In order to ensure the safety of your pigs there is a lot that you need to consider. The most crucial part of farming pigs is to have a good flooring for their welfare. Good pig flooring implies that the floor must not be slippery or designed in any way that may cause any kind of harm to the animal. Moreover, the flooring should be well designed and constructed in a way that it does not cause any injury or suffering to the animal. For this purpose the flooring should consider factors like the size of the pigs and their weight. Moreover if there is no bedding then there should at least be a stable surface.
Conditions for Farm maintenance
The conditions for farming pigs require that you pay attention to the following points.
- The bedding of the pigs should be dry,clean and should meet the safety standards.
- The overall farm should have well-maintained floors for their movement in order to reduce the chances of lameness.
- The farm should have a healthy and hygienic environment and it should have proper floor space.
- Solid floors have a more chance of reducing lameness in comparison to slatted floors.
- Slatted floors however are easier to clean and more hygienic and beneficial, so consider accordingly.
Problems with Poor Flooring
Poorly maintained flooring can obviously cause some serious impacts on the pigs and here are some of the problems that may come up due to the poor maintenance of floors.
- Poor maintenance increases the chances of lameness.
- Poor maintenance can often cause abrasions or torn claws due to probable falls or getting stuck or knocking against rash flooring.
- Poor flooring can also impact the movement and bones, it can cause septic arthritis or even abscesses.
- Another issue that can be caused by poor flooring is the Greasy Pig Disease.
- Mating injuries or issues with reproduction can also be caused by poor flooring.
- Teat or udder damage, or overlaid piglets having splayed legs or scuffed knees.
Possible Solutions
In order to avoid complications or lameness, there are a few things that you can take under consideration:
- Make sure that your flooring is suitable according to the weight and size of your pigs and moreover keep their age in consideration as well
- Take the sleeping area into thorough consideration, the sleeping area should be suitable to the size of the pigs and moreover it should be dry.
- Thoroughly examine the flooring for any sharp edges or rough areas. Make sure to check the pens and the protruding edges that are most probably at the bottom of doors, gates, drinkers and feeders. Basically ensure that there are no possible damaging objects within that vicinity.
- Examine the slats, steps, edges and gate separations for any void sections. Make sure that the gates are correctly hung and the building can handle the probable damage caused by pigs.
- The dunging area should be carefully observed and disinfected timely. The system of cleaning and disinfecting should be carried out often.
- Maintenance and repair should be a scheduled routine that should be carried out periodically. Make sure to do an inspection as a routine and properly schedule all your repairs after the inspection.
- Piglets are more likely to get abrasions regardless of whatever floor types the farm has. For this purpose you need to be extra careful and ensure that the farm is maintained regularly and is suitable for fostering the piglets.
Conclusion
Pigs are more likely to move around and habitually destroy things out of boredom. They also tend to have corrosive waste that can greatly impact the concrete. This makes them not only high maintenance but also in need of constant attention. Just ensure that the farm has proper flooring and bedding with old hay or straw bedding; and is constantly maintained or repaired.
