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Hoop Structures for Swine Housing

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Storing and handling round bales, straw, shavings or other bedding. hauling solid manure/litter ... new expense in bedding. lower initial investment ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Hoop Structures for Swine Housing


1
Hoop Structures for Swine Housing
Presented by Tommy Bass and Mike Daniel 2005
Georgia Pork Congress, Macon GA
University of Georgia College of Agricultural
and Environmental Sciences
2
Solid versus Liquid Wastes
  • Solid Waste
  • low accident potential
  • compostable
  • cheaper to haul
  • easier to export
  • simpler management (loading, stacking, spreading)
  • Liquid Waste
  • accident potential and liability
  • expensive to haul
  • difficult to export
  • complicated management (flushing, pumping and
    irrigating)
  • public perception, NIMBY

3
Hoop Basics
  • Hoop structures are naturally-ventilated
    structures that have a heavy fabric roof.
  • Sidewalls are wooden, block or poured.

4
Hoop Basics
  • Reflective tarps are used to reflect solar
    radiation to prevent over-heating.

5
Hoop Basics
  • Roofs are supported by tubular arches
  • Hoops wider than 38 generally use trusses

6
Hoop Basics
  • Tarps are held in place by winch or ratcheting
    straps.

7
Hoop Basics
  • The north end is generally closed during winter
    except a small area for ventilation.
  • Various ends are available. This one uses tracks
  • Others provide more open space for ventilation.

8
Hoop Basics
  • Hoops are often used for finishing pigs.
  • Plentiful, high quality deep bedding is the key.

9
Hoop Basics
  • Sow gestation is another common use for hoops.
  • Sow feeding is an important decision.

10
Animal Health and Performance
  • Pigs fed in hoops compared to partially slatted
    confinement
  • excellent health
  • similar rates of gain
  • faster in summer, slower in winter
  • similar feed efficiency,
  • except in cold winter months (Canada)
  • lower mortality
  • Connor, 1993 and 1994, Manitoba Swine Seminar
    Proceedings

11
Labor
  • Per pig labor is no more than in confinement,
    however tasks are distinctive
  • checking pigs, walking through bedded area
  • Storing and handling round bales, straw, shavings
    or other bedding
  • hauling solid manure/litter

12
Cost
  • Iowa research, Canadian research and Iowa farmer
    data showed hoops
  • lower heating, maintenance and utilities cost
  • increased winter feed cost
  • new expense in bedding
  • lower initial investment
  • This data showed slight advantage to hoops (3.50
    per pig)

13
Hoop Barns at UGA
  • 3 bedded hoop barns
  • 2 hoop roofs over slatted floors
  • 1 hoop barn for composting operation and some dry
    waste storage

14
Hoop Barns at UGA
  • Finish pigs at UGA
  • Bedded on shavings/saw dust

15
Hoop Barns at UGA
  • Slab between barns for working and loading animals

16
Hoop Barns at UGA
  • Fresh Bedding in cleaned-out barn
  • Waste is exportedoff site

17
Hoop Barns at UGA
  • Mortalities are composted in a hoop barn not used
    for livestock
  • Safe from run-off
  • Limited scavenger access

18
Hoop Barns at UGA
  • Gestation/breeding barn
  • Hoop roof was added to old confinement building
    foundation
  • Fans used for increased ventilation

19
Take Home Points
  • Cost benefit break even or slight favor to hoops
  • Labor break even or slight favor to hoops
  • Maintenance favor to hoops
  • Feed cold climate favor to confinement, southern
    data not well organized
  • Waste/Environment major favor to hoops

20
Additional Questions/Needs
  • Need more data for southeast additional analysis
  • Health issues related to bedding
  • initial UGA experience and research (Jones)
  • worms, liver ascarids (Thacker et. al., Iowa
    State)
  • Inexpensive and readily available bedding
    enhances cost advantage

21
Additional Information
  • http//www.abe.iastate.edu/research.asp
  • Click on Hoop Structures for Swine in the
    right hand list of topics.
  • http//www.agp2.org/aware
  • Click on Search, then type hoop and press
    Enter.

Information for this presentation was obtained
from the Leopold Center for Sustainable
Agriculture at Iowa State University
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