Water is an essential nutrient in pig growth and sometimes can be an easily overlooked part of pig production. Research has found that finisher pigs waste 25% of water from nipple drinkers, even when they are properly adjusted (700 ml/min and positioned 5 cm higher than the shoulder height of the smallest pig)1. However, on commercial farms, water wastage from nipple drinkers is reported as high as 40 to 60%. The difference between these results may partly be attributed to the improper drinker height and flow rate on farms. Recent audits of 24 farms across Canada indicate that approximately two-thirds of nipple drinkers (in finishing) provided water volumes that exceeded the pig’s requirement.In some cases, measured values were more than double of the required flow rates.

The Prairie Swine Centre have been exploring water wastage within swine production and have established demonstration projects to highlight where wastage is high and how wastage can be minimised.

As part of their ‘Innovation to Adoption’ strategy, the Prairie Swine Centre, in collaboration with Swine Innovation Porc and the CDPQ, have released an article informing swine producers on how to effectively conserve water on-farm.

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