Physiological and productive responses of environmental control on housed sows

Abstract

Swine housing must promote an adjusted environment for thermal comfort and high animal productivity without negatively affecting the sow performance and reproductive response. This study evaluated the use of distinct environmental cooling equipments on sow performance, both on the gestation and on nursing in open sided housing. Two treatments were tested in the gestation building: natural ventilation and mechanical ventilation associated to fogging; while in the nursing rooms three treatments were tested: natural ventilation; mechanical ventilation; and evaporative cooling with forced ventilation. Sows were randomly chosen from the same genetic lot form six combined treatments. The evaporative cooling system in the farrowing room differed for piglet performances, at birth (4% higher) and on daily weight gain (15% higher), and also for sow physiological response improving the respiratory rate (8%) and back fat thickness (3%), without influencing skin temperature. The use of evaporative cooling directed to the sow head during nursing improved the physiological and productive results. Key words: gestating sows, lactating sows, thermal stress RESPOSTAS FISIOLÓGICAS E PRODUTIVAS DO CONTROLE AMBIENTAL EM FÊMEAS SUÍNAS ALOJADASRESUMO: As instalações suínicolas devem promover um ambiente adequado para o conforto térmico, sem afetar negativamente o desempenho produtivo e reprodutivo das porcas. O presente trabalho avaliou a influência do uso de diferentes equipamentos de climatização, em ambas as instalações abertas de gestação e maternidade, no desempenho das matrizes suínas. Na instalação de gestação foram testados dois tratamentos: ventilação natural e resfriamento; enquanto nas salas de maternidade foram aplicados três tratamentos: ventilação natural, ventilação mecânica e resfriamento adiabático com ventilação forçada. Matrizes escolhidas aleatoriamente, com a mesma genética, foram expostas a seis tratamentos combinados. O sistema de resfriamento adiabático na maternidade foi diferencial para o desempenho dos leitões ao nascer (4% superior) e no ganho de peso diário (15% superior), e também para as respostas fisiológicas das porcas com melhorias nos resultados de freqüência respiratória (8%) e espessura de toucinho (3%). Não houve influência na temperatura de pele dos animais. O uso de resfriamento evaporativo direcionado para a cabeça das porcas na maternidade demonstrou ser um procedimento positivo com melhorias nos resultados fisiológicos e produtivos. Palavras-chave: matrizes suínas gestantes, matrizes suínas em aleitamento, estresse térmico

Evaporative cooling system for gestating and lactating sows: a systematic review

“…The condition was evaluated by means of backfat thickness and/or weight loss percentage during lactation. ROMANINI et al (2008) reported higher backfat thickness in sows submitted to treatment with evaporative cooling. With regard to weight loss, KIEFER et al (2012) observed lower weight loss in sows submitted to cooling (<8%) ( Table 6).…”

“…With the review, it was observed that the feed intake was improved when using the cooling system, agreeing with those of body condition in which the use of cooling allowed smaller losses. ROMANINI et al (2008) demonstrated that sows submitted to forced ventilation or evaporative cooling showed a greater backfat thickness (14.9 mm) relative to natural ventilation (14.5 mm).…”

Use of Different Cooling Methods in Pig Facilities to Alleviate the Effects of Heat Stress—A Review

“…An evaporative-cooling pads system is often used to decrease the air-stream temperature in zone-cooling technology [ 6 , 10 , 64 , 65 ]. Justino et al [ 6 ] used air of velocity above 3 m/s, cooled by an evaporative-pad system, distributed around group of lactating sows (through plastic ducts with holes in it).…”

“…Zone-cooling technology associated with evaporative pads was tested also in terms of improving the performance indicators of sows [ 10 , 64 ]. For example, the effectiveness of the evaporative snout-cooling method with a traditional temperature control system (curtain management) on, among others, piglet body weight has been compared [ 10 ].…”

“…Both the birth and weaning weight of the piglets was higher when sows were kept with cooling technology. In the study of Romanini et al [ 64 ], sows during pregnancy were kept in naturally ventilated rooms (openings in side walls) or in rooms equipped with mechanical ventilation associated with a fogging system. In turn, during the lactation phase, the females were maintained in three types of rooms—naturally ventilated, mechanically ventilated or zone ventilated—with an associated evaporative pad system.…”