Blog - Studies

Climate control in gestation sheds is essential to improve the health, well-being and productivity of animals.

Rotecna's electric plate consumes between 14% and 23% less energy than other models made of stainless steel-coated polymer.

Albert Pijuan, in his degree thesis, evaluates what effects the frequency of feed administration can have at the production level in sows and piglets. 

Improving feed intake with Dositronic M on a farm in Hungary had a positive effect on milk production, with more balanced litters and fewer deaths.

Different studies have shown that farrowing cages negatively influence the sows' physiology and delivery behaviour.

In the farm where it has been decided to work with the Dositronic M system in prepartum, it has been possible to reduce stillbirths by 0.4, after five months of use.

It is not accurate to give mortality rates of live births at weaning of about 15% or more.

Electronic feeding offers the farmer a set of options to configure a strategy according to the needs of each of his animals.

The presence of dust inside farms poses a threat to the health of animals, so it is necessary to implement solutions to the problem.

The sows must feed a large litter that requires the best nutritional contribution to develop its full growth potential.

In November 2020, the 'Guide to minimising gas emissions on swine farms' was published.

An electro-valve to offer water depending on the feed dispensed and an at-will water supply system outside the feeder are an excellent option.

The intake pattern affects both the total feed intake and the mobilisation of reserves of lactating sows.  

In the regular job of a fattening keeper, both physical and mental tasks must be performed.

Redirected behaviors: normal behaviors and movements that are directed towards a stimulus that is not normal.

We can achieve a reduction of 40-50% in nitrogen and 25% in phosphorus through feed.

The inclusion of a nest in the weaning pens reduces these shortcomings because it allows us to create a thermal comfort space, free from draughts and with the ideal temperature for the piglets to grow satisfactorily.

The intake of electrolysed water has interesting effects on animal health, such as improvements in intestinal problems and reduced mortality, among others.

The transition diet must always be gradual and gentle, to facilitate the difficulty in adapting and the development of the digestive and immune systems. Changing from milk, whose energy and protein values are of great biological value, to feed in which carbohydrates are the main source of energy, is by no means an easy task.

The objective of applying creep feeding techniques (supplementing the food of suckling piglets with feed), is to get them to start eating solid feed as soon as possible. This will produce more homogeneous piglets with higher weights, and most important, that can better adapt to the delicate weaning phase.

The impact of climate change is accentuated and threatens to mortgage the health of children. Every day we are increasingly aware of the importance of taking steps to conserve and improve the environment. We only have one planet and we must guarantee that future generations can live on it.

The Spanish pig farming sector is probably one of the most relevant in the national and international market, due to the quality and variety of its products, and the important benefits it brings. Nonetheless, pig farming must face different threats and challenges. Carlos Sánchez, veterinarian of the Animal Health Prevention Service of the Generalitat de Catalunya, tells us about these challenges and threats.

Nests permit the establishment of a comfortable area that ensures the well-being of the piglets while also creating a space that makes it easier for the operators to tend to the newborn.

The comparative analyses between the initial slurry compared to the liquid and solid phases segregated during the operation analysed, show the advantages offered by mechanical separation as it improves the application and fertilising qualities of the slurry. Besides, it has economic benefits that make the separator an excellent investment.

The Feeding Ball, a simple and effective mechanism to minimise the loss of fitness during lactation

To use pig slurry as fertiliser, we must know its nutritional composition, the value and fertiliser efficiency of each of them, the specific needs of each crop in each of its growth phases and its productivity per hectare. This will allow us to calculate the dose and application period to adjust the supply of nutrients to their extraction, after which, we must use an application method to ensure a homogeneous distribution.

One aspect that contributes to the improvement of animal health and decreases environmental impact is the materials that are used inside the farm. This comparative study will demonstrate how polypropylene panels decrease the consumption of cleaning water by 46.5%, and therefore also production of pig manure, in comparison to concrete panels; require 21.5% less time for cleaning and, most importantly, carry a much lower microbiological burden once cleaned and disinfected.

Feeding plays a very important role in the period between the day sows are weaned and when they start breeding. That's why experts recommend ad-libitum feeding (known as flushing), to achieve good follicular development, which will produce a greater quantity and quality of oocytes and will obtain more numerous and more homogeneous litters. A possible solution is to use the Feeding Ball as a mechanism for individual and ad libitum feeding in this phase.

The use of the Rotecna Ni-2 in farrowing provides piglets with the perfect environment all year round. This ensures that the generated calories are concentrated in a limited space for the piglets, without the need to increase the ambient temperature in the barn. This method creates energy savings in heating of between 30% and 40%, depending on how farrowing pens are organised.