Animal welfare pioneers share their practical experiences with alternative farrowing pens
Animal Welfare Network in the DLG Spotlights at EuroTier digital 2021
The first EuroTier digital ended on 12 February 2021. More than 41,000 participants logged on to the DLG platform over the four days of the event. They found out about the offerings of around 1,200 participating companies, took part in discussions at over 300 specialist events and networked with specific industry contacts.
The leading companies in the Animal Welfare Focus network actively participated in the wide-ranging specialist programme at EuroTier digital. The "Design of farrowing pens from an animal welfare perspective" was the topic of a moderated discussion as part of the DLG Spotlight on Pigs. The managers of three sow farms provided insights into their stables and daily workflows with different exercise pens, accompanied by photos. Moderated by Dr Christian Lambertz (FiBL Deutschland e.V.) and Dr Sabine Schütze (office of the Animal Welfare Competence Centre for Pigs at the North Rhine-Westphalia Chamber of Agriculture), a lively exchange of experiences took place in front of 470 interested viewers.
One of the farm managers involved was Jan-Hendrik Hohls from Lower Saxony. He gave an impressive description of the development of his farm and the design of his barn and farrowing pens. His presentation provided inspiration to try new things. In his experience, piglet losses do not increase in movement pens as long as the sow is able to move freely, is fed ad libitum and the piglets are fit and do not remain under the sow when she lies down. Even sows that had previously farrowed in crates later coped well with the movement pens.
The young farm manager Lukas Schmidle from Baden-Württemberg reported positive experiences, but also some challenges associated with the concept of free farrowing pens. In his view, the attractiveness of the piglet nest is an essential aspect in keeping the piglets out of the sow's range of action, thus minimising the risk of the piglets being crushed.
Wilhelm Schulte-Remmert from the LebensWert organic farm in North Rhine-Westphalia confirmed the many positive experiences of his conventionally farming colleagues with alternatives to sow stalls. In his farrowing pens, which cover an area of 14 m², the sows farrow freely. The structure of the pen creates clear areas and allows the animals to express their natural behaviours, such as nest building. It is often the little things that make the difference between well-being and distress. For this reason, it is important for practitioners to exchange ideas and give each other tips.
It became clear that it takes effort to rethink things and courage to implement them. Everyone confirmed the high level of satisfaction among farm managers due to improved animal welfare for sows and piglets. None of the three colleagues would like to take a step back to the old system. Questions from the numerous viewers were incorporated interactively, enabling an intensive discussion.