sow stall

monica

Study questions sow stall effectiveness

母豬欄的有效利用研究

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.

愛荷華州大學研究發現，把妊娠母豬大群飼養（鐵環圈起來的豬舍里）可以更有效利用豬舍，生產性能與把每只母豬單獨放在豬欄里沒有區別。

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.

這項研究是在愛荷華州西南的一個農場進行的，歷時2.5年，對照組放養在單獨豬欄里，試驗組大群放養，墊料為稻草。

More live pigs 更多窩產活仔數

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.

通過對353頭母豬957窩豬的跟蹤，研究者發現，大群飼養的母豬窩產活仔數更多。

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.

他們同時發現，大群飼養母豬，在斷奶時可節約11%的費用。

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.

研究者認為，大群飼養的母豬，由于墊料以及母豬擠在一起的原因，所以可以控制本身的體溫，從而提高了生產性能。