sow stall

monica

Study questions sow stall effectiveness

母猪栏的有效利用研究

A study by researchers at Iowa State University found that placing pregnant sows in group housing structures (hoop barns) could be more cost-effective and just as productive as placing them in sow stalls.

爱荷华州大学研究发现，把妊娠母猪大群饲养（铁环圈起来的猪舍里）可以更有效利用猪舍，生产性能与把每只母猪单独放在猪栏里没有区别。

The study, conducted for 2.5 years at a research farm in South West Iowa, compared sows housed in stalls to those housed in naturally ventilated hoop barns with straw bedding.

这项研究是在爱荷华州西南的一个农场进行的，历时2.5年，对照组放养在单独猪栏里，试验组大群放养，垫料为稻草。

More live pigs 更多窝产活仔数

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

通过对353头母猪957窝猪的跟踪，研究者发现，大群饲养的母猪窝产活仔数更多。

They also found that group housing may produce hogs at a cost of as much as 11% less per weaned animal than the sow stalls.

他们同时发现，大群饲养母猪，在断奶时可节约11%的费用。

Hypothesis
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.

研究者认为，大群饲养的母猪，由于垫料以及母猪挤在一起的原因，所以可以控制本身的体温，从而提高了生产性能。