Large Pen

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Large Pen Auto SortFinishing Systems
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Why the Interest in Large Group Finishing?

• Minimize facility costs
• Fewer gates
• More efficient space/facility utilization
• Can you reduce sq footage in larger groups?
• Do you need an aisle?
• Animal behavior
• Social hierarchy in typical pens
• Growth/performance uniformity
• Animal welfare aspects

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What is Known about Large Group Finishing?

• Peer-Reviewed Literature
• Few articles for stocking rates gt 100/pen
• Wolter et al. 2001
• Wean-finish pigs (25 vs 50 vs 100 pigs/pen)
• First 8 weeks
• Pens of 50 and 100 had lighter weight, lower ADG,
  poorer feed conversion but no difference in daily
  feed intake compared with pens of 25 pigs
• From 8 wk to Market (255)
• Pens of 100 had greater ADG (3), than pens of 50
  with pens of 25 intermediate.
• For the entire trial No differences in ADG,
  daily feed intake or feed efficiency

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What is Known about Large Group Finishing?

• Peer-Reviewed Literature
• Verdoes et al. 1998
• 10 vs 90 pigs per pen
• Lower ADG in nursery stage
• No difference in growth rate in the finisher

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Large Pen, Auto-sort Systems

• History
• Started in Pennsylvania/New York
• 2000-2001
• How do you sort hogs for market in groups of 500
  to 1000 pigs
• Moved to Midwest
• Spring/Summer 2002
• Farmweld Co.
• Over 100 systems sold in last half of 2002

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Large Pen, Auto-sort Systems

• Initial Opportunities
• Overcome sorting/marketing challenge of large
  pens
• Scale weight vs Eye-ball weight
• Reduced time and labor of sorting
• Target market weights to a specific Packer Grid
• Reduce or minimize sort loss at the packer
• Premium for uniformity within a grid (Hormel)
• Improve Effective Pen Space
• Reduction in dunging area allows more free pen
  space
• Social hierarchy modification
• Fewer dominance/aggression problems, reduced
  tail-biting

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Large Pen, Auto-sort Systems

• Concept
• 250, 500, up to 1000 pigs/pen
• Many configurations, barn specific
• Many, movable gates to establish pens for
  sleeping, feeding, sorting areas, etc
• Access to feed used to entice pigs to enter
  scales/feed court area
• One way gates in and out
• Requires training of the pig for effective
  application

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Large Pen, Auto-sort Diagram
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Large Pen, Auto Sort Diagram
Diagram Courtesy Kevin Cera, Akey, Inc
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Large Pen, Auto Sort Diagram
Diagram Courtesy Kevin Cera, Akey, Inc
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Food Court Scales
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Wet Feeding Food Court
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Food Court
Photo Courtesy of Akey Feeds
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Food Court
Photo Courtesy of Akey Feeds
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Two Food Courts, Two Diets?
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Food Court
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Lounging/Sleeping Area
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Lounging/Sleeping Area
Photo Courtesy of Akey Feeds
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Lounging/Sleeping Area
Photo Courtesy of Akey Feeds
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Lounging/Sleeping Area
Photo Courtesy of Akey Feeds
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Water System Lounge Area
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Building Length Pens
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Building Length Pens
Photo Courtesy of Akey Feeds
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Building Length Pens
Photo Courtesy of Akey Feeds
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1-way gate out of the food court
Photo Courtesy of Akey Feeds
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1-way gate out of the food court
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1-way gate out of the food court
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Scales
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Scales
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Scales
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Scales
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Automatic Scale for Sorting by Weight
Courtesy Farmweld Inc
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(No Transcript)
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Scales
Photos Courtesy of Akey Feeds
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Sorting
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Sorting
Photo Courtesy of Akey Feeds
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Sorting
Photo Courtesy of Akey Feeds
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Sorting
Photo Courtesy of Akey Feeds
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Two Food Court System
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Large Pen, Auto-sort Systems

• Easier Pig Handling (farm and plant)
• Time and labor implications
• Welfare issues/Stockperson/Trucker Quality
  Assurance issues
• Reduced use of prods, fewer bruises, reduced
  DOAs and downers
• Pork Quality issues
• Reduced stress may yield improved pork quality

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Large Pen, Auto-sort Systems

• Nutrition Management Strategies
• Feed withdrawal prior to harvest
• 1 day of feed savings lowers feed costs
• Knowledge of weights for feed budgets
• Fine tune budgets
• Phase feed pigs within the large group
• Offer two diets
• Strategic feeding of Paylean

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Large Pen, Auto-sort Systems

• Waste Management Strategies
• Feed withdrawal prior to harvest
• Clean the pig out prior to harvest
• Reduced waste on trucks
• Less time for cleaning
• Reduced waste in plant
• Less time for cleaning
• Food safety issue, fewer problems with nicked
  intestines on the line

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Large Pen, Auto-sort Systems

• Current Issues and Questions
• Impact of very large group sizes (500/pen) on
• Average Daily Gain, Daily Feed Intake, Feed
  Efficiency
• Uniformity of growth and composition
• Social Hierarchy
• Impact of food court size/design on these factors
• Training procedures for the pig
• Equipment cost and life expectancy

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Large Pen, Auto-sort Systems

• Pork Quality Issues
• Reduction in muscle energy stores due to 24-h
  fast
• Reduced muscle glycogen
• Reduced post-mortem conversion of glycogen to
  lactic acid
• Greater 24-h pH ???
• Improved water holding capacity ????
• Improved color????
• Conflicting evidence in the literature on this
  issue

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Large PenAuto-sort Systems

• Longer-term Issues
• Pig Stocking Density (space requirements)
• Gain some space when alleys are removed
• Can you reduce space allowance? (lt 7 ft2/pig)
• Will welfare challenges negate this opportunity?
• Additional Research is Necessary to address these
  issues

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