Group-housing gestating sows: analysis of ‘GTTT’ results (technical management of sow herds)

A questionnaire campaign led in 2009 collected technical feedback on group-synchronized swine herd management. The surveys inventoried up to 600 pig farms where at least 80% of pregnancies were confirmed as group-synchronized from a pool of 4000 breeding units registered in the IFIP database (14% running group-synchronized pig breeding). The dominant systems use trough-feeding, with or without stall rails or feed stations. A third of breeders do not confine the sows at insemination, whereas a majority (53%) keep the sows penned in individual stalls for 4 or sometimes even 5 weeks after siring. The final population sample comprised breeder units with consistent GTTT datasets available for 2008. The technical results were calculated for the three systems (trough with/without stall rails, feeding station, and automatic pig feeder). Units equipped with automatic pig feeders wean more piglets per breeding sow. Culling rates are higher and more variable under automatic feeder systems.Breeder unit prolificacy figures were identical across the 3 groups, despite very different unit sizes. However, there were significant differences in numerical productivity.