PRODUCTIVITY OF SOWS WITH DIFFERENT MACHINES IN THE REPRODUCTION SHOP

Abstract

The modern development of pig production is focused on ensuring high quality meat products with strict adherence to animal welfare standards. In EU countries, this has led to the prohibition of individual sow housing for most of the breeding season. At the same time, both in Europe and Ukraine, a significant proportion of sows are still kept in individual fixation pens during farrowing and lactation, which limits their physical activity. It is becoming increasingly important to keep sows free during lactation, which helps to implement the natural behaviour of animals. However, such a system requires significant financial flows to be allocated to the reconstruction of production facilities, which puts producers in the position of minimizing costs and optimizing the use of production space, as the introduction of new technologies is accompanied by an increase in the size of farrowing pens. In this regard, constructive technological solutions for modifying sow farrowing equipment at different periods of the reproductive cycle are a production necessity, which focused the authors’ interest in conducting the experiment. The aim of the study was to evaluate the productive performance of sows and suckling piglets using traditional farrowing fixation machines and improved machines that provide free keeping of lactating sows from 7 days of the suckling period to weaning in industrial pig production. In 2023–2024, a scientific and economic experiment was conducted at the “Victoriуa” by private enterprise (Mykolaiv region), which included 192 sow nests in the farrowing shop with 2706 suckling piglets during two adjacent farrowings. The research was conducted on pigs of the combination ♀ (LW × L) × ♂ Maxter and ♀ (LW × L) × ♂ PIC 337. During the idle period and the first 30 days of pregnancy, all sows were kept in individual pens, and after confirmation of pregnancy – in group pens (6 heads each). 5 days before the expected farrowing date, they were transferred to the farrowing shop, where they were divided into the following groups: Groups I and II – traditional pens with fixation during the entire suckling period (total area 4,32 m²); Groups III and IV – improved pens with the possibility of free housing from day 7 of lactation to weaning (total area 7,20 m², manufactured by AgroDana LLC, Ukraine). The analysis of the data showed that there was no significant difference in the total number of piglets at birth, the proportion of stillborn piglets, nest weight and large-fecundity among the study groups. At the same time, the traditional fixed maintenance of sows during the entire suckling period provided higher reproductive performance, which is confirmed by the indices of reproductive qualities (44,74 and 47,79 points, respectively, for groups I and II). However, in groups III and IV, where sows were kept in free mode after 7 days of lactation, better reproductive results were recorded in subsequent reproductive cycles. The percentage of fertilized sows in these groups was higher (95,8% in group III and 93,8% in group IV). As for the consumption of body reserves, the thickness of the fat in sows of all groups remained within the normative values. However, in the free-stall groups, fat loss was significantly higher, indicating higher energy expenditure under conditions of increased motor activity (groups III and IV: 3,96–4,17 mm). The results obtained indicate that traditional fixed housing of sows provides a higher level of reproductive traits during lactation, but free housing improves reproductive performance in subsequent cycles. Thus, the combination of both technologies can be a promising approach to improving the efficiency of industrial pig production, ensuring both productivity and animal welfare.