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Welfare Information |
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Pig farmers care for their animals 365 days a
year. They know that a content and healthy pig is a profitable pig.
When farmers take care of their animals, the animals take care of
the farmers. Simply stated, good care is good business. For more
information about the industry’s efforts in animal welfare,
contact Manitoba
Pork Council or Sask Pork.
This little
piggy went to market | But
first, a glance back... | How
has farming changed over the years? | A
pig ’s tale... | Gestation
| The farrowing barn
| Piglet care | The
grower-finisher barn | Transportation
and Handling | Animal care
and health | Are there
alternatives to gestation stalls? | The
future | References
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This little piggy went
to market.
What’s with all the pigs?
Western Canada’s pork industry has grown
dramatically over the past few years and some people may be wondering
why.
One reason is the loss of the federal government
grain transportation subsidy — the Crow Rate. That means Western
farmers now pay the highest transportation rates in the country
to get their grain to market. It made them look at farming alternatives
to convert feed grain into other more profitable enterprises. And
that’s why there’s so much interest in livestock production.
Another reason is that Western Canada has the
feed grain, the land base, the expertise and the access to export
markets to make hog farming prosper. Manitoba and Saskatchewan farmers
have seen the opportunities and taken advantage of them. In 1999,
they produced approximately 6.5 million pigs and exported pork to
36 countries around the world.
Nice work for the farmers but what about all the
pigs? How are they cared for? Are the barns animal-friendly? Is
all this being done responsibly and humanely?
Pig farmers have the same concerns you do when
it comes to taking care of their pigs. They are leading the way
in making positive changes in the way pigs are raised and this
booklet shows you how.
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But first, a glance
back...
How were pigs raised 30 or 40 years ago?
Until the 1950’s, most farms grew a bit of
everything, including a few sows with litters of piglets every spring
and fall. Hogs were raised for home use or as a sideline to grain,
beef or dairy farming. Most were kept primarily outdoors and in
small shelters with straw bedding.
Were these the “Good Old Days”?
Raising pigs outdoors worked well when there were
only a few pigs per farm. But even then there were problems with
predators, disease and parasites. Productivity was low — only
15-17 piglets per sow each year. (Compare that with today’s
average off 22-plus piglets weaned per sow per year.) Many piglets
were crushed by the sows. It wasn’t a comfortable life for
the bigger pigs, either. Frostbite on hairless ears, insect bites
or sunburn were risks. Productivity, efficiency, herd health and
sow comfort had a long way to go.
Improvements in technology and growth in farm
size in the 1950’s brought in a period of specialization. The
largest hog barns of that era housed between 50 and 100 sows. Bringing
the animals indoors allowed farmers to monitor herd health, control
breeding, care for the piglets and feed individual animals according
to their needs.
In the last 20 years, hog farming has become
even more specialized. Today, the average farm has more than 500
sows.
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How has farming changed
over the years?
The first great revolution in farming was fueled
by the gas engine in the 1920’s. Tractors replaced horse, oxen
and hand plows. What one farm could produce suddenly grew tremendously.
In the late 1940‘s, science spurred a second
farming revolution — chemicals which could control insects,
weeds, and fungi. Discoveries in breeding and management technologies
mean dairy cows which once produced 15 to 18 litres per day now
produce over 30 litres per day.
Significant productivity gains have also occurred
in the pork industry along with a consumer-driven trend towards
producing leaner cuts of meat.
In 1900, one farmer fed only 12 people and Canadians
spent 50 cents out of every dollar they earned on food. Before World
War II, one Canadian in every four was a farmer working about 160
acres of land on average.
Today, only three percent of Canadians farm and
the average farm size is over 800 acres. Each farmer produces enough
food to feed over 120 people for a year and Canadians today spend
about 14 cents per dollar earned on groceries. That’s the benefit
of improved productivity.
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A pig ’s tale...
Where are pigs raised?
Today, hogs are raised through their growth stages
indoors in various kinds of specialized barns. A barn housing pregnant
sows is called a farrowing barn. Finishing or feeder barns are used
to house weaned piglets, or weanlings until they are ready for market.
Some farmers raise hogs through the whole process in “farrow
to finish” operations; others simply buy weanlings and feed
them to market weight.
Most pigs today are raised with a near disease-free
status. This means that fewer medications are needed to keep pigs
healthy. These “high-health” farms have restricted access.
Employees in these facilities shower in and change clothes daily
to maintain high herd health. It is in the farmer’s best interest,
both economically and from a swine welfare standpoint, to keep animals
healthy.
The breeding barn
The Birds ... and the Bees... and Pigs
Young, unbred female pigs are called gilts. A
gilt is usually eight months old before it is mature enough for
breeding. They are housed in groups of three to 25 pigs per pen
in the breeding area. Gilts are called sows once they give birth.
Male pigs, or boars, are penned individually, so they don’t
fight with each other. For every 20 sows in a herd, a hog farmer
usually keeps one boar. Pigs are very social animals and sows are
kept either in groups or individually in close contact with their
neighbours.
When gilts or sows enter estrus in their reproductive
cycles (about 21 days long) they are ready to be bred.
Boars are introduced into pens of females and
will show great interest in sows in estrus. Farmers oversee breeding
to ensure the sow is receptive and successfully bred.
Increasingly, producers are using artificial
insemination (A.I.), which is gentle on the sows and can produce
excellent pregnancy results. Larger farms may rely exclusively on
A.I. in their breeding programs.
Breeding area managers keep records of sow and
boar performance in a book or computer program. Sows may be bred
more than once to ensure conception before they are moved to the
gestation area.
Animal Care Facts:
The Breeding Area
- Each sow is identified with a numbered ear tag. Health, reproduction,
and breeding records are kept for each animal.
- Sow health is checked daily.
- Fresh water is available at all times; some pens are fed automatically,
others by hand.
- When sows are brought to group pens, there will be some fighting,
as they establish a pecking order. Sows should not be further
mixed with other groups during breeding.
- It’s important to keep the sows as stress-free as possible
to prevent litter loss.
- Producers keep floors clean by washing down regularly with
high-pressure hoses. Clean, dry, non-slip flooring minimize injuries
and help keep the air fresh.
- Animals are moved in an orderly fashion through aisles with
gates opened and closed to direct them.
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Gestation:
The individual gestation stall system
Pregnant sows, also called “gestating sows”
(non-lactating), are moved to individualized stalls after breeding.
Farmers take care to minimize sow movement during the first 30 days
of pregnancy because of high risk of miscarriage.
The length of the sow’s pregnancy is three
months, three weeks and three days, or 115 days. Sows will usually
have two litters of piglets each year.
In the gestation area, sow health is monitored
daily. Sows are fed individually and offered water regularly. They
can lie down comfortably, stand up or sit and walk a few steps forward
and back. The stalls are cleaned daily.
Loose Sow Housing Systems
A recent survey of Manitoba hog farmers indicated
the majority of producers (75%) use gestation stalls. Producers
with a ready supply of straw and outdoor facilities are more inclined
to keep a number of their sows in some form of group housing system.
Surveyed farmers cited sow aggression and welfare concerns, followed
by cost concerns, as main barriers to adopting alternative housing
systems.
Animal Care Facts:
The Gestation Area
- Individual dry sow stalls reduce competition for food and prevent
fighting or tail and vulva biting.
- They also assist in reducing stress to the sow during the early
critical stages of pregnancy.
- In stalls, sows can easily be examined individually for health
and treated if necessary.
- Pregnancy tests are conducted by ultrasound and, if found negative,
sows return to the breeding area. The ability to pregnancy-test
greatly increases farm productivity.
The Not-Secret Code...
Is there a “best way” to raise pigs?
The answer is yes! It’s found in the “Recommended
Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Farm Animals: Pigs”.
Scientists, humane societies, veterinarians, and
farmers cooperated to write this guide.
Hog farmers follow the code of practice which
outlines how to provide for all the important elements of proper
animal care, including:
- Comfort and shelter
- Fresh water and a healthy diet
- Opportunity for reasonable movement and expression of most social
and behavioral needs
- Appropriate light and flooring
- Prevention of abnormal behavior, injury and disease
A new transportation code gives guidelines for
loading densities, special weather conditions and proper rest protocols.
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The farrowing
barn
Sows are moved in groups to farrowing or birthing
rooms. Sizes of farrowing rooms vary to accommodate between 10 to
50 farrowing stalls. A farrowing stall allows the sow about the
same movements as a gestation stall, but provides creep areas along
either side for the piglets. Adjustable rails alongside the sow
slow her movement when she lays down, thus protecting piglets from
being crushed.
From the breeding records, the producer knows
approximately when the sow is due to farrow — about 115 days
after breeding. By using individual stalls, farmers can look after
the individual needs of each sow. Usually the farrowing room will
be filled with a group of sows due around the same time.
Once the sow begins to farrow, close record is
kept of when piglets are born. Often if more than 15 minutes elapse
between piglet births and an internal exam shows the birth canal
is clear, the attendant may give an injection of the hormone oxytocin
to stimulate contractions and ensure the piglet is born alive.
Farrowing is sometimes induced at the due date
to ensure that farrowing will occur with the worker in attendance,
available to assist the sow if necessary.
To bring on farrowing the next day, producers
may give the sow an injection of the hormone prostaglandin.
Very shortly after birth, piglets will nurse.
A heat lamp or pad and a warm farrowing room temperature ensures
piglet comfort.
With today’s careful management, the average
litter size has increased to 10 to 12 piglets, going as high as
16 per litter.
Animal Care Facts:
Generally, each farrowing barn has three main
areas: the breeding and gestation areas, the farrowing rooms and
the nursery. All areas are carefully managed for lighting, ventilation
and temperature to ensure maximum comfort for the ages, size, and
life stages of the pigs. Before pigs are moved to a new area, rooms
are thoroughly washed with hot, pressurized water and disinfected.
Cleanliness helps keep pigs healthy and thriving.
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Piglet care
Once all sows in a farrowing room have farrowed,
farmers will compare litters for numbers and size of piglets. They
may decide to “cross-foster.” This involves switching
piglets from one sow to another to ensure competition for teats
between piglets is evened out. If done early, sows readily accept
fostered piglets.
Farmers make sure all piglets receive colostrum,
the antibody-rich first milk, so the piglets develop strong immune
systems. The tips of the piglets’ tails are usually clipped
between age one to six days to prevent tail biting when the piglets
are older. With its tail docked, the piglet is less likely to allow
its tail to be chewed to the point of injury.
When they are between three and six days old,
piglets are injected with iron to prevent anemia. Male piglets are
castrated. Studies are underway to look at ways of eliminating this
procedure. Currently, all boars, other than those selected for breeding
are castrated to prevent a distinctive and unpleasant “boar
taint” (smell) in the meat.
Piglets are moved from the farrowing rooms at
a weaning age which can be anywhere from 12 to 28 days depending
on the producer’s system.
The weaned piglets, or weanlings are housed in
nursery pens.
Farmers continue to provide very warm temperatures
for the pigs. Weanlings are sorted by size and provided with fresh
water and feed at all times. They will remain in nursery pens until
they are between five to ten weeks old. They will then be moved
to a grower area for another 10 to 15 weeks.
From there, the pigs move to a 15- to 40-week
finishing phase.
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The grower-finisher barn
“Feeder pigs” are housed in groups of
20 to 25. In well-ventilated barns, pigs will instinctively select
clean and dry areas for sleeping, resting and feeding. They will
defecate in another area. Manure is routinely scraped away by the
handler.
Feeder pigs are provided feed at all times. The
feed is a specially balanced mix of grains such as barley, corn,
canola meal and even peas or lentils. Feeding troughs are automatically
filled as the hogs eat. Clean water is supplied via “nipple-drinkers”
which the pigs can access at all times.
To prevent pigs from bullying each other, producers
often provide materials like straw, rope, chain or “toys”
for the pigs to chew on.
Misting the pigs with cool water on hot days prevents
discomfort.
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Transportation and Handling
When pigs are market weight — about 110 kgs
— they are loaded onto well-ventilated trucks with appropriate
bedding for transport to market. The number of pigs in the load
is carefully calculated taking into consideration truck size, travel
distance, temperature and pig comfort factors.
For more information on transportation of pigs,
obtain a copy of Pigs in Transit from the Manitoba
Pork Council.
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Speaking of cleanliness, what about the manure?
Most hog barns collect manure in holding pits
beneath the barn. Floors are slatted so liquids and solids fall
through to the pit. Barn workers regularly sweep and shovel pens
and stalls to push the manure into pits. Floors, pens and walls
are pressure washed and disinfected between each group of pigs.
The liquid manure slurry is held in storage and applied to fields
to feed crops. Hog manure is a valuable organic fertilizer and soil
conditioner. Farmers follow provincial regulations to ensure manure
is handled in an environmentally acceptable manner.
For more information on environmental stewardship
programs, contact Manitoba
Pork Council or SaskPork..
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Animal care and health
Do pigs get a lot of hormones and antibiotics?
In Canada, growth hormones are not used at all in pig production.
Weanling rations may contain some antibiotic at
low levels to help young pigs thrive. Antibiotics in nursery feed
help piglets fend off infections as they adjust from sow’s
milk to solid feed. To ensure a balanced diet, farmers also include
vitamins and mineral supplements in the pig’s diet.
After 15 weeks, feed rations do not contain antibiotics.
Pigs will only be given medication to treat an illness. Farmers
follow withdrawal times closely to ensure market pigs will be free
of antibiotics before market.
In recognizing consumer demand for safe and wholesome
food, Canadian farmers are producing pork that meets new national
standards for food safety. For information on Canada’s Quality
Assurance Program, call Manitoba Pork Council or SaskPork.
Most hog farms today restrict public access to
barns in order to minimize the risk of the introduction of disease.
It is in the farmer’s and the pig’s best interest to keep
reliance on medication to a minimum.
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Are there alternatives
to gestation stalls?
Gestation stalls are used world-wide but they
were banned in Britain on January 1, 1999. U.K. producers are now
required to house pregnant sows in groups. This has been a costly
and difficult experience for farmers with some negative impacts
on pig welfare as well.
Gestation stalls improve sow health, feeding,
management and efficiency. By those measures, they are humane and
beneficial to the animals. The main disadvantage is that they restrict
exercise opportunities for the sow. Animals can lie down, stand
up and move back and forth, they do not have space to walk or turn
around. While this system has many benefits, there are potential
welfare implications which are being researched.
Replacing gestation stalls with group housing
systems is not a cure-all. Managing gestating sows is a specialized
skill. Farmers will need to be trained to introduce new sows into
established sow groups, thus avoiding fighting and potential reduction
in litter sizes and farrowing rates. Research to address these challenges
is underway in various countries.
Several programs have been set up to promote the
development and use of sustainable systems and practices that meet
the fundamental needs of pigs in all facets of the swine industry.
These programs include representatives from the swine industry,
animal welfare, animal research, veterinary medicine and government.
In Manitoba, the Pig Welfare Group has initiated
a study of a 500-sow group housing system to produce a blueprint
and “how to” manual for producers willing to adopt the
system. The challenge is to design practical, affordable alternative
housing systems without compromising animal health, production or
food safety.
Through active membership in the Farm Animal
Council of Saskatchewan (FAC), SaskPork is also providing farmers
with information on animal care issues to ensure the food they produce
meets the highest animal welfare, health and food safety standards.
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The future...
Western Canada’s hog industry looks to the
future as both a challenge and an opportunity. Our producers have
been leaders in responsible environmental stewardship and animal
welfare initiatives.
Farmers are innovators. They always find better
ways of doing things and current swine housing systems are continuously
evolving to improve efficiency, herd health, and productivity. They
are committed to developing new alternatives and providing for increased
welfare and comfort for their pigs.
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References:
The following publications, available through
Manitoba Pork
Council and SaskPork.,
will be of interest for those looking for more in-depth information:
- The Recommended Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of
Farm Animals — Pigs
- The Recommended Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of
Farm Animals — Transportation
- Pigs in Transit
- Livestock Manure and Mortality Management Regulation (Manitoba)
- Farm Practices Guidelines for Hog Producers (Manitoba)
- Manure Management and the Environment
- A Strategy For Excellence: Canadian Quality Assurance Program
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