Using Smart Technology in Farrowing Management: Monitors, Sensors, and More

Using Smart Technology in Farrowing Management: Monitors, Sensors, and More

May 13, 2024

Staying on top of the latest technology is vital for a lean, successful livestock operation. Farrowing operations are becoming particularly technology heavy, with innovations helping improve comfort, care, and health of both sows and piglets.

Learn how advanced tools and smart technology are transforming farrowing management practices, ensuring better outcomes for your business.

Farrowing Management on the Farm

Proper farrowing management not only streamlines operations but also leads to healthier animals. Here's how sound management practices can improve your farm:

Sow and Farrow Welfare: creating a stress-free environment will ensure steady productivity.

Enhancing Survival Rates: practicing ethical care to piglets eliminates the risk of early mortality and a healthy future.

Production Rates Increased: A healthy happy swine increases productivity and can eliminate extra labor on the farm.

Promoting Sustainability: implementing the latest technology can help cut costs down and increase productivity.

Technology is crucial, but a solid foundation of best practices is the first step for success. After you have that in place, smart technology helps further streamline the process.

Advanced Technology for Farrow Management

Technological advancements have significantly enhanced productivity across farms. Here are ways that farrow management can adopt the latest features for more efficient practices:

Automation Solutions

Integrating automated systems to help monitor your pigs without extensive labor helps save time, and money. There are a few ways to help streamline your farrow management:

Automated Feeders - Automated swine feeders ensure the precise dispensing of feed to each pig, helping maintain a balanced and healthy diet.

Environmental Monitors: These sensors track weather conditions, such as temperature and humidity, providing farmers with insights into the factors necessary to ensure healthy piglets.

Integration of AI Technology

The latest integration of artificial intelligence on the farm has allowed farmers to gain actionable insights into their animals, enabling them to analyze their behaviors and improve decision making. AI is being used in farrowing management in several straightforward ways:

Predictive Analytics: AI analyzes data to forecast when sows will give birth and identify potential health risks, helping farmers prepare better.

Feeding Systems: Automated feeders use AI to tailor the diet for sows and piglets, ensuring they get the right nutrients at the right time.

Breeding and Genetics: AI examines genetic information to help make smarter breeding choices, aiming for healthier and more efficient pigs.

Piglet Activity Monitoring

When a sow has a litter of piglets, closely monitoring their health is essential for ensuring their well-being. Implementing monitors gradually enables thorough analysis, helping to:

Behaviors and patterns: Monitors allow farmers to analyze their pigs’ behaviors to help better discover health issues, or even stress that can happen in certain environments. For instance, if farrow monitoring indicates stress, relocating piglets to a different area may solve this issue.

Heat Detection: Controllers and sensors can automatically adjust heat settings for pads placed in farrowing crates, making it simple to optimize temperatures as piglets mature and as temperatures inside the barn fluctuate.

Sensors for Newborn Pigs

In addition to monitors, pig sensors are an additional way to help monitor the well-being of your farrows. The main reason sensors are used include:

Overall Health: Sensors aid in quickly detecting signs of illness, enabling farmers to respond promptly.

Mortality Reduction Rate: By detecting sickness in piglets early, sensors enable farmers to make necessary adjustments, decreasing the overall mortality rate in a sow's litter.

Nutritional Monitoring: Feed and water sensors help maintain nutritional management on the farm by analyzing if the piglets are receiving sufficient nutrients, monitoring their feeding patterns, and facilitating adjustments to optimize their dietary intake and growth.

Integration of Smart Technologies on the Farm

Farmers who integrate smart technologies into their current farrowing management practices are paving the way for a more efficient approach to ensuring animal welfare and sustainability across their land.

If you’re looking to modernize your farrow management, shop our latest swine supplies in stock today