length I think. So with ours the motor doing the long pull is a flat straight run.
But time will tell

 

[Mad For Muck]

This is ours.
At the time weigh cells wasnt hugely popular.
Would have the weigh cells with the system ploughman speaks about if doing it again.
One advantage of our set up is if it was drawing straight out of.bin it would be at its max for length I think. So with ours the motor doing the long pull is a flat straight run.
But time will tell

View attachment 924051View attachment 924052

Thanks very much for that it’s much appreciated! Will give Collinson a ring tomorrow.

 

[Spud]

So we have got a 1000 pig place shed with the galebreaker blinds on side with the raised catwalk over pens. the pigs seem to like to mess in the middle of the pens
any one got any tips to help try to stop this.

our first batch was lovely minimal mess, it was a winter batch so it was a colder winter which i think resulted in blinds shut more.

so i am thinking draughts cause them to dung under cat walk?
wondered about getting a vent tube fitted and then having the blinds shut more?
Thanks
Matt

Have you a pic of your shed setup? I have 1200 bacon in two sheds, 6 pens in each shed. They tend to muck in the draftier areas, bed in the calmer areas. Open ridge all the way down the shed, other than over the feeders.
No scrape through passage, auto blinds or anything like that.
Simple Yorkshire boarding above block walls.

 

[Daniel]

We have struggled with this. Exactly the same as you, first batch, over winter, were great. Having tried all sorts we have now resorted to deep litter with about 6/7 weeks to go, but we have had to buy a tiny skid steer to muck out at the end of the batch. We have 2 x 1000 sheds.

Mmmmm, mucking fat pigs out in July before loading the lorry. How I don't miss it....

 

[Hjwise]

Mmmmm, mucking fat pigs out in July before loading the lorry. How I don't miss it....

Some people pay to go to the gym, so mucking out pigs in the summer is a bit like being paid twice. That’s what I tell myself anyway.....

 

[Spud]

Some people pay to go to the gym, so mucking out pigs in the summer is a bit like being paid twice. That’s what I tell myself anyway.....

You must have a labour intensive system? Our last batch back in October saw us put 800 pigs on wheels in 3hrs Monday morning (400 had gone a fortnight before) mucked out by Tuesday dinner time, repairs done Wednesday, bedded Thursday morning, all refilled by Thursday teatime. Time off the forklift seat won't be any more than 10mins a pen, so 2 hrs for 1200 pig places.

 

[Hjwise]

You must have a labour intensive system? Our last batch back in October saw us put 800 pigs on wheels in 3hrs Monday morning (400 had gone a fortnight before) mucked out by Tuesday dinner time, repairs done Wednesday, bedded Thursday morning, all refilled by Thursday teatime. Time off the forklift seat won't be any more than 10mins a pen, so 2 hrs for 1200 pig places.

2000 pigs per batch, 2.2 batches per year. All in, all out and washed between batches. I would estimate an average between 3 to 4 man hours per day over the course of a batch (including dealing with straw, muck, medicine etc).

 

[Spud]

2000 pigs per batch, 2.2 batches per year. All in, all out and washed between batches. I would estimate an average between 3 to 4 man hours per day over the course of a batch (including dealing with straw, muck, medicine etc).

I guess you must be 7kg to bacon? We're finishers, 4batches in 50 weeks usually. 1200 in pens of about 100. Another shed about to go up holding 4x200 on the same system. We're a bit under 2 man hours per day on our system.

 

[Hjwise]

I guess you must be 7kg to bacon? We're finishers, 4batches in 50 weeks usually. 1200 in pens of about 100. Another shed about to go up holding 4x200 on the same system. We're a bit under 2 man hours per day on our system.

Yes 7kg to 90kg(dw). We have many days below 2 hours, but the average is pushed higher with washing, vaccination, straw collection, muck carting etc. I have one shed which has larger pens and is mucked out with the loader, this saves a little time and removes the need to fork out by hand. Sorting out individual pigs is more difficult but I plan to convert another shed this winter to the larger pens.

 

[Matt]

You must have a labour intensive system? Our last batch back in October saw us put 800 pigs on wheels in 3hrs Monday morning (400 had gone a fortnight before) mucked out by Tuesday dinner time, repairs done Wednesday, bedded Thursday morning, all refilled by Thursday teatime. Time off the forklift seat won't be any more than 10mins a pen, so 2 hrs for 1200 pig places.

these your own pigs or you contract rear?

 

[Spud]

these your own pigs or you contract rear?

Contract finishing since 1990

 

[Hjwise]

We have struggled with this. Exactly the same as you, first batch, over winter, were great. Having tried all sorts we have now resorted to deep litter with about 6/7 weeks to go, but we have had to buy a tiny skid steer to muck out at the end of the batch. We have 2 x 1000 sheds.

@snarling bee - out of interest, what sort of skid steer do you use?

 

[Spud]

I have three sheds, all with different ridges. The one with a completely open ridge is often the cleanest. I think the ideal ridge would be powered, so that you close for rain and very cold nights. I think this would be a better investment than auto curtains.
I have converted one shed to double sized pens that is mucked out with a loader. Pros and cons, but much better than mucking out 52 pens on your own in the height of summer!

Powered ridge sounds a good idea, I hadn't thought of that. Our older sheds have an open ridge the full length except over the feeders. Powered ridge would help keep things a bit warmer in winter. Less of a problem as a finisher tbf.
Sides of my older sheds are yorkshire boarding with every fourth board removed, and weather doors outside the pen doors almost permanently open.

For my new shed I was thinking of a ridge like the older sheds, and yorkshire board clad top sliding doors - they work very well on my neighbours cattle shed.

 

[Hjwise]

My shed with the open ridge generally keeps cleaner and is usually best health wise, which I put down to better air flow. But if we get a heavy rain or prolonged lighter rain the middle of the bed can get wet which sets back efforts to keep clean. If I could close the ridge for those periods it would be ideal.

 

[Spud]

My shed with the open ridge generally keeps cleaner and is usually best health wise, which I put down to better air flow. But if we get a heavy rain or prolonged lighter rain the middle of the bed can get wet which sets back efforts to keep clean. If I could close the ridge for those periods it would be ideal.

There is a wall directly under the ridge on mine for all but 60' of the 194' length, so rain effect is less noticable on mine. Worth a look on a new build though, thanks.

 

[snarling bee]

@snarling bee - out of interest, what sort of skid steer do you use?

We have a Bobcat S70, the smallest they make. It needs to be under 2.00m to get under the walkway. Does the job, but better at lifting than pushing. Certainly easier than doing it by hand which would take an age.

 

[Spud]

We have a Bobcat S70, the smallest they make. It needs to be under 2.00m to get under the walkway. Does the job, but better at lifting than pushing. Certainly easier than doing it by hand which would take an age.

It must still take a long while to clean out, can't say the rolling the bale down the gantry excited me either.

We can bed 1200pigs up in an hour with one man, and muck the same 12pens out with two men in a day and a half. If we're washing out, add a day.
Simplicity being the key to keeping costs down.

 

[Hjwise]

It must still take a long while to clean out, can't say the rolling the bale down the gantry excited me either.

We can bed 1200pigs up in an hour with one man, and muck the same 12pens out with two men in a day and a half. If we're washing out, add a day.
Simplicity being the key to keeping costs down.

How often do you muck the pens out?