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The Physical Space Requirement of the Sow¹

University of Illinois, Urbana 61801

Abstract

The static and dynamic physical space requirements of the sow on d 107 to 110 postcoitum ("prepartum") and d 21 postpartum ("postpartum"), respectively, were estimated to a first approximation using data from measurements of body dimensions made on a sample of 208 sows (all but four were Duroc-, Hampshire- or Landrace-sired subjects, mostly crossbred but some purebred) and employing the Baxter-Schwaller factors for transforming a sow's static physical space requirement to her dynamic physical space requirement. The sow's body weights ranged from 161.4 to 343.2 kg (95th-percentile animal's weight = 304.5) prepartum, and from 145.5 to 331.8 kg (290.3) postpartum. No body dimension differed significantly among sire breed groups. From allometric equations and their respective residual errors it was calculated that the 95th-percentile static physical space requirement of a 250-kg sow is 178.3 cm long (postpartum value [cm] = 40.82 W^.267), 46.5 cm wide (prepartum value for breadth at the shoulders [cm] = 9.59 W^.286) and 99.0 cm high (postpartum value [cm] = 31.92 W^.205); the dynamic physical space requirement (after the Baxter-Schwaller transformation) of the same sow is an estimated 220.3 cm long, 86.4 cm wide and 99.0 cm high. Crates in gestation and farrowing units in the U.S. commonly give the sow a space 200 cm long, 60 cm wide and 100 cm high. A sow's space requirement may be affected by behavioral needs, too. The further consideration of the design of gestation and farrowing environments for sows is encouraged by these findings.

¹ Supported in part by the National Pork Producers Council and the Illinois Agric. Exp. Sta. Advice on statistical analysis by R. D. Shanks and R. L. Fernando is gratefully acknowledged.

² Anim. Sci. Dept. Address reprint requests to: 126 Anim. Sci. Lab., 1207 W. Gregory Dr., Urbana, IL 61801.

³ Agric. Eng. Dept.

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