There is no doubt that pig breeding is a very profitable business, which attracts modern farmers, but this business is very troublesome and costly in all respects. It is important not to miss anything, because there are no trifles in pig breeding technology. The most important thing is to equip and improve the life of the pigs. In this matter, there are a lot of nuances that come down to such a triad – safety, warmth, cleanliness.
Comfortable conditions in the pigsty
Gender Requirements
Pigs love dry, clean and warm rooms for their living, where they will be comfortable in every way. What will serve as a guarantee of their rapid weight gain. This is exactly what you should think about when building housing for pigs.
The floor in the pigsty deserves special attention, since the pigs sleep here, and this requires cleanliness and warmth. And of course, in order to provide them with comfortable living conditions, you need to take care of the issue of the convenience of manure cleaning, cleaning and disinfection of the hangar for raising livestock.
There are special technical conditions for the quality of the floor:
- it must be wear-resistant, and hence its durability in operation;
- the floor must comply with the conditions for the safety of animals.
The width of the gaps in the floor can vary from 10 mm to 20 mm, otherwise the hooves of piglets will fall into large gaps, and adults can cling to them and get injured. The length of such slots can be no more than 15 cm.
It is desirable to have a lower level, since urine and feces of animals will accumulate in it. Its appropriate height is 60 cm.
Most often, this is a container with a slope, since the waste must drain on its own. It is made from any slightly hygroscopic material that does not absorb odors, so as not to burden cleaning and disinfection.
Stacking technology
There are two flooring technologies for pigs: slotted and solid.
Peculiarity! In a small private building for raising one or two piglets for meat, they usually do not excel and make a solid floor of concrete or wood.
On modern pig farms, a self-alloying manure removal system is equipped, which involves the presence of a slotted floor covering. This design is also suitable for a home mini-pig farm.
Slotted flooring
Slatted floor device
Pigs, contrary to popular belief, are clean and smart animals, so they get used to defecate in a certain place very easily and quickly. Therefore, slatted floors will be ideal for these animals. Their essence is as follows: these double floors are assembled, as it were, from two parts. The lower part is like a concrete trough with a slope towards the ditch, and the upper part is slatted floors. Slots may not be located over the entire floor area, but only in one particular place.
Slotted floors can be concrete, metal or plastic. The last two options are applicable for young animals – they come with roughness and ribbing to protect against injury, and the gaps in them are very small so that the hooves of the kids do not fall into the holes. Serially produced concrete slotted floors have small slots and wide bridges between them – this minimizes injuries.
A great advantage of the slatted floor design is the simplicity and ease of cleaning and maintenance. In order to save money, sometimes a slatted floor is made of thick boards, but this option is a bad idea, as the pigs can catch on the cracks and twist the boards.
Advantages of slotted coating
The most effective flooring technology for pig farms is currently considered to be a slotted flooring system.
Such a coating is the most suitable option for manure removal compared to a solid floor. This also applies to large industrial enterprises, where manure cleaning would require an unimaginable number of workers. And private farms, numbering more than 30 heads of livestock, for which there would not be enough forces to clean up waste products manually.
Such a coating is a well-coordinated structure through which an independent manure intake is carried out. This is the optimal solution for the comfortable keeping of cattle and pigs.
Important! The slatted floor is an advanced engineering solution, which is a two-level system.
The material for the manufacture of such a floor is selected depending on the final destination.
Slatted concrete slabs
Slotted coating has significant advantages:
- Much less energy is spent on maintaining a full-fledged standard of living for a pet. The percentage of colds and intestinal diseases decreases several times, the time of their course is reduced.
- The amount of gain per day is growing.
- For your own household, you can independently organize a similar floor system.
- Thanks to the slotted coating, electricity consumption is reduced by almost 2 times.
- Water spent on cleaning work is required almost 5 times less than with a solid floor system.
- The subtleties of the structure of a continuous coating.
To simplify the process of cleaning the floor, a groove is made along the perimeter of the walls of the pig pens, and the flooring is made with a slope towards this groove. It is built of brick and plastered. The groove itself flows into a collection tank where pig excrement accumulates. For normal outflow, the groove must also have a slope. The collected masses are either taken out by special machines, or pumped into pits for decay and fermentation, and then it all goes to fertilize the soil.
Types
Several types of floors are used.
Concrete
One of the most popular options for flooring in a pigsty is concrete. What are its advantages:
- Does not absorb any foreign odors.
- Concrete is an extremely stable material, the service life of such flooring reaches at least 15 years, which once again emphasizes its durability.
- Easy to clean and easy to clean.
- The flooring is not afraid of high humidity.
- He does not care about large loads, wild boars weighing more than two centners can live on this coating quite calmly (given that the maximum allowable load is 600 kg / sq. M.).
There are also disadvantages of this flooring option:
- It takes almost a month for the material to harden, and for this significant period of time the pigs need to be attached somewhere. If in the summer period you can get by with a summer paddock, then at other times of the year the situation is considered a dead end.
- The main “fly in the ointment” of such a coating: concrete is too cold material for young pigs. Additional energy is spent on warming the body, therefore, individuals gain mass more slowly. If the animals are kept there in the summer – for slaughter, such flooring is acceptable. Otherwise, it needs an additional layer of insulation or heating as electric or water heating.
Important! Concrete flooring is a great solution for a large farm, but if you do not raise pigs on an industrial scale, it is better to choose a different flooring system. For the sake of 3-5 goals, there is no need to start such an event.
It is difficult to make such floors on your own. This is a rather laborious process that requires serious financial investments. It is much more efficient to buy ready-made concrete slabs, and organizing their installation will not be difficult.
Concrete floor
Plastic
Plastic floor panels are a relatively new trend in agricultural flooring.
Pig farmers were quick to appreciate its strengths:
- Enough firms that are engaged in the production of panels.
- Very affordable price range.
- Quick easy installation.
- Convenient material handling, panel compactness and slip resistance.
- For the manufacture of plastic coating, high-tech polypropylene is used, the service life of which can reach 15-20 years. The floors do not require special maintenance.
- The low thermal conductivity of materials and hygroscopicity ensures the preservation of heat by the floor. Such flooring guarantees comfortable living conditions for pigs.
- Easy to clean. Does not absorb any foreign odors.
The disadvantages of the floor include:
- Designed for medium weight categories. For adult heavy boars, such flooring is not suitable, it simply cannot withstand heavy loads.
- Low environmental friendliness of the material. Plastic panels have a more artificial composition.
Peculiarity! Plastic floors are the ideal solution for keeping growing pigs and suckling pigs. This type of coating is almost impossible to design on your own, without special professional equipment.
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For this type of floor, a metal or cast iron alloy is used. Metal for flooring in a pigsty is a rare case, although it has a right to exist. Especially if it is not possible to use another floor design system.
The coating has significant advantages that should be noted:
- high resistance to any damage and stress;
- the material is not able to absorb moisture or odors;
- convenient cleaning of the flooring;
The main disadvantage of such a coating is that it will almost always go cold. Therefore, an additional thermal insulation layer and a good heating system in the pigsty are required.
Although there are times when a cold coating is only in the hands of pets. For example, lactating gilts, who often have an elevated body temperature, such a floor will provide the necessary coolness. That will facilitate the condition of the female during lactation and calm the psyche of the animal.
But this is allowed only where the sow is located; for the babies themselves, a separate place with a warm floor should be equipped. The combination of an iron floor and plastic insulation on top will be optimal. Craftsmen can weld a metal frame on their own, with only some skills and the necessary tools. And then attach the plastic pallet.
Combined floors
They are often equipped by experienced farmers. On the main territory, it is appropriate to equip concrete ones, and install slotted ones in the “toilet” zone. Concrete floors towards the gutter should be sloped.
Combined version
Smooth concrete floors
They have certain advantages:
- do not absorb foreign aromas and liquid substances;
- cleaned without problems.
Minus – high thermal conductivity (plank shields or a multi-layer structure can correct the situation).
Wooden floors
Advantages:
- warm
- do not slip.
Cons:
- wooden boards instantly swell and collapse;
- absorb all flavors, especially waste products.
Earth floor (temporary)
Has many disadvantages:
- the soil is cold;
- over time, a mix of earth and manure is formed;
- absorbs urine;
- difficult to clean.
In the soil, pigs can easily dig and run away.
asphalt pavement
Advantages of this option:
- reliable;
- warm;
- not sliding.
Minus – porous, mud masses are difficult to wash out of it.
Concrete poured brick
Some solid pluses, but it turns out costly for the price. Wealthy farmers can afford to have heated floors in pigsties, heated by electric cables or water heating.
Tools and materials
If you decide to make the floors yourself, you need to use certain tools and choose the right materials. If you have certain theoretical knowledge and practical skills, it will not be difficult to implement the idea.
Tools for work
Tool
- Welding machine – needed to fasten individual metal structures together.
- Bulgarian – to cut holes and electric scissors – in galvanized sheets for draining excrement, as well as for cutting sheets of the desired size.
- Roulette – for taking measurements.
Materials
- Ruberoid – needed as a waterproofing material.
- Work clothes – respirator, gloves, protective suit, comfortable shoes.
- Concrete mix – serves for pouring the foundation, or for smearing manure collectors insulated from moisture in the finished floor.
- Boards – for construction formwork during the construction of the foundation and manure receivers.
- Reinforcement – is necessary when assembling the foundation and strengthening its walls.
Coating materials differ in their diversity.
To provide pets with a decent existence, farmers need to carefully consider every element when building a home for pigs. It is worth immediately deciding on the ultimate goals, what scale the livestock farm will have, what financial opportunities the future owner has.
Designing a floor in a pigsty is an important point, a careful approach to which guarantees the health and full development of animals. And the question of which type of coverage to choose always remains with the owner of the pig farm.
