Sunshades keep sows cool and contented

In Essex last year, ‘Very High Risk’ warnings were issued on 37 days (61%) of June and July – with one period of 22 days in June when the max daily UV never dropped below High Risk. Under such intense conditions outdoor sows can suffer adverse effects from sun, as well as productivity losses in hot conditions.

Norfolk outdoor pig farmer and Con-Tented Products consultant, Rob McGregor, highlights that productivity losses from heat stressed sows can adversely affect conception rates, litter sizes and potentially create spikes in mortality. Boars are also highly susceptible to heat stress affecting activity and fertility.

“Stock seeking to escape the heat of the day in huts and wallows creates greater stress on individual sow behaviour and disharmony across the herd – which inevitably impacts on productivity,” he advises.

“Providing effective shade in dry sow paddocks improves comfort for sows and boars during hot weather. That helps to reduce heat stress and encourage animals to spread more evenly across the paddock.”

Rob advocates a reduced reliance on wallows to cool sows delivers savings in water, labour and machinery, while reducing hygiene risks.

This season Con-Tented Products has introduced a new sunshade to span between the company’s large dry sow huts. Constructed from durable shading fabric, it creates a generous shaded sleeping area.

The shade fabric blocks UV light, while allowing heat to escape. Furthermore, the fabric and the design prevent water pooling in the event of heavy summer rainstorms. The rip-stop construction offers a long service life and reduced waste.

Con-Tented pig specialist, Jamie Macdonald, highlighted the quality of the shades assures they are not single season use that would end up in landfill after one summer.

“They offer incredibly good value when measured against returns. Pig farmers are often accustomed to investing large sums to make small gains in welfare and herd performance. The cost per sow or per litter produced from a paddock of up to 30 sows sharing a 4 m x 6 m shade can be recovered in no time at all,” he says.

Typically, 30 - 40 shades are used on a large 1000+ sow commercial breeding unit during gestation in the service and dry sow group housed paddocks.