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Effects of Sow-Crate Design on Health and Performance of Sows and Piglets¹

University of Illinois, Urbana 61801

Abstract

The effects of sow-crate design on certain health and performance traits of 211 sows and their piglets were evaluated with a 2 x 2 x 4 factorial arrangement of crate width (narrow [N = 55 cm] or wide [W = 64] between lowest horizontal pipes), length (short [S = 183 cm] or long [L = 198] from rump stop to front gate) and side type (lower side of sow crate "fingered" [F], "bowed" bottom bar-marking the sow zone 19.3 cm wider at the bottom-20 cm above the floor [B], or straight bottom bar 20 cm [S20] or 25 cm above the floor [S25]). Between d 107 to 110 postcoitum and d 21 postpartum, no crate design variable affected the sow's body-weight change, but side type tended to affect the most prominent head-neck and leg integumentary lesions. Number of stillborn piglets/litter was greater with W crates than with N, except with crates having S20 sides, and was greater with L crates than with S. More piglets were crushed to death in W crates than N crates, and stillbirth frequency was greater in L crates than in S, but overall preweaning piglet mortality was affected by no crate-design feature. At both 7 and 21 d of age, piglets' knee lesions were most severe with S20 crates and least with S25, whereas face-lesion score was unaffected by crate design. Piglet body weight at age 21 d was least with S20 crates and greatest with F and S25. No crate-design variable affected within-litter variation in piglet growth rate. Sow-crate design affected important health and performance traits of piglets through postnatal d 21.

¹ This research was supported in part by National Pork Producers Council, Humane Information Services, Inc. and Illinois Agric. Exp. Sta.

² Anim. Sci. Dept. Address reprint requests to: 126 Animal Sciences Lab., 1206 W. Gregory Dr., Urbana, IL 61801.

³ Vet. Clin. Med. Dept.

⁴ Agric. Eng. Dept.

⁵ Agric. Econ. Dept.

⁶ Assistance of T. F. Park, R. A. Gilbert and R. C. Wischover and advice of J. Simon, Vet. Pathobiol. Dept., are gratefully acknowledged. Graphic materials were produced by W. R. Pickett, Agric. Eng. Dept., and T. Odenweller, Off. Agric. Comm. Ext. Educ.

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