| Abstrakt: |
For more than 50 years, medium-sized and larger sow herds for piglet production have been successfully managed according to the principle of the periodic group farrowing system (WÄHNER and HÜHN, 2016). Together with artificial insemination, this offers the prerequisite for continuous production over long periods of time while guaranteeing high animal health as a result of the systematic integration of service periods between the production phases in the stalls and a consistent "everything in - everything out" system. This form of management is therefore an essential prerequisite for high profitability. In order to establish the system of periodic group farrowing, the total number of sows has to be divided into subgroups. The number of sow groups depends on the respective production rhythm in the farm. With a 21- day rhythm there are 7 groups and with a 7-day rhythm there are 21 to 22 groups, depending on the length of suckling. The sow groups see themselves as so-called open groups in which the animals change. Sows leave the group and gilts join for the purpose of herd replacement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
