CONTENTS

Section Page

J SWINE FACILITIES J.i

J1 SWINE FACILITIES J1.i

Considerations for Location of Buildings and Equipment J1.1

Pasture or Confinement J1.1

Pasture Systems J1.2

Confinement Facilities J1.2

Building a Confinement System J1.2

Space Requirements J1.3

Feeder and Waterer Sizes J1.4

Farrowing Crate Dimensions J1.4

Swine Feed and Water Requirements J1.5

Water Requirements J1.5

Temperature Optimums and Ranges for Confinement Swine J1.6

Body Heat Produced by Confinement Swine and

Available To The Environment J1.6

Daily Per-Head Moisture Production by Swine J1.7

Recommended Per Head Ventilation System Rates for

Confinement Swine J1.7

Supplemental Heat J1.8

Controlling Salt Buildup In Recycling Systems J1.8

Solvents For Magnesium Ammonium Phosphate

Muriatic (HCL) Acid J1.9

J2 HEAT STRESS CONTROL J2.i

Heat Stress Control in Summer J2.1

Ways To Increase Comfort Level J2.1

Enclosed Buildings J2.1

Buildings With Open Sidewalls J2.2

Ventilation - Fans J2.2

Natural Ventilation J2.2

Sprinklers J2.3

Nozzle Sizes For Sprinkler System J2.3

Water Line Sizes For Sprinkler Systems J2.4

Control System For Sprinklers In Swine Buildings J2.4

SWINE FACILITIES

Properly designed facilities coupled with good management can result in increased profits from a swine enterprise. The type of swine facilities used on a particular farm depends on the type of operation, its size, the manager's ability, the amount and type of labor available and the owner's long range objectives.

The following questions should be answered by the operator before planning any swine facilities and equipment.

1. Do you really want to raise hogs?

2. How many hogs do you want to raise and/or feed per year?

3. How many times per year do you want to farrow?

4. How much labor do you have now and expect to have ten years from now?

5. Will manure handling and disposal create problems?

Considerations for Location of Buildings and Equipment

1. FUTURE EXPANSION ‑ Leave room for additional buildings to be conveniently placed for movement of animals, feed, vehicles, and for manure disposal.

2. ACCESS ‑ All‑weather access, convenient to farmstead, but not to general public, near utilities and water source and permit easy movement of pigs from farrowing through market.

3. ODOR CONTROL ‑ Locate downwind from dwelling house and consider neighbor's dwellings. Odors can be objectional for 1/2-mile or more. Consider the possibility of new homes being constructed on adjacent property.

Pasture or Confinement

The degree of mechanization depends largely on the number of pigs raised and available labor. The total cost of production is not significantly influenced by the type of facilities used. Buildings and equipment costs could be only 10‑ to 15‑percent of the total cost. Research shows little difference in the total cost of production between pasture, solid floor, or slatted‑floor facilities. Additional building cost was offset by decreased labor and more efficient production.

Pasture Systems

Pasture systems with portable houses are most practical for small

operators with less than 20 sows; however, very large outside production units can be efficient and profitable. Other considerations are:

1. Requires ample available pasture to allow rotation for disease control.

2. Farrow sows twice per year maximum.

3. Allows the ability to feed out pigs with a minimum investment in buildings.

4. Have all necessary labor to support pasture handling.

5. Small scale production allows evaluation of long term goals for confinement facilities.

Confinement facilities

Confinement facilities are recommended when:

1. Large numbers of pigs are produced.

2. Farrowing is scheduled year‑round.

3. Labor is expensive and in short supply.

4. Quality management is available.

5. Land is expensive and more suited for other purposes.

6. Capital is available to invest in facilities.

Building a Confinement System

Every swine producer should have a plan for his future system even though it may require several years to complete. Some buildings can be remodeled satisfactorily, however, it may be cheaper and more satisfactory to start with new buildings.

First priority should be given to the farrowing facility. Second is the nursery for proper postweaning environment. Then the grower/finishing facility would be next. Feed processing facilities are usually constructed for finishing large numbers of hogs. Usually the last step will be a sow confinement unit for gestation and breeding.

SPACE REQUIREMENTS

PASTURE

10 gestating sows per acre - 500 square feet min. (short term)

25 growing‑finishing pigs per acre - 200 square feet min. (short term)

1/5 to 1/10 acre per boar

SHADE

20 square feet per sow

4 square feet per head to 100 pounds

8 square feet per head over 100 pounds

40 square feet per boar

FLOOR SPACE ‑ BUILDINGS

Gestating sow . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-18 square feet

Boar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40-60 square feet

Sow and litter ‑ farrowing . . . . . . 5 by 7 crate

Pigs: weaning to 20 pounds . . . . 2 square feet

Pigs: 20 to 40 pounds . . . . . . . 3 square feet

Pigs: 40 to 75 pounds . . . . . . . 4 square feet

Pigs: 75 to 150 pounds . . . . . . . 6 square feet

Pigs: 150 to 225 pounds . . . . . . . 8 square feet

FEEDER AND WATERER SIZES

Self‑feeders ‑ 1 hole per 4 pigs

Nursery - 1 hole per 2 - 3 pigs.

Free‑choice supplement feeders ‑ 1 hole per 2 - 3 pigs

Sow feeding stalls ‑ 18 or 20 inches wide and 4 - 6 feet long

Automatic waterers ‑ 1 cup or nipple per 20 to 25 pigs

- 1 cup or nipple per 8 to 10 pigs in summer.

FARROWING CRATE DIMENSIONS

Overall dimensions ‑ 5 to 5-1/2 feet wide,

- 7 to 7-1/2 feet long, 3 to 3-1/2 feet high

Sow area ‑ 22 to 24 inches wide, 7 to 7-1/2 feet long

Creep area ‑ 18 to 20 inches wide, 7 to 7-1/2 feet long

Crate siderails ‑ 12 inches from the floor

Creep partitions ‑ 12 to 18 inches high

Note: Use of commercial farrowing crates suggested.

Table J1.1: Swine Feed and Water Requirements*

Pounds of Feed Method Water Requirements

Per Day of Feeding (gal/day)

Gestating sow 3 ‑ 5 Limit feeding 1 - 1-1/2

Lactating sow 12 ‑ 15 Full feeding 4 - 5-1/2

Growing pigs ‑

10 pounds 0.8 Creep feeding 1/5 - 1/4

25 pounds 2.0 Full feeding 1/2 - 3/4

50 pounds 3.2 Full feeding 3/4 - 1

100 pounds 5.3 Full feeding 1-1/4 - 1-1/2

150 pounds 6.8 Full feeding 1-1/2 - 2

200 pounds 8.0 Full feeding 2 - 2-1/2

* Data in this table not to be used as feeding recommendation.

WATER REQUIREMENTS

A common rule of thumb, hogs will drink about two times as much as they eat. (Water weighs 8.3 lb./gal) Hot weather will increase water consumption. Water for cleaning and sprinklers may double water use per pig. A lactating sow will drink about three times the amount of feed consumed.

Table J1.2: Temperature Optimums and Ranges for Confinement Swine

Temperature (^oF)

Type of Animal Optimum Range

Swine

Lactating sow 60 50 - 70

Litter, newborn 95 90 - 100

Litter, 3 weeks 80 75 - 85

Pre-nursery pigs, 12-30 lbs. 80 75 - 85

Nursery pigs, 30-75 lbs. 75 70 - 80

Growing-finishing hogs 60 50 - 70

Gestation sow and boar 60 50 - 70

Table J1.3: Body Heat Produced by Confinement Swine and Available To The Environment

═══════════════════════════════════════════

Surrounding Heat

Type of Animal Temperature Produced

───────────────────────────────────────────

^oF BTUs/hr

Sow and litter 60 1200

Sow and litter 70 1100

Pre-nursery pig, 12-30 lbs. 80 75

Nursery pig, 30-75 lbs. 75 125

Growing pig, 75-150 lbs. 60 250

Finishing hog, 150-220 lbs. 60 350

Gestating sow, 325 lbs. 60 550

Boar, 400 lbs. 60 700

───────────────────────────────────────────

Table J1.4: Daily Per-Head Moisture Production by Swine

Moisture produced if facility is

Building Solid Partly Totally

Type of Animal temp. Floor Slotted Slotted

^oF lbs./head/day

Swine

Sow and litter, 3 wks. 70 19 16 9.5

Pre-nursery pig, 12-20 lbs. 80 3.2 2.7 1.6

Nursery pig, 30-75 lbs. 75 3.8 3.2 1.9

Growing pig, 75-150 lbs. 60 4.2 3.6 2.1

Finishing pig, 150-220 lbs. 60 4.8 4.1 2.4

Gestating sow and boar 60 6.0 5.1 3.0

Table J1.5: Recommended Per-Head Ventilation System Rates for Confinement Swine

Cold Weather Rates

Minimum

Moisture Control* on- Mild Hot

Fully Partly Solid Odor Weather Weather

Type of Animal or Facility Slotted Slotted Floor Control Rates Rates

Swine

Sow and litter, 3 wks. 10 17 20 35 80 500

Pre-nursery pig (12-30 lbs) 1.0 1.6 2 3.5 10 25

Nursery pig (35-75 lbs.) 1.5 2.5 3 5 15 35

Growing pig (75-150 lbs.) 3.5 5.5 7 10 24 75

Finishing hog (150-220 lbs.) 5 8 10 18 35 120

Gestating sow (325 lbs.) 6 10 12 20 40 150

Boar (400 lbs.) 7 12 14 24 50 180

──────────────────────────────────────────

Fan should be rated at 1/8 inch static pressure

SUPPLEMENTAL HEAT

Supplemental heat is necessary for small pigs. Farrowing houses can be whole room heated, use heat lamps, electric mats, or hot water floor heat. If pigs are farrowed on total slats, a space heater should be used to maintain a temperature of 70 to 75 degrees in the farrowing house, or provide pig hovers and solid floor mats.

Nursery buildings are usually heated with space heaters or infrared heaters. Before pigs are weaned and moved, the temperature should be gradually adjusted to the temperature of their new facility to reduce stress during the move.

Controlling Salt Buildup In Recycling Systems

Recommendations to reduce the salt buildup on a recycling liquid system:

1. Electric pump housing positively grounded to prevent an electrostatic charge on the metallic pumping system. Even if grounded through the electrical system, ground the pump by attaching a cable to the pump housing and to a driven ground rod into a damp soil.

2. Pump suction line large enough to prevent the pump from cavitating. The suction line should be one size larger than the discharge line from the pump. Locate the pump close to the high water level of the lagoon to minimize suction lift.

3. If the pump does not run continuously, design the system to allow pipes to drain between flushes.

4. Use a pipe from the lagoon to the tanks with a minimum diameter of 1-1/2 inches but preferably 2 inches in diameter. The problems are not nearly as great in the larger lines.

5. Minimize right angle turns in the lines and reduce any obstructions which cause turbulence in water flow. Low rpm, high volume pump systems seems to have fewer problems.

Table J1.6: Solvents For Magnesium Ammonium Phosphate Muriatic (HCL) Acid

Recommended Dilution Ratio

Normality %HCL Parts Acid Parts Water

12 (conc) 36.5 1 23

11 33.5 1 21

10 30.4 1 19

9 27.4 1 17

8 24.3 1 15

7 21.3 1 13

6.6 20.0 1 12

Heat Stress Control In Summer*

Building orientation can significantly affect radiation heat gain. Orientation cannot be changed for existing buildings, but new buildings should be oriented with the long axis east-west. With approximately 2 feet of roof overhang, direct solar radiation is almost eliminated except on end walls.

Another basic construction component is adequate insulation. Insulation resists the flow of heat when installed to meet design recommendations for the locale, summer heat gain is greatly impaired. The heat gain from a typical attic is 2.6 BTU/hr-ft² with a ceiling "R" value of 10, but if the "R" value of the ceiling is 20, a typical recommendation in many areas, the heat gain is reduced to 1.3 BTU/hr-ft². With approximately 60 square feet of ceiling per sow and litter in a farrowing house, the heat gain is 78 to 156 BTU/hr per sow and litter, depending upon the level of insulation which means an additional ventilation requirement of 78 to 156 cfm per sow and litter.

Ways To Increase Comfort Level

Enclosed Buildings

1. Follow good construction practices and insulate adequately.

2. Orient buildings properly.

3. Obtain assistance in designing the ventilation system.

a. provide ample fan capacity

b. locate and size air inlets

c. centrally locate controls for each fan

d. install manometer to aid in controlling air inlet

e. maintain static pressure between 0.06 and 0.1 inches of water

4. Wet walls and aisles during extremely stressful periods to increase evaporative cooling.

5. Wet heads of sows suffering from heat stress. Use drip cooling.

6. Increase air velocity over animals to promote convective and evaporative cooling.

The objective is to keep the inside temperature of a building within 1^oF to 2^oF of the outside temperature. The only way to maintain an inside temperature significantly lower than outside temperature is with mechanical air conditioning, which is expensive, or by evaporative cooling.

Buildings With Open Sidewalls

Buildings with open sidewalls should be designed to take advantage of natural ventilation. However, adequate natural ventilation is not always available or sufficient. Air velocity becomes more of a factor in summer cooling as the ambient temperature approaches the body temperature of hogs. A velocity of 300 feet per minute or approximately 3-1/2 miles per hour is preferred, but this does not always occur. Because the hogs in confinement are at high densities, mechanical ventilation can be helpful in dissipating body heat.

Ventilation - Fans

Fans may be suspended throughout a building to provide air movement directly on and near the hogs. Fans should not be spaced more than 20 fan diameters apart. Example: If 24-inch fans are used, their spacing should not exceed 40 feet.

Casablanca fans can provide summer air movement. They are low in initial cost, have low power requirements, and many are variable speed. These fans are mounted with the blades parallel to the floor and the spacing between these fans should not exceed 25 feet.

Natural Ventilation

Research shows an open ridge provides approximately 40 cfm per square foot. In a 36-foot wide building, there are four market hogs per foot of length. If each of these hogs requires 100 cfm to 150 cfm, then typical ridge ventilators are woefully inadequate.

Trees and other buildings can affect natural ventilation. Ideally, the distance between a building and trees should be 10 times the height of the trees. The distance between buildings should be 0.4 height of building times the square root of the building length. Example: Buildings 200 feet long with ridge heights of 16 feet should be spaced 90.5 feet apart:

Spacing = 0.4 H √ Length

= 0.4 (16) √200

= 0.4 (16) (14.1)

= 90.5 feet

Obviously the optimum spacing of buildings is often not practiced for many reasons. It should also be evident that because of this factor, hog density, building design, building width, and natural air movement that other means of providing hog comfort should be investigated.

The ratio of building width to sidewall opening should not be more than 3 to 1. Example: A house with a 6-foot sidewall curtain on each side should not be wider than 36 feet.

Sprinklers

Sprinklers are an effective method of cooling and are generally recommended for market hogs, boars and sows. Evaporative efficiency increases with air movement.

Table J2.1 shows the water requirements and nozzle sizes for a sprinkler system and Table J2.2 lists the pipe sizes for different flow rates.

Table J2.1: Nozzle Sizes For Sprinkler System

Nozzle Sizes

Water Requirements Operating Operating

Pigs per Pen (gal/hr) 2 min/10 min 1 min/30 min

gal/min gal/hr gal/min gal/hr

10 0.2 0.017 1 0.10 6

20 0.4 0.033 2 0.20 12

30 0.6 0.050 3 0.30 18

Table J2.2: Water Line Sizes For Sprinkler Systems

Pipe Size,

ID Class 160 PVC Class 200 PVC Schedule 40 Schedule 80

3/4" 7 gpm 6 gpm 4.5 gpm 3.5 gpm

1" 13 gpm 13 gpm 9 gpm 7 gpm

1-1/4" 25 gpm 23 gpm 18 gpm 15 gpm

1-1/2" 35 gpm 32 gpm 28 gpm 23 gpm

2" 55 gpm 55 gpm 50 gpm 45 gpm

2-1/2" 85 gpm 80 gpm 70 gpm 65 gpm

* Maximum pressure drop of 2 psi per 100 ft. or velocity less than 5 feet per second.

Sprinklers are energized when the temperature reaches the thermostat setting, usually 80^oF to 85^oF, and the interval timer controls the frequency and period of sprinkler operation. The intermittent operation of sprinklers allows wetting of the skin and then during the off cycle the heat from the pig evaporates the moisture resulting in a loss of body heat from the pig. Figure J2.1 shows a schematic diagram of the controls for a sprinkler system.

Sediment and foreign material create problems with the low volume nozzles. A line strainer with a replaceable cartridge filter is an important part of the system.

Figure J2.1. Control System For Sprinklers In Swine Buildings