Why should pig pen floors not be paved with concrete?

SummaryEffects on pork quality: the friction of a concrete floor is relatively high, so it causes the pigs' skin to become rough. Effects on the pigs' limb health: the concrete floor of the pig house is relatively hard, so the pigs' limbs are more prone to wear. Effects on the pigs' growth rate: pigs grow better in an environment where they are in natural contact with soil, mainly because soil contains a variety of trace elements and minerals. Prone to causing diarrhea in pigs: the day-night temperature difference of a concrete floor, as well as the seasonal temperature difference, vary greatly.

I. Effects on pork quality

1. China's small and medium-sized pig farms generally use concrete floors to raise pigs, but in fact pig houses are not suitable for concrete floors, and in developed countries such as Europe and the United States, for example, concrete floors have gradually begun to be abandoned by pig farm operators; generally, how good a pig tastes depends mainly on the skin, and pigs with rough, thick skin often do not taste very good.

2. And concrete floors are the culprit that makes pigs' skin rough; because the friction of a concrete floor is very high, it causes the pigs' skin to become rough, and at the same time, when the weather becomes relatively cold, because the specific heat capacity of a concrete floor is small, it also becomes relatively icy cold, and in order to resist the severe cold, the pigs' skin becomes even thicker.

II. Effects on the pigs' limb health

1. The effect on the pigs' limb health is relative to free-range pig raising and raising methods such as fermentation beds, but although concrete floors are not the main cause of limb disease in pigs, according to data, pigs on concrete floors have a higher probability of suffering from limb disease.

2. This is mainly because the concrete floor of the pig house is relatively hard, so the pigs' limbs are more prone to wear, and the effect brought by the concrete floor is even more obvious especially when the grouping is unreasonable and the pigs are prone to biting and fighting.

III. Effects on the pigs' growth rate

1. Generally, excluding the influence of feed factors, pigs grow better in an environment where they are in natural contact with soil, mainly because soil contains a variety of trace elements and also minerals, and then, plus the fact that pigs are born with the habit of rooting in the soil for food, pigs in the soil grow relatively fast.

2. Therefore, concrete floors do not have this advantage, and if the feed ratio is not more scientific, pigs are more likely to show stunted growth, and their resistance also declines somewhat.

IV. Prone to causing diarrhea in pigs

1. Because the specific heat capacity of a concrete floor is very small, it causes the day-night temperature difference of the concrete floor, as well as the seasonal temperature difference, to vary greatly; if pigs lie directly on the concrete floor, they are prone to a stress response due to the temperature changes, or to catching a chill and developing diarrhea.

2. Especially for piglets with relatively poor resistance, the effect brought by the concrete floor is even more obvious, so for piglets, it is not recommended to let them come into direct contact with the concrete floor, and even in summer more care and attention are needed.