A Brief History of Swine Facilities in the United States
- 20-30 years ago, the standard was to house all production phases "under one roof." As the traditional swine management scheme, "one site" was perceived as cheaper and easier than anything else.
- Health concerns have driven the industry to segregate production among several sites to minimize contact between pigs of different ages.
- One site = all under one roof
- Two site = breeding herd segregated from growing herd
- Three site = nursery (wean to 9 weeks of age) further separated
- The current trend is to combine the nursery phase with grow-finish, especially as capability to produce and manage high-health pigs increases.
Animal Flow Strategy dictates facility design.
Copyright ©1997 by the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary
Medicine
Faculty: Dr. Paul Pitcher
Student: Sandra Springer,'99