Resource Library

Heating is one of the biggest energy costs in a swine barn, and researchers at Prairie Swine Centre are asking a simple question: are we heating our barns more than we need to?

Early results from an ongoing study show that gestating sows kept at 8°C maintained the same body weight and body temperature as sows kept at the standard 16.5°C. The cooler barn used nearly 52% less energy. Meanwhile, grower-finisher pigs in controlled chambers showed the most interest in activating the heating system when temperatures fell between 10°C and 13.5°C, suggesting that may be their preferred comfort zone.

For producers, this research could be a game-changer. If updated temperature recommendations hold up across all four phases of the study, turning down your thermostat could meaningfully cut heating bills without compromising pig health or performance.

Keeping pigs mentally and physically stimulated isn't just good for animal welfare — it can improve performance and reduce problem behaviours like tail biting and aggression.

This Prairie Swine Centre handbook reviews enrichment options across every stage of production. Researchers found that matching the right enrichment to the right stage matters. Straw is the top choice across most phases, but specific needs vary. Nesting materials help farrowing sows, rope and burlap suit piglets and nursery pigs, and straw-filled racks work well for growers and gestating sows.

Costs are surprisingly low. A chain with cotton rope runs about $0.65 per pig per year, and burlap pre-farrowing returns $3 for every $1 spent through improved piglet survival.

For producers, the takeaway is straightforward: rotate enrichments regularly, match them to the pig's stage of life, and even small additions like rope or burlap can meaningfully improve welfare and productivity throughout your barn.

When feed contains high levels of indigestible protein, it can irritate a pig's gut and hurt performance. Researchers wanted to know if adding fibre to the diet could help offset that damage.

A team from Prairie Swine Centre fed growing pigs diets with varying levels of fermentable fibre alongside elevated indigestible protein. They tracked growth performance, gut health markers, and intestinal inflammation.

Adding fibre did improve some gut health indicators, but it didn't fully protect pigs from the negative effects of high indigestible protein. Growth performance was still impacted, and intestinal inflammation remained a concern at higher protein levels.

For producers, this research is a reminder that feed ingredient quality matters, particularly protein digestibility. While fibre can play a supporting role in gut health, it's not a silver bullet for masking poor-quality protein sources. Choosing well-digestible protein ingredients remains the better long-term strategy.

Reducing GHGs by improving feed efficiency pays off !

Feed production accounts for the majority of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in pork production. CDPQ agronomist Sébastien Turcotte shows that several practical adjustments can meaningfully reduce those emissions while improving profitability.

Improving feed conversion ratio (FCR) by just 0.1 saves $5.46 per pig and cuts emissions by 9.9 kg CO₂e. A 100 g/day improvement in average daily gain (ADG) generates $3.54 more margin and reduces emissions by 34 kg CO₂e per pig. Simple actions — proper feeder adjustment, well-timed feed withdrawal before slaughter, and using Improvest in males — all add up.

For producers, these improvements are achievable today, and genetic progress will continue delivering FCR gains of 0.02 to 0.04 points per year automatically.

Pigs raised in groups establish social hierarchies that affect how well the whole pen grows and converts feed. Dominant pigs often waste energy on aggressive interactions, hurting their own feed efficiency and stressing pen mates. Researchers from the Canadian Centre for Swine Improvement, Laval University, and the Centre de développement du porc du Québec analyzed over 18 million feeder visits across five Canadian purebred pig farms, using social network analysis to develop new indicators of aggressive behaviour from automatic feeder records. Pigs frequently involved in displacements at the feeder showed worse growth and feed efficiency. Pens with more stable social hierarchies performed better overall. Both feeding and social behaviour traits showed moderate-to-high heritability (7–59%), meaning they could potentially be improved through genetic selection. Your automatic feeders may already be capturing hidden social dynamics that hurt pen performance. In the future, these insights could help breeders select for calmer, more efficient pigs, reducing aggression, improving welfare, and protecting your bottom line.

Reducing Water Use When Washing Barn Rooms

Washing barn rooms is essential for herd health — but it can use a lot of water. Researchers have identified several simple ways to reduce consumption without compromising cleanliness.

Nozzle type, water pressure, temperature, and speed of application all influence how much water is needed. For example, combining hot water with a rotating nozzle reduces water use by 31% and cuts washing time by 24%. Smooth surfaces like plastic or stainless steel are also easier to clean than porous concrete.

For producers, simple tools like a luminometer (ATP method) offer an objective way to measure room cleanliness — going beyond visual inspection alone.

Switching to group sow housing is a big decision, and with so many system options, it can feel overwhelming. This Prairie Swine Centre decision tree helps cut through the confusion.

The first question is simple: renovate or build new? That answer shapes everything that follows. From there, the key choice is between competitive and non-competitive feeding systems.

Competitive systems (floor feeding or shoulder stalls) cost less to set up but work best with small, uniform groups of 10 to 20 sows. Expect more aggression, body condition variation, and feed waste.

Non-competitive systems (free-access stalls or electronic sow feeding) cost more upfront but deliver more uniform body condition, less feed waste, and better long-term efficiency.

For producers planning ahead, this tool is a great starting point to match your budget, barn, and management style to the right housing system.

Weaning is stressful for piglets, and many producers use creep feed — solid feed offered before weaning — to help ease that transition. But with creep feed costing up to $1,800 per tonne, is it actually paying off?

Research shows mixed results. Less than 60% of piglets in a litter typically eat creep feed, and about half of all studies find no measurable benefit. The biggest gains happen when piglets are weaned at 28 days or older, and when the creep feed closely matches the nursery diet.

A few simple, low-cost changes can make a real difference: use a round feeder with a hopper, provide 5 to 8 feeder spaces per litter, place the feeder near the sow's head, and try larger pellets (~12 mm). Adding rope or burlap to create a "play feeder" can also improve post-weaning health and performance.

If you're weaning at 21 days, consider skipping specialty creep feed altogether and just offer your nursery phase 1 diet for the last 3 to 7 days before weaning.

Water is the most needed nutrient on your farm, but it often gets the least attention. And that oversight can be expensive.

Researchers audited water management practices on 24 Canadian farms across all production stages. They found that nearly two-thirds of nipple drinkers in finishing barns were set at flow rates higher than pigs actually need. In a 6,000-head finishing barn, poorly adjusted drinkers could waste over 30,000 litres of water per day — costing around $41,500 per year in extra manure disposal costs alone.

The fix is simple and low-cost. Set nipple drinkers at shoulder height for the smallest pig in the pen, and keep flow rates between 0.5 and 1.0 litres per minute for most production stages. Check and adjust regularly — too little flow is just as problematic as too much.

Small adjustments to your water system could add up to significant savings on your operation.

Keeping Your Pigs Cool This Summer: Simple Strategies That Work

When it's hot, pigs eat less and grow more slowly. CDPQ specialist Sébastien Turcotte reminds producers that ventilation alone stops working once outdoor temperatures exceed 22°C.

The first strategy is to create airflow directly over the animals. When air is too warm, wetting the pigs is the most effective solution — water evaporating from their skin cools them down, even in humid conditions. In farrowing barns, drip cooling at the base of the sow's neck keeps her cool without wetting the piglets.

On the feeding side, splitting meals into smaller portions and shifting feeding times to cooler nighttime hours can help limit the summer drop in feed intake. Taking advantage of cool nights to lower barn temperature can translate to as much as 3 to 4 kg of extra gain per pig.