Experiment to study the effects of a partially or totally slatted floor during the growing/finishing period on growth performance and ammonia emissions

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of a partially slatted floor compared to a totally slatted floor on growth performance and ammonia emissions from a fattening building. Between May 1999 and February 2000, successively two groups of 112 pigs were divided between two rooms and in each room there were 4 pens of 14 pigs. The two rooms used in this study were identical except for the type of flooring: the first, had a totally slatted floor and the second, a partially slatted floor (50 % of the pen floor area). Growth performance was identical in both rooms. Average ammonia concentrations in the room with the partially slatted floor were 14.5 ppm while they were only 10 ppm in the room with the totally slatted floor, this was particularly true during the summer period (11.2 g/d/pig vs 6.2 g/d/pig, respectively).Our results do not agree with those obtained in Dutch studies, probably due to differences in the way buildings are managed. In our study, the main source of ammonia emissions was the solid floor in the partially slatted room. In conclusion, it would not be wise to advise that totally slatted floors be replaced by partially slatted floors without taking into account the way in which buildings are ventilated.