Practical methods to keep pig houses warm in winter, helping the herd get through the winter warmly
Winter is a season many pig farmers would rather avoid, because winter temperatures are extremely low, and pigs are animals that are quite sensitive to cold. In winter, pigs often catch colds and cough from chilling, so in winter heat preservation management becomes the most important task for pig farmers. So what methods can keep the temperature inside a pig house in winter? Today I bring you methods for keeping pig houses warm. Let's take a look below!
1. Stocking density
As you all probably know, raising pigs requires good control of stocking density; if the stocking density is too high, it will raise the temperature in the pig house, which is not good for the herd's growth. This is actually the advice for spring and autumn when temperatures are higher, and many people still keep a stocking density of one pig per pen in winter. Naturally, the temperature in the pig house will then be too low, making the herd prone to chilling. In winter, the stocking density should be appropriately increased; the greater the density, the higher the temperature in the pig house. Adjust the pigs into different stocking densities according to their growth stage. Make sure that after the pigs in each pen lie down, there are no gaps left.
2. Add heat preservation boxes
Adding heat preservation boxes is mainly a measure taken for piglets, because piglets have very weak self-warming ability and are very afraid of cold. The growing temperature for piglets must not be lower than 30 degrees, and in winter basically no pig house can keep the temperature within this range. So to ensure the survival rate of piglets, an appropriate number of heat preservation boxes should be added in the pig house. There is also skill in choosing heat preservation boxes; heat preservation boxes come in various types made from materials such as wood, rubber-like materials and thin iron sheets. Wooden heat preservation boxes are poor in flexibility, and rubber-like heat preservation boxes are poor in quality, so it is best to choose thin iron sheet heat preservation boxes.
3. Set up a ceiling
A ceiling is a necessary step in building a pig house; a ceiling can effectively prevent the temperature in the pig house from dropping and can provide very good heat preservation for the pig house. When building the ceiling, materials such as wooden boards can be used; building a ceiling with wooden boards is not only low in cost but also an effective material for insulating air. After building the ceiling, coat it well with asphalt to prevent rot over time, then lay a layer of insulation on the ceiling to make the insulation effect better. The role of the ceiling is very good; it can not only effectively keep warmth but also prevent direct sunlight from hitting the pigs and causing stress reactions in them.
4. Lay bedding straw
Laying bedding straw can be done at the same time as increasing stocking density; this is an important measure to prevent dampness and increase temperature. Moreover, the bedding straw can completely use the stalks of various crops, so the cost can be ignored. However, the bedding straw must be replaced regularly, and the replaced bedding straw can be fermented together with pig manure to form farmyard manure, achieving two things at once. The point to note when laying bedding straw is to prevent the straw from becoming damp; it must be replaced regularly, and the straw should be laid as much as possible in the areas where the pigs lie down, to prevent the herd from defecating and urinating on the straw.
The above four are methods for keeping pig houses warm in winter. In fact, there are many kinds of heat preservation methods; I have only covered a few relatively common ones with fairly good results. Pigs grow very slowly in winter, so everyone needs to do a good job in management and strengthen heat preservation measures. That is all for today's introduction. This article is for reference only. Thank you all for reading and supporting, and I hope this article can help everyone.