1995 FreiLandMast

Problem definition

Conventional unstructured housing systems with fully or partially slatted floors do not allow pigs to display their typical behavior. Such housing systems are to be viewed critically from an animal welfare perspective and are often not accepted by consumers and the public. Free-range housing for fattening pigs can offer an alternative here. However, there is still relatively little experience with the free-range housing of fattening pigs in our climatic latitudes.

Objective

As a result, practical experience was to be gathered in a free-range fattening pig trial, the animal performance achievable outdoors was to be determined and, in particular, problem areas, especially the nutrient input to the trial area, as well as technical and labor management aspects of one summer and one winter run were to be critically examined.

Material and methods

In two runs, 10 and 12 pigs respectively were housed and fattened outdoors. The pigs were housed on a grassland area of 1000^m2 and the necessary feeding, drinking and resting facilities were installed. These were an automatic mash feeder, a heated drinking basin and two HAKA hot-air fattening beds.

Selected test results

-The animal performance was satisfactory in both runs.

-The punctual nutrient input into the trial area was extremely high. This resulted in a very high accumulation of nutrients in the soil. It is to be feared that these nutrients cannot be permanently bound and are consequently washed out or escape in gaseous form.

-Despite the large amount of land available, manure and urine were usually deposited near the supply unit with drinking trough and wallow. The highest nutrient enrichment was also observed there. Conclusion

Free-range housing is to be regarded as a practicable method for fattening pigs, which can also be classified as very animal-friendly.

-The available space should be kept as small as possible, and pigs should be moved several times during the fattening period in order to reduce nutrient input at certain points.

Free-range farming should be regarded as one element of land use and must be integrated into the farm's crop rotation accordingly.

-Fundamental technical problems do not arise, specific labor management studies are pending.

Data and animal performance of the trial runs

Poster