Farmer Focus: Pig cooling in place again to combat heat
© Jason Bye My new journey to work follows a route between the Norfolk market towns of Fakenham and Holt.
It’s a scenically special stretch that I’ve always enjoyed driving – lined by cropped fields and mature woodland, it’s a showcase for the county’s rural beauty.
However, in recent weeks, the residual heat from successive hot days has created botanical scents that I’m more familiar with from holidays in southern Europe, not out and about in East Anglia.
See also: How to make the most of pig ventilation systems
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We have again had a sustained period of very warm, dry weather. It’s probably the fifth year in a row now, and it certainly brings challenges.
Pigs are not particularly good at regulating their body temperature without human assistance.
Perspiration only occurs from a relatively small area of the snout, and panting – which again is using evaporation as a means of body heat control – is not adequately efficient in these conditions.
The other mechanisms available to a pig are convection, conduction and radiation, and for these to occur effectively requires our intervention.
All animals on the unit are provided with wallows that contain not just mud but, equally important, water.
Drinking water and wallowing water have been separated by the introduction of clean water tanks.
It’s not always obvious, but there is no doubt in my mind that sows will drink more clean water than they will dirty water (from a trough), and trials have repeatedly supported my opinion.
Additionally, dry sow housing gets opened up into more of a shade format. This allows good air flow across the lying areas and easier stock entry and exit.
One critically important area of the farm during hot weather is where the sows farrow.
When a team of us 15 years ago started developing large insulated arks made of plastic, turning our backs on the traditional steel designs, I don’t think any of us realised just how significant or essential our work would become.
Heat exhaustion during farrowing leads to a multitude of secondary issues, not just for the sow, but also her piglets. I’m so pleased my drive to work isn’t being spoiled by a fear of what I might find on arrival.