Supplementing water to lactating sows - TIPS ON PIGS

There are different systems for carrying out this water delivery. Probably, the most common one is with a hose, but sometimes, the sows' troughs are not facing the corridor but the wall.

Goal

Deliver a water supplementation to the lactating sows housed in farrowing pens facing the wall.

Description

An appropriate water supply is essential for the animals' welfare. The advantages of being able to provide water supplements, normally with the meals, to the lactating sows are well-known. There are different systems for carrying out this provision of water, and probably, the most common one is with a hose.

If we have a hose in each farrowing room, the supplementation with water several times a day is an easy process.

But sometimes, the sows' troughs are not facing the corridor, but the wall. In these cases the water supplementation can be complicated, because the access to the trough is more difficult.

The spear must be long enough to reach the trough from the corridor without difficulty.

On a Portuguese farm I have been able to see how they solved this problem with inventiveness: it consists in extending the tip of the hose with a long and rigid pipe, and it has a tap for controlling the water flow. The control of the water flow is essential for being able to monitor that the water is only poured in the sow's trough, avoiding soaking the piglets, their creep feeder or their resting area.

If we have a hose in each farrowing room, the supplementation with water several times a day is an easy process.