Focus on group housing of lactating sows

In the German Ammerland district (Lower Saxony), the Specht family has developed an innovative management system and realised it in cooperation with Big Dutchman. The concept is marketed under the name Agilo RS and combines group housing, freedom of movement and optimised hygiene.

The house comprises two rooms with six pens (5.5 m × 3.0 m) each. Each pen is occupied by three sows and their piglets. A creep with an area of 4.5 m² is available for the piglets, separated from the sow area by the trough wall. The piglets can move freely between their nest and the group area; during treatments, access can be closed by pulling a rope.

The group pens are divided into functional areas:

• Resting area: cast iron flooring with a high solid-to-void ratio.
• Activity area: fully slatted plastic flooring.
• Area for defecating: cast iron flooring with contact grids and drinkers in the rear part of the house.

Untreated oak trunks serve as structural and activity elements. 

The concept plans for the sows and piglets to be moved into the group pens on the piglets’ third day of life. The sows are the first to be brought into the group pens. While also on the way to the group pens, the piglets are treated in a separate room that has its own ventilation system to improve occupational safety (e.g. when using isoflurane for castration). Tails are not docked, i.e. the piglets are reared with their tails intact.

The group remains together for an average of 35 days before the piglets are moved to flat-deck pens. The dry feed for the sows is dispensed into troughs close to the floor. These troughs are accessible from the creep as well as from the group area. The piglets can therefore also consume feed from the troughs, allowing them to learn how to “eat” from the sows.

A robot is used for automatic cleaning of the pens, thus saving time.

Results

Animal health and behaviour

• The sows are quite calm after being moved; there are no pronounced ranking fights or aggression.
• The increased freedom to move means that the sows stay fitter, take in more feed and maintain their condition for longer.
• Injuries to the teats occur less frequently.

Piglet development

• In the first week of life, piglets raised in a group pen are 6 % to 7 % lighter than comparable piglets reared in individual farrowing pens.
• On day 35, however, they are more than 1 kg heavier. 
• At the end of the rearing phase (day 75), the weight advantage is more than 4 kg. 
• Feed intake does not drop after weaning, as would be typical. Instead, there is a slight growth depression when the piglets are moved into the group, which is quickly compensated, however.
• During the growing phase, the pigs achieve daily weight gains of more than 1,100 g. The herd is calm and 99 % of pigs have undocked tails at slaughter.

Labour management and hygiene in the house

• The cleaning robot reduces the workload in the room by five to six hours every week; extrapolated, the robot replaces one worker.
• The cleaning result is approx. 98 %, improving the house climate and pest control and reducing the germ load.

Profitability

• The exact construction costs are difficult to quantify, as an existing machinery shed was used as the structural shell on the Specht farm.
• Big Dutchman offers the interior housing equipment for around €2,400 per sow place (net price, includes assembly, electrical work and lighting).
• The piglets’ improved performance and the time savings contribute to long-term profitability.

The results show that group housing sows in the Agilo RS system meets animal welfare requirements and also brings production-related advantages. Combining freedom of movement with a structured house layout and a creep area achieves a high level of animal welfare.

Particularly noteworthy is the positive development of the piglets, which are more stress-resistant and vital when reared in a group. This not only has a positive effect on rearing, but also on the growing phase.

At the same time, the Agilo RS system offers labour-saving benefits through the use of automated cleaning technology. The challenge lies in synchronising the births and managing the pigs’ move into the group pens. Experts also point out that legal aspects – in particular the interpretation of the maximum permitted duration of confinement in Germany – must be conclusively clarified by the authorities.