Preparing the farrowing house
9 November 2018
2 minute read
- Sows should be moved into a dry warm house about three days before the expected farrowing date.
- The house should have been completely emptied, cleaned, disinfected and more importantly dried.
- As farrowing approaches a second heat lamp should be placed opposite the sows udder (if it is a side creep) to attract the piglet away from the sow.
- If the farrowing crate floor is slatted and the sow is likely to farrow at night time, a lamp should be hung at the back of the crate.
- If a sow is farrowing on slats, the areas behind and to the side of her should be covered over with solid material during the actual period of farrowing and kept dry with shavings.
- Make sure there are no draughts or high air flow across the house.
- Make sure all nipple drinkers are working correctly.
- Check the floors for any wear or tear or any loose panels if slatted. (Failure to carry this out frequently results in the loss of a litter in the slurry).
