Pig Pen Hygiene

Is there any scouring?

Pigs will sometimes contaminate their sleeping area if they are too ill or in too much pain to move away for elimination. More commonly they may be "taken short" by a sudden surge of diarrhoea. Check the rear of the pigs for faecal soiling.

Are pigs getting too hot?

Growing and finishing pigs may suddenly begin soiling their sleeping area during hot weather. They lie in the cooler dunging area, leaving space for elimination in the sleeping area - the two areas become increasingly confused. They may actually "wallow" in dung and urine if a more suitable facility for thermoregulation is not available.

Remedy is to provide cooling ventilation of the sleeping area in hot weather or provide misting water sprayers or wallows to help pigs keep cool. Sprinklers are sometimes provided over the slats (in partially slatted pens) to encourage pigs to move there for cooling in hot weather. It helps to keep the sleeping area clean. Dunging in the sleeping area can also be discouraged by some floor feeding there.

Is pen design at fault?

Key aspects of pen design leading to hygienic eliminative behaviour are:

Mastitis, Metritis Agalactia (MMA) syndrome in sows

Mastitis, metritis and agalactia (MMA) are a group of three disease symptoms, which can occur separately or in combination, in sows 1-3 days after farrowing. Besides illness and pain in the sow, there may be a serious problem of starvation, reduced growth and increased mortality in her nursing litter of piglets. Key predisposing factors are poor hygiene around farrowing, inhibition of natural excretory behaviour, overweight sows and excessive feeding in late pregnancy.