May 15, 2007

Iowa researchers question effectiveness on sow stalls

Placing pregnant sows in group housing structures (hoop barns) could be more cost-effective and just as productive as placing them in sow stalls or gestation crates, according to researchers from the Iowa State University.

The study which has been conducted two-and-a-half years at a research farm in South West Iowa has compared sows housed in stalls to those who live in naturally ventilated hoop barns with straw bedding.

After tracking 957 litters from 353 sows, the researchers found out that sows in the hoop barns gave birth to more live pigs per litter than those in gestation stalls.

They also found that group housing may breed hogs at a cost of as much as 11 percent less per weaned animal than the gestation crates.

The scientists suggested that the bedding and the sows' ability to huddle in the hoop barns, thus controlling their temperature, could have added to their performance.

The use of sow stalls is a contemporary trend in the US, as several states have already banned this practice. In addition, companies like Smithfield and Maple Leaf have said they will phase out the use of gestation crates within the next decade.