FREEDOM FARROWING

Happy sows, happy piglets. The Wilkin’s Free-farrowing pen is the product of an eight-year evolution and works well for sows, piglets and stockmen.

Why the push for freedom must be given time

Jane Jordan reports

Farrowing crates continue to dominate the government’s animal welfare agenda and Defra has stated it wants to reach a point where farrowing crates are no longer necessary. Non-government organisations (NGOs) want a complete ban on crates and total free-farrowing by 2027. The NPA, however, is fiercely campaigning for a much longer transition phase – up to 30 years. This extended time scale will allow a voluntary approach to the phasing out of crate systems and for meaningful research and development and trial work to be carried on suitable alternatives. NPA also wants more clarity on what systems will be permitted long term, and for any new welfare legislation to endorse the use of temporary crating, where sows can be restrained when necessary, such as during the first few days post-farrowing and for treatments such as vaccination.

Pig producer Matt Wilkin has been freefarrowing sows on his breeding unit for around eight years. The family business has developed its own fully-slatted farrowing system and has been sharing their management experience and how pen design and functionality has evolved with industry stakeholders and other interested groups for a number of years.

The 2,100-sow business initially replaced some traditional crates with 360-degree pens, but overtime has modified the system to suit their own requirements. Refurbishing and converting the farm’s crated accommodation has been a steady reinvestment programme and it now farrows 80% of the breeding herd in freefarrowing pens. It plans to replace the remaining crates during the next six to 12 months.

But unlike other pig businesses, the Wilkin’s decision to free-farrow has been about protecting capital investment and future proofing their business.

“We are a typical commercial pig business, supplying 7kg weaner to finishing farms that rear pigs for various markets. We need production systems that are viable, that work efficiently and can help us optimise productivity and labour resources. The farrowing accommodation we have here works well, with performance comparable to a conventional crate system. But it’s taken us around ten years to develop it – a point I’ve really emphasised during my industry discussions,” says Matt.

Understanding what works

This business is fortunate to have fabrication skills, so has been able to develop a bespoke system that combines both 360-degree movement and temporary restraint.

“Pig production is a way of life for us, and when you are with pigs every day, working in all production settings, you get an understanding about what works best for you and them. Developing our free-farrowing pen followed this ethos and what we have here is a very practical, functional system that gives the sow freedom, protects piglets and allows the stockmen to do a good job and safely,” he explains.

• The Wilkins free-farrowing system was awarded the National Pig Award for Farm

Innovation in 2020. • The 6m2 pen is fully-slatted, has rails to keep sows lying central and away from the walls, and features a well-designed moveable, temporary crate that can be opened fully to allow complete freedom or fastened in specific positions along the rear rail to suit sow size and stockman requirements.

The farm’s key objectives are to improve efficiency, reduce production costs and achieve premium prices for the weaners they sell. Good performance is vital at every stage and pig quality and consistency of production are paramount. The breeding herd aims to wean 13 to 14 piglets a litter with an average 7kg wean weight. Preweaning mortality runs at between 10% to 12%. Health and hygiene are of utmost importance in the farrowing rooms and why they use a fully slatted system.

“Solid flooring and bedding are difficult to manage in a free-farrowing setting. It’s hard to keep pens clean so piglet health can suffer. The labour requirement to manage it properly is also very high and I doubt many farms could sustain those additional costs without receiving premium payments. Our pens are fully slatted and perform well. Sows are comfortable and piglets thrive,” says Matt.

Both sows and gilts are kept unrestricted at farrowing, but are restrained once all piglets have arrived and for the first four days lactation – mainly to allow stockmen safe and easy handling of piglets for sizing up, fostering any vaccinations and teeth grinding etc.

Matt says allowing sows to move freely when they farrow lets them settle and position themselves comfortably. It has also reduced the length of time farrowing takes, with fewer born dead piglets, and better neo-natal survival rates. Gilts are also calmer when left free and no savaging has occurred since they stopped restraining them.

“They do fidget at the start, but once farrowing begins, and they decide where they want to lie, then they don’t move until the job’s finished. Restraining sows might seem like a sensible option for piglet safety, but we’ve found they’re better off finding their own position. You just have to watch them once they’re done as they tend to get quite active, especially when you go in to clean up and check piglets. They stretch, will usually drink and eat plenty, and do this quite frequently during the first few days, which is why we restrict their movement, particularly if they have a large litter,” he adds.

These are fundamental observations and ones Matt’s been keen to point out during his industry discussions. He firmly believes temporary crating must be permitted to protect piglet welfare and stockman safety.