Richard Smith, former production manager at Bedfordia Livestock, told producers at our 2TS Focus on Finishing conferences about what they had done and learned while building a new finisher unit.
Here are some key considerations he discussed for other producers thinking about updating or building new finisher pig accommodation.
- They allowed 10 metres between each building to help facilitate good ventilation and installed automatically controlled natural ventilation (ACNV)
- They chose fully-slatted plastic flooring for the ‘stage one’ and ‘stage two’ finisher pens but, with hindsight, would now put concrete slats in the ‘stage two’ pens for pigs of 35kg upwards
- Consider feeding liquid co-products
- Their liquid feeding system has probes to monitor feed usage and help keep it flowing and fresh
- Operate an ‘all in, all out’ system
- Plan pig flow well in advance with enough pig places to allow for genetic improvement in the breeding herd.
Go to www.bpex.org.uk/news/events/focusonfinishing to view Richard’s full presentation.
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