Successful breeding is key to a strong bottom line; it's a simple fact.
But what isn't so simple is efficiently executing that successful breeding.
We're here to tell you why the utilization of boar pens can affect your success rates and therefore
directly impact your bottom line.
It's vital for producers to know if their sows are pregnant or returning to estrus (in heat). The faster
and more accurate that determination can be made, the more profitable the producers will be.
Traditional gestation stalls require workers to walk a boar in order to see if sows are open, and
following that, pregnancy checks are often still needed.
But housing isn't the only issue. Even after switching to group housing, some producers still struggle
with their systems for identifying sows in heat.
Utilizing boar pens is a natural, efficient, and effective way to detect heat.
The boar pen is located centrally within each ESF pen so sows will be guaranteed to walk past
multiple times per day. The pens are equipped with Nedap's Sow Heat Detection add-on, which
tracks the frequency and length of time sows visit the boar pen.
The system will bring sows to your attention in the software and can also paint them for visual
identification in the pen. Producers can then choose to manually separate the marked sows or use
the built-in central separation system.
By using boar pens—essentially allowing the sows to indicate their heat levels to you rather than
actively gathering the information from them—producers can save time and money that they would
have spent on staffing and pregnancy checks.
In addition to the marking and separating capabilities, the boar pen system allows producers to more
successfully practice post-insemination reentry rather than post-implantation reentry.
With the heat detection, barn managers can know they are catching the sows returning in heat without having to
hold them in gestation stalls for 4-5 weeks after breeding.
It's the most natural option we have, as producers. But don't take our word for it, hear from these producers who have virtually eliminated pregnancy checks.
For more videos from our World Pork Expo open sow housing panel, click below!