You are right yabby - more and more farms are going to eco shelters and deep litter bedding. If some genius would come up with ways to convert existing pig sheds so they could be operated in this manner, I think a lot more farmers would convert to this more humane method of production.

No business is going to abandon sheds that could be worth millions and put their pigs out in the paddock. Give them a solution and things may change quickly. Instead of building new stalls to meet the new code, convert the sheds to group accomodation and deep litter bedding. Something for APL to invest in?

It works here because we had very shallow pits under the floors. We just pulled up the grating and filled it with straw.

Effluent (poo, urine & water) from intensive farms is very hard to manage and when sprayed out on pastures often does more damage than good because of the high nitrate content. Manure mixed with straw bedding starts composting in the sheds. If its done right, there is hardly even any odour from the pigs. Sure its harder to take out than liquid effluent, but the compost made from it is very benificial to the soil, unlike the liquid effluent.

Another huge benefit is the conservation of water. Not just what the compost does for the soil, but we no longer rely on 'flush tanks' to clean out under the pigs. Intensive piggeries uses massive amounts of water.

"No business is going to abandon sheds that could be worth millions and put their pigs out in the paddock"

Well funnily enough, thats exactly what these people did, which
surprised me at the time. But as they also have a grain farm,
the whole things kind of fits together as a neat package.

Those shelters are cheap as chips to buy, so no large capital
investment. They can also let them stay empty for a while between
batches, let the summer heat sterilise everything. Straw from
the grain is used as bedding etc. I came to the conclusion that
the best place to build a piggery, is perhaps in the middle
of a large grain farm!

I've since spoken to people who have worked in both and they say
the level of difference in diseases etc is quite dramatic, also
pig happiness.

I (very happily) stand corrected yabby. That’s true commitment. Do you know what they did with the sheds? I would love a few ideas on what we could use our older ones for.

Having never farmed intensively, I cannot do a before and after comparison. We just don’t have any disease. Yes, we vaccinate for the most common problems in case it is accidentally brought onto the property. I do know from other intensive farmers, that disease is a constant battle, thus the heavy use of antibiotics in feed for the majority of the pigs life. We do get mange in winter – probably because the pigs rarely use their wallows then.

Wether it is pigs, chickens or feed lots, animals kept in such close proximity in what is usually unsanitary conditions, breathing fecal dust, will be a haven for disease. Not to mention the lack of exercise, correct feed, sunshine etc that will weaken the animal and make it susceptible.

Being in a grain growing area is a huge benefit. We do grow some of our own and of course make the most of the straw. And it all ends up back on the land to grow more.

Happy pigs? Visitors to this farm are amazed when they see a group of 50 or so piglets go tearing through a paddock playing and chasing one another. They picture pigs as big lazy animals that just lay around in mud all day. ( or their own excrement in the case of intensive farms)

PF, AFAIK it just made business sense for them to move to shelters.
Those concrete buildings lack sunlight, pigs are on concrete,
lots of water too, so ideal for all sorts of bugs. The shelters
have sun streaming in and lots of dry heat, great for killing
all sorts of bugs.

I'd have to ask them next time I see them, what they did with
the old buildings. Sheds are always handy on farms, for all sorts
of things. When I sold my export business, I kept the building
and now have what every man dreams of, a huuuge shed :)

AFAIK they buy little piglets and raise them, but there are now
some problems with piglet supplies. I'm not sure why the industry
puts sows into intensive systems to have their litters, I once
heard that they have a habit of squashing their kids, but its
not my field.

I did mean a good use for the shed yabby ...

Sows squash their young and sometimes I think nature intended it to be that way.

The idea of farrowing crates is that the sow is held so snugly between the bars that she is forced to lay down very slowly, giving the piglets time to get out of the way. It also stops her from sliding down the wall of her pen when she goes to lay down. Thats were a lot of young get trapped. They still squash them though.

We have very few laid on piglets because the sows have heaps of room and deep straw.

Back on topic for a second.
Antje - I was just noticing that your keyboard has the same problem as wendys. You know the! problem. How coincedental is that?

Pig Farmer

You are aware Wendy no longer posts on this forum . That does not mean others will sit back and allow you to continue to destroy good people. You can ring the Queen if you like nobody really cares.
Your little hints that Wendy is dishonest will not be ignored.
Not by Wendy but those who know her.
I know this will come as a terrbly shock to you but we do have an office you know.
In that office we have a CEO of Pale her name is Antje.
We have campaign lady that would be me.
There are many members who come and volunteer their time to work towards live exports.
Nobody is paid and we have never fund raised.
Wendy pays for much out of her own pocket and refused us putting in for expences.
I note you were anti[very] live exports and now you are pro live exports after your new found friendship with Yabby.
That tells me you are and not serious about animal welfare.
Do not think for one moment you will drop your not so suttle hints that Wendy is less than honest and totally dedicatedto helping animals.
I was also here when your email came to this office and we had never! heard of you! before that!.
You contacted this! office we did not! contact you.!!
It was well before we were on this forum. Well Before Madam.
Wendy does not post here anymore so stop trying to defame people who are not around to defend themselves.
Some of us just want to get on working to improve animal welfare not listen to your spite.
There are many farmers very happy to work with the Free range Farmers support group and pale as well.
So just get on with your pig farm and stop trying to cause trouble.
Pale will continue their work to ban live exports despite your calls to everybody to defame us nobody really cares.
Most see it as it is.