In the gestation pen, rest is the most important factor. Once the sows are scanned pregnant, they stay here until the last week before farrowing.
The sows are fed using an automatic feeding station where they can eat individually. At each feeding session, the sow's weight and the amount of feed she has eaten is recorded, this way we can accurately monitor the sows' condition.
As the sows can move freely in the full gestation pen, a sloping pit wall system was chosen here.
The shape of the manure channels reduces the area of manure that can emit ammonia. The manure is then regularly removed to an enclosed manure storage area.
The group housing is furnished with concrete loungers and grids, the loungers are finished with Stallit. This gives more lying comfort than standard concrete.
The seeker bear is also in the group housing. It is in a separate pen where an automatic oestrus detection system is provided. Pregnant sows have little interest in the boar. When they do sniff the boar, there is a chance that this sow is not pregnant and she is scanned again.
Did you know:
The average gestation period of a sow is 115 days?
That equates to 3 months, 3 weeks and 3 days.
By the end of gestation, the sow is carrying as much as +- 25 kg of amniotic fluid, piglets and placenta!