Pens for slaughter pigs have, in principle, looked the same since the 1960s. Developing and modernising how slaughter pigs are raised is important for sustainable Swedish pig production. One way is to keep pigs in larger groups of 100 to 400 pigs, rather than the normal 12 to 14 pigs in a pen. The main benefit is that the pigs will have a larger area to move around in. The researchers in the project “Innovative pen systems for large groups of slaughter pigs – success factors and pitfalls” are Rebecka Westin, Jenny Yngvesson and Elin Karlsson from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, and Carl-Johan Ehlorsson, livestock vet at Gård & Djurhälsan. The aim is to increase knowledge of pigs in large groups and to contribute to producing new guidelines on how best to design and build new pens. The research group also wants to find out the best design for a feeding system and the optimal group size for pigs. The project will start with an inventory of alternative pen systems in Sweden and Denmark. These are often solutions developed by creative pig farmers. The inventory will be a type of reference for the potential that exists. In a second phase of the project, researchers will look in more detail at around ten farms that have a new type of pen system, with auto-sorting scales.

...pigs are in large groups with access to different areas for feeding, resting, activity and manure.

In these, the pigs are in large groups with access to different areas for feeding, resting, activity and manure. Using new technology, the pigs are weighed as they move to the feeding area. Depending on their weight, they are directed through gates to the feed station that is most suitable for them. The research group will collect production data from the farms, evaluate the animals’ health and investigate how their behaviour is affected by living in larger groups. “We want to try to evaluate which group size works best. The pigs have to be happy,” says Elin Karlsson, one of the researchers.

We want to try to evaluate which group size works best. The pigs have to be happy.

There are many factors that need investigating with these new types of pen systems, including hygiene, health, production efficiency, how the pigs are managed and how to train them to go through the gates. The project will be presented in the summer of 2023.

Text: Kerstin Sigridson, Lantmännen R&D
Photo: Elin Karlsson, SLU