Season - Late summer

What To Look For:

Higher tail biting is likely in artificially ventilated buildings in late summer. 

Not all units will have a seasonal pattern, but collecting and recording information on the number of tail-bitten pigs per month (or per week) can help to show whether this is a risk on a particular unit.

Be aware of weather and season contributing to tail biting – the increased risk of tail biting in late summer is linked to pens/buildings becoming too hot and humid, for example, where the ventilation settings are not circulating air adequately, or where change in wind direction affects ventilation patterns.

Additional information:

Higher tail biting is likely in artificially ventilated buildings in late summer.

Not all units will have a seasonal pattern, but collecting and recording information on the number of tail-bitten pigs per month (or per week) can help to show whether this is a risk on a particular unit.

Be aware of weather and season contributing to tail biting – the increased risk of tail biting in late summer is linked to pens/buildings becoming too hot and humid, for example, where the ventilation settings are not circulating air adequately, or where change in wind direction affects ventilation patterns.

Suggestions:

Automated system checks:

  • Follow specialist ventilation advice for additional air circulation measures in the buildings, e.g. temporary vents, altering roof vents, opening doors/windows etc. – on fully controlled buildings, altering air flow can reduce effectiveness of automatic settings.
  • Check ventilation settings to ensure that all pens will receive sufficient air changes in order too reduce build up of humidity and temperature.
  • Pay special attention to ventilation systems when cleaning buildings prior to re-stocking to ensure all fans are working at the correct capacity for size of new pigs. for example
  • Check and calibrate thermostats regularly to ensure correct information is fed back to the controls.
  • If settings can be altered to manage daytime temperatures better, ensure that correct settings are resumed overnight so that pigs do not receive direct cold air over the lying area.
  • Check seals inside buildings (e.g. ceiling and wall joins) to reduce air leakage – gaps in the sealswill reduce the efficiency of powered systems (gaps can also create unwanted draughts and downflows which will also disturb the pigs).

Additional measures

  • Consider additional measures to assist ventilation, e.g. back-up fans.
  • Use compressed air to remove dust build up from vents and fans;
  • clear vegetation around air inlets and outlets of the building; clear away any other equipment which may be restricting air intake or outflow.
  • If possible, sit or crouch in the pens (at pig height) to see what the conditions are like for the pigs – corridors and spaces above pen height can give a deceptive idea of the temperature, atmosphere and humidity at pig height.
  • Consider thinning pigs earlier to reduce pig numbers in the building (which will contribute to high temperature and humidity) – having fewer pigs per pen will allow more pigs to lie on their sides to help cool themselves against the floor.
  • Additional measures such as misting or spraying can be useful to reduce temperature, but air movement is vital to reduce humidity build up.
  • Ensure correct drainage from under the pens to avoid build up of humidity from effluent in the slurry pit, and correct ventilation of the pit.
  • Shade air inlets to reduce intake of warm air;
  • Ensuring insulation is well maintained to reduce direct heat into the building;
  • Painting the outside of the structure white can reduce heat absorbed by building and keep internal temperature lower (proven in outdoor sow arcs).
  • If seasonal tail biting is a known problem on the unit ensure that successful changes are included in management documents and calendar to reduce the impact as much as possible.

Additional material:

Action for productivity 21. Ventilation http://pork.ahdb.org.uk/media/2048/Action-21-Ventilation.pdf

AHDB Pork Ventilation Guide http://pork.ahdb.org.uk/environment-buildings/pig-buildings-housing-development/ventilation/ventilating-pig-buildings-guide/

Action for productivity 3: Heat Stress (Indoor)

http://pork.ahdb.org.uk/media/2044/Action-3-Heat-stress-indoors.pdf

Environmental management for healthy pig production -  http://pork.ahdb.org.uk/media/39675/environmental-management-for-healthy-pig-production.pdf

Farm case Study – Seasonality in pigs (whilst these are outdoor sows, the ideas can still be applied to indoor systems) –

http://pork.ahdb.org.uk/media/2037/RIA-10-Seasonality-in-pigs.pdf

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