Development and application of machine equipment for rearing piglets under conditions of industrial technology

Abstract

In the article it is presented the results of the development and application of new technical means and the machine  equipment intended for housing and feeding sows with offspring.

The expansion of production volumes is impossible without reconstruction of existing premises, replacement and improvement of technological equipment, improvement of the system of housing and feeding.

The purpose of this work is a comparative study of the efficiency of the use of new technological equipment designed to improve  conditions of housing sow and accelerate the training of piglets to early feeding. The research was carried out in the conditions of the industrial complex at the "Sumy Industrial Meat Company" Ltd (STF TOV Agrokombinat “Maiak”) with a production capacity of 6 thousand heads of pigs per year, village of Verkhnia Syrovatka, Sumy district, Sumy region.

The main task of the development and improvement of the machine for receiving the farrowings and housing of sows with offspring was to change the way of transforming the partition walls of the fixing box and improve the conditions for activating the game and feed behavior of animals.  The achievement of the task is carried out by installing arcuate clamps that restrict the movement of sows, or increase the area of free movement. On a P-shaped bench, a container with a lattice bottomit it is installed a container  with bottomit   to feed piglets with pre-starter mixed fodder with various specific additives. This container is planted on the axle so that it can rotate freely when the sow, pressing on the button to receive feed.  The sows as a result of the search and fodder reflexes pushes the container with a ril, raises and revolves around the axis, and the feed is shaken through the grid bottom on the floor of the machine.  The sow chooses the feed, and the piglets mimic it and try to pick it up, which helps to accelerate the training the piglets to the feeding of dry prestarter.

Under such a volumetric planing decision of the maschine, the area used for motivated animals  more efficiently, more comfortable conditions are created for increasing the motor activity of the sow and the piglets, the process of training the latter to feed and the working conditions of the operator is accelerated.  In the course of the research it was determined that the newly developed constructive decisions of the machine in the sows of the experimental groupit was increased motor activity (on 82, min or 73.15%). The duration of consumption of feed in the experimental sows both groups was almost the same.  Piglets of the experimental group significantly  exceeded their control peers for playing activity (on 46.1 minutes or 26.25%) and the duration of consumption of feed (on 60.1 min, or on 32.27%). The weight of the piglets’ litter in the experimental group was higher, compared with the control at 8.24 kg or 10.76%.  Thus, the advantage of a new machine compared to the prototype is to create the best conditions for increasing the activity of the sow and piglets and the faster training of the young piglets to feed. The machine meets the existing principles of the EU countries regarding the welfare provision of sows and piglets and promotes their productivity.

Keywords: machine equipment, pglets, sows, live weight, average daily gain, behavior, feed automatic, bunker self- feeder