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Housing requirements
This guide explains the requirements for piggery housing and accommodation and outlines your obligations as a piggery owner or manager.
As a pig producer, you must meet the standards for housing your animals in the pig welfare code.
Meeting these standards will also help make your animals more productive, which in turn will make your farm more efficient.
Types of housing for piggeries
The type of housing you choose for your piggery depends on your production system, the pigs’ age and the resources you can allocate.
Whatever housing you choose, you must meet the:
- minimum standards in the pig welfare code
- legislated environmental requirements.
The pig welfare code recognises 3 main pig housing systems:
- indoor - single and group housing, on solid or slatted floors
- deep litter - groups with bedding, in various types of sheds
- outdoor (i.e. free range) - outside with shelter such as arks or huts.
Indoor housing
The pig welfare code describes minimum space allowances for all pigs housed indoors.
Single stall housing
Stall housing is used for adult pigs and allows them to be easily managed.
Your pigs must be able to:
- stand, stretch and lie without being obstructed by fittings
- stand in a stall without touching both sides
- lie without snout and hindquarters touching the front or rear of the stall
- lie down without contact from other pigs (which can cause injury)
- easily access a feeder and waterer
- move without the bars along the top touching the pig’s back
- lie down in an area clear of faeces and urine.
Sow stall dimensions must be no less than 0.6m x 2.2m. Stalls used for boars must be no less than 0.7m x 2.4m.
There are additional requirements for a sow in a farrowing stall or crate.
Group housing
Group housing usually houses pigs of the same life stage; weaners, growers and pregnant sows share the same floor space. Group size may vary from 10 to a few hundred pigs.
The group size, the type of feeding system and watering system may determine the shed design and floor layout. Group housing design varies from part slatted (slats over flushing drain) to solid floor with deep litter.
Each of your sows must have at least 1.4m2 of floor space when housed in groups.
Group areas must be designed to minimise aggression.
There are a variety of feeding systems available for group housed sows that allow each sow to access its allocated daily intake.
Deep litter housing (DLH)
Litter-based group shelters use a deep layer of bedding material such as straw and rice or peanut hulls. DLH systems have little liquid effluent and may reduce odour. The litter can be composted to fertilise and improve cropping soil.
DLH is suitable for large groups of pigs housed in big shelters or sheds. It may also be used in smaller, portable housing in outdoor systems.
Costs are lower than conventional sheds, especially if using plastic material instead of solid roofs and walls; however, labour costs may be higher. The minimum floor space required is greater than for indoor housing to allow for litter/waste management.
Litter provides insulation to keep young pigs warm. DLH can be used in an ‘all in all out’ system to easily manage your animal health, with the size of the sheds matching a production batch. The floor may be concrete or an earth ‘pad’ that has been properly compacted and raised.
Outdoor free range housing
Housing in free range systems is provided in arks or huts primarily to shelter from weather, rather than as principal housing. The pig welfare code describes maximum stocking rates for outdoor pigs.
Read about the design and management of outdoor free range areas for pigs.
Pig pen stocking rates
Pigs need enough space to access feed and water, sleep and defecate. The stocking rate is the number of pigs you may house in any given area, under the pig welfare code.
Stocking rates
Stocking rates are legally binding minimums, calculated using use a formula based on live weight. This way, pigs can grow into their space during a specific weight range.
Stocking rates for growers in all indoor systems (except deep litter) are:
- 0.22m²/pig for pigs averaging 20kg liveweight
- 0.47m²/pig for 60kg
- 0.66m²/pig for 100kg.
In general, your pigs should have a little more space than these minimums to cater for seasonal changes.
You may also decide to provide more space for your particular herd situation based on:
- group size
- pen size
- breed
- reproductive stage
- temperature
- ventilation.
Read the pig welfare code for more information on minimum space requirements for:
- weaners, growers and finishers
- gilts, sows and boars
- deep litter housing
- shelters for outdoor pigs.
Managing aggressive behaviour
Allocate more space for your pigs to account for persistent aggressive behaviour between pigs in group housing, such as groups of less than 10 sows.
The pig welfare code sets out guidelines to reduce aggression:
- culling aggressive breeder animals
- keeping groups stable
- keeping the number of pigs per feeding and watering point low (reduces competition)
- minimising the mixing of unfamiliar pigs
- providing escape areas for bullied animals
- staggering the introduction of unfamiliar groups over a long period.
Piggery groupings and floors
The piggery must be designed so you can manage waste safely and provide your pigs with surroundings that won’t injure them, including flooring.
Diseases can be passed from pig to pig through direct contact and by contact with excretions such as their manure or cough spray. Poorly designed housing and materials (that are hard to clean or dry) increase the risk of disease incidence.
These general principles also apply to outdoor herds through rotational use of land, with younger pigs on pig-cleanest land.
All in, all out (AIAO) systems
In AIAO systems, pigs of the same age (within 2 weeks) or reproductive stage (e.g. farrowing) are housed together in a shed, but arrive and leave at the same time.
This system allows the whole shed to be thoroughly cleaned. Fewer pigs share the same airspace, so dust and bacteria levels are reduced.
AIAO systems also lower the contact between different age groups thus reduces disease incidence.
Flooring
Select flooring systems that:
- can be easily cleaned
- provide a comfortable surface for the animals
- are slip-proof to let your pigs stand and lie down easily, but not too rough
- resist corrosion
- do not wear out rapidly under animals
- can’t be chewed.
Flooring systems come in a range of materials including:
- modular slatted plastic
- steel
- concrete.
Slatted floors
Pens with partly or fully slatted floors are easy to keep clean.
Effluent channels, where manure is submerged in water, can reduce dust, odour and airborne bacteria levels. Flush the pits at least twice a day to reduce ammonia and manure build up.
Partly slatted pens should be approximately twice as long as they are wide with slats covering about 1 quarter of the pen (say to 1.2m length) at 1 end with the drinkers and open pen divisions over the slatted dunging area. The solid section has a slope of say 1:25 towards the pit.
Concrete floors
Design solid concrete floors so that they can be drained and cleaned. Solid floors with no litter and no slats are not desirable as they take more labour to keep clean. They are only suitable for smaller herds and need a definite separation, such as a drop in level between the lying area and the dunging area to keep the lying area dry. The drinkers are located in the dunging area. If litter is used, there may be a lip to contain the litter in the lying area.
Dry concrete floors retain heat and can be warmed by contact with the animal. However, damp concrete floors increase the harmful effects of low temperatures and the construction process and placement of drinkers can reduce this risk. A waterproof membrane is laid under concrete floors during construction.
Litter-based shelters
Deep litter housing may be on compacted earth or concrete floors. Many are changed to concrete to allow a smoother surface for easier cleaning out at the end of the batch of pigs. Litter-based group shelters use a deep layer of bedding material such as straw or sawdust. The litter provides insulation for younger pigs, as well as collecting excreta especially in the dunging area.
In litter-based systems, pigs should be provided with about 30% more floor space per pig than indoor slatted systems. Litter should be replaced or refreshed regularly to ensure good hygiene.
Feeding areas are on concrete pads and this also provides cooler flooring for sows to rest on during warm weather. During hot weather, spray cooling can be provided.
Feeding and watering equipment for pigs
Each pig needs adequate access to feed and water. The type of feeding and watering equipment, and its positioning, is important in designing accommodation.
Aim to provide good access while minimising aggression and maintaining hygiene.
Check feeding and watering systems daily. A risk management strategy must be in place for breakdowns in food or water supply.
The number of feeders and waterers (and suitability of the equipment for the size of the pig) are also important for pig access. This can reduce feed and water waste.
Water supply
Water must be fresh and not be very hot or icy cold. Cool water (preferably less than 20C) in hot weather assists intakes and temperature regulation. Flow rates, water allocation per pen and design of drinking equipment must meet the requirements of different classes of pig.
You can find guidelines for water consumption, flow rates and maximum water pressure in appendix 2 of the pig welfare code.
Water quality
Water quality needs to be suitable for pigs, uncontaminated and free from human or animal waste. Some bore water contains high levels of minerals that make it unsuitable. Water can be disinfected with chemicals such as chlorine, or if it contains a high mineral content, it may be able to be diluted with a better quality supply.
Laboratories can test water quality to assess it's suitable for pigs.
You should consult a qualified adviser when you first use:
- nutritional liquids, such as whey
- water that is going to be disinfected
- a new source of water
- an established water source if you take over an existing piggery.
Medication
Medications delivered in the water should only be given under veterinary advice and using items such as water proportioner equipment to ensure the pigs get the correct dose.
Watering systems
Water is usually provided through poly pipe and via metal pipe where it can be accessed by pigs and then into the trough or drinker. When poly pipe is used outdoors, it needs to be shaded or buried to prevent the water overheating.
External storage tanks provide a reserve for supply failures. Shed header tanks may be used to adjust pressure to suit the equipment or provide medication. Insulate or paint small header tanks white if they are in the sun.
Drinker height needs to suit the type of drinker and the size of pig, for example, nipple drinkers should be about snout level or just above the pig's backline (i.e. 25–40cm for weaners, 45–65 grower finishers and 60–90cm breeders).
Weaners
Weaners using bite-type nipple drinkers or pressure plate-operated bowl drinkers should be supplied with 1 drinker for every 6–8 weaners.
Growers and finishers
Growers and finishers should have 1 drinker per 10–15 pigs. More drinkers are required in hot environments. At least 2 drinkers per pen are recommended.
Drinkers should be placed over slats to prevent the floor lying areas becoming wet. Push-type nipple drinkers waste more water than bite-types or bowl drinkers, but they allow growers and breeders to wet their skin during hot weather.
Bowls are better in deep litter housing (DLH) to reduce wetting the litter.
Feeding systems
Food must be fresh, palatable and free of toxins and micro-organisms that are known to cause harm. Boars and sows should be given bulky or high-fibre feed. Weaners must be given access to food at least twice a day.
A variety of feeding systems are available to deliver the feed from the bulk feed bin to the pig feeders. These range from manual feed trolleys to pipe systems that carry the feed to hoppers over, or in, the pens attached to the feeders.
Find out about pig health and nutrition.
Weaners
Trough feeding weaners is strongly recommended because it is more hygienic and easier to manage than floor feeding.
The design of your trough should prevent pigs from walking, lying, urinating or dunging in it. Restricting access width and height or using bars to separate each space are two ways to achieve this. New weaners like to feed all together so sufficient space is required in the trough. As they grow, they feed individually and fewer spaces are needed.
Dry sows
Ensuring that each sow gets its allocated daily feed and without injury from aggression is important. A variety of equipment and methods are used to ensure this occurs.
You can use floor feeding for dry sows in groups on large areas of solid floor or on the ground. However, trough feeding is the best option where you use pens with open-ended, full or partial stalls.
Group pens may combine a group lying area with a bank of individual stalls or stand-alone electronic sow feeders which identify and feed each sow. Some systems use partial stalls to reduce the amount of space required per sow.
Grower herds
In grower herds, ad lib feeding using single-space or multiple-space wet-and-dry feeders are commonly used with 10–15 pigs per feeder space. Trough space for each pig ranges from 0.15m per pig at 8 weeks to 0.25m for grower pigs, and then 0.3m for finishers. Breeding stock require 0.45m per pig.
© The State of Queensland 1995–2024
- Last reviewed: 08 Sep 2021
- Last updated: 08 Sep 2021