Renovations underway at the Prairie Swine Centre’s Floral, Saskatchewan research facility will allow scientists to expand their research into group housing of sows and weaning age of piglets.
Renovations of the Prairie Swine Centre’s gestation and lactation facility and gilt development area located near Floral, Saskatchewan are scheduled to be completed by next April.
CEO Dr. John Patience says, in addition to improving the efficiency of the 30 year old facility, the renovations will allow the centre to expand its research into group housing of sows. "In the new unit we’ll be putting in what’s called "walk in lock in stalls" which allow the animals to go into a stall in order to be fed but then they have the ability to leave the stall and wander in the loafing area when they’re not being fed," he notes. According to Dr. Patience, "this is a design that we have borrowed from the Europeans and specifically from Denmark. It is, we understand, the most popular group housing system in Denmark right now in new facilities and so we thought it would be a good opportunity for us to evaluate it from a North American context."
Dr. Patience notes scientists at the facility will also be moving to four week weaning in the farrowing area and comparing weaning at three weeks of age to four weeks.
Source:
Farmscape.ca, episode 2660