Essential Swine Barn Upgrades to Improve Efficiency
Aug 1, 2022
In today’s market, hog production must operate as efficiently as possible to remain competitive. In most climates across the country, housing is essential to the health, safety, and efficiency of any swine farm.
Because housing is crucial to the success of any operation, this article will share the essential swine barn upgrades to improve the health of your herd and your facility’s efficiency.
Provide Space to Meet Regulatory Requirements
Expanding barn floor space is a vital investment to remain in the lucrative California market. California Proposition 12 requires swine producers to provide a minimum of 24 square feet of usable floor space per gestating sow for pork products used in the state.
As a result, when building a new swine barn or updating an existing one, determining how to most cost efficiently provide the required amount of space should be the first item on your checklist.
Farmer Boy’s construction staff can help design and build modern, regulatory-compliant swine barns.
Improve Ventilation For A Consistent Environment
When updating a barn, ventilation is one of the most important factors that impact the health of swine. Pigs have a narrow thermal neutral zone. In other words, they’re healthier and grow best under a specific temperature range.
When ventilation systems are not meeting the minimum-ventilation rates for your facility, humidity and increased gas buildup can adversely affect the health of your pigs. Older ventilation systems can also be less economic for your operation due to repair costs. Modern, more efficient solutions can reduce electric and propane usage, reducing costs.
Consider the current state of repair and operating costs for ventilation systems like:
●Insulation on ceiling Repairs
Finding the ideal solution for your barn can help maximize its efficiency.
Upgrade Feed Bin Technology
One of the largest operational expenses for a hog farm is feed. Updating your feed system can help avoid excess waste (and costs).
An example of a common feed bin upgrade is a feed weighing system. Weighing systems can help you closely monitor feed rates to prevent overfeeding and wasted product. It can also help control feed inventory, allowing for more accurate feed amounts to prevent spoilage.
Another efficiency upgrade includes incorporating a chain disk feeding system into your hog barn. Chain systems allow accurate feed delivery to multiple areas with less manpower.
Add Confinement Systems For Enhanced Biosecurity
With infectious disease outbreaks, like influenza and African swine fever, impacting countries around the world, biosecurity is essential in any pig barn.
An important facet of biosecurity on a pig farm is isolation. It’s important to isolate potentially infected animals from the rest of the herd. Isolation is also an important practice if introducing a new herd to the farm.
If adding a confinement system to your hog barn, the right building materials can further enhance biosecurity. Some materials, like PVC wall and ceiling panels, are cost effective and easy to maintain. PVC is nonporous and limits the growth of bacteria.
Swine Barn Construction Services From Farmer Boy
When it comes time to update your hog barn or simply build a new facility, trust the construction experts at Farmer Boy to improve quality and efficiency in all aspects of your operation.
Having built over 500 livestock barns, Farmer Boy has been at the forefront of agricultural technology and building practices since 1985. Learn more about our barn construction services and how we can assist in your project.