Swine Housing Studies: Type of Floors, Insulation and Methods of Handeling Waste

Swine housing is in an era of research, new ideas, and changes. Never before have we been more conscious of housing management and facilities for swine. Many swine producers are wondering if they should continue with the same facilities, or remodel the existing buildings, or construct a new building. If the producer decides to change or remodel, then a barrage of questions should be answered. Important considerations are: Complete confinement or pasture? What floor plan and manure handling method? Should the building be enclosed, insulated, ventilated, and how much automatic equipment? Perhaps we should make it clear in this paper that the authors are not suggesting a change should be made by swine producers, but rather swine can be profitably reared with good management under many conditions on pasture, in confinement, or a combination of pasture and confinement. Confinement rearing is relatively new and many new ideas are being tested. The purpose of this research is to provide information on some of these ideas