Hog Slat® SowMAX Handbook Hog Slat® Stanchion Handbook
16Pages

The Stanchion Handbook A Practical Guide for Group Housing with Stanchions

Introduction U.S. producers first began to move gestating sows into stalls during the late 1960’s. Sow stalls provided producers with individual care of animals, controlled feed intake and protection of animals from aggressive pen mates. Because of these benefits, gestation stalls increased in popularity and became the sow housing system of choice as the industry expanded through the ‘90s and into the present. MCDONALD’S SET TO PHASE OUT SUPPLIERS’ USE OF SOW CRATES SAFEWAY PLANS FO R GESTAT STALL-FR ION EE PORK SUPPLY Due to pressure from animal activist groups, Europe and several U.S....

Types of Group Housing Implementing this kind of wholesale change into already successful production was not taken lightly. Every integrator group designated some of their top sow production management to research options available before beginning the change. Most of these groups traveled to Europe to study and tour existing group housing in operation. They utilized the best information gathered from existing research and filtered what they had seen in Europe, but in practical terms these early adaptors were forced to refine their systems through a certain amount of trial and error. As...

Free Access Stalls Free Access Stalls are a very user-friendly system and would probably be the preferred system if it wasn’t for high installation costs. The major concerns with this system are the higher square footage requirements (up to 37 square feet), higher equipment costs, and increased maintenance costs. The locking mechanisms that allow the sows to move in and out of the feeding stalls add cost and require extra maintenance. Pens with Floor Feeding Group pens with floor feeding were the first systems used as sows were brought into confinement in the early 1960s. It is the lowest...

Stanchions Group housing with feeding stanchions has been the most popular choice by large integrated production systems. This system uses loose housing in pens with short shoulder dividers or stanchions to protect the animals at feeding times. Stanchion production methods adapt well to current U.S. production practices. A farm’s staff can better manage a stanchion system because it utilizes the same feed delivery system and penning equipment. There are no electronic systems to manage, and no required training for either the animal caretakers or animals themselves. In addition, the pen...

Practical Design Considerations for Stanchions Square Footage Current recommendations for space allowance range from the EU’s standard of 24 sq. ft. to Australia’s 15 sq. ft. There is no mandatory standard in the U.S. for gestating sows. Practical field experience has most experienced producers choosing between 19 and 21 sq. ft. per sow. Group Size The earliest stanchion systems that Hog Slat supplied featured group sizes of 50 sows. After recording some drop off in production compared to stall systems, these groups were cut in half. After the 25 head groups still did not compete favorably...

Pen Layout In many instances, pen dimensions will be determined by the need to adapt to the building’s existing layout. In general, a minimum pen depth of 10’-12’ is needed for stanchion pens. This distance is required to prevent a dominant sow from lying down and blocking pen traffic. Pen Detail A preferred layout is a head-to-head design. This plan reduces the number of feed lines and maximizes the use of equipment such as feed troughs and front gates. With an alley located 10’-12’ opposite the stanchions, a clean, open pen design is created allowing for maximum ease in viewing the...

Practical Design Considerations for Stanchions When remodeling an existing stall building, it may be most practical to design a pen layout with stanchions on both sides of the pen to utilize existing troughs, feed lines, and slats. Although this layout is not as easy for the stockman to view the animals from the alleys, using open penning and walkthrough passage gates allows for easier management.

Gestation Stalls Most layouts make provisions for each breeding group to be housed in stalls for a period of 42 to 49 days post weaning for the management of breeding and preg- checking. In addition, it is advisable to provide additional stalls equal to 3-7% of the herd total to provide a "safe haven" for animals needing individual care.

Penning Equipment Recommended penning equipment consists of paneling with seven solid horizontal bars with an overall height of 44 inches. These panels are available in a baked epoxy painted or hot dipped galvanized finish. This type of gating matches up well with the stanchion dividers for a smooth installation transition. Many layouts have walk thru posts to increase operator access to the pens. 3” pipes are spaced with an opening to allow farm staff to walk from pen to pen. A solid free-swinging door is situated above the opening to discourage sows from attempting to jump through the...

Stanchion Equipment An 18” long stanchion divider protects a sow’s head and shoulders from aggressive animals while eating. The dividers can be constructed with open rods or solid side of sheet metal or PVC. The open rodded style of divider is less expensive, lasts longer and does not impede air flow. No effect on sow behavior or productivity has been recorded or observed between open or closed partitions.

Hog Slat stanchions are bolted together with pre-punched floor and top spacers. First, hotdipped galvanized floor spaces are bolted to the slats or floor. The stanchion panels are bolted in place, and the matching top spacers are installed. This results in dividers being equally spaced and completely square from top to bottom. Bolt together type installation is faster and more accurate than a welded-in-place, field fabrication. Front Rods Floor Strap

Feed Troughs Single (Wall) Single (Bolts 2 Sides) Single (Bolts 1 Side) Hog Slat fabricates a wide selection of Stainless Steel Troughs to integrate with stanchion installations. Manufactured in 10’ lengths S.S. troughs are welded end to end on the job site. Troughs are preferred for remodeling because they are lightweight and easy to set in place. Stainless steel troughs last longer than concrete or composite plastic troughs. Using troughs results in less feed wastage than floor feeding or concrete pads. Concrete pads will eventually suffer damage from feed acids and salts and require...