Heating weaner sheds in winter represents a significant energy cost in the pig industry. Reducing the heating cost in weaner sheds may be a way to control the cost of production if animal welfare and performance are not compromised.
An overseas study showed that a heating regime with 6°C reduction in nocturnal temperature saved 30% energy cost without negative impacts on growth performance in winter (Johnston et al. 2013). This project studied the implementation of a similar system in the Australian climate.
An experiment was conducted to compare the two heating protocols and their impact on the growth performance of weaners housed in a conventional shed (metal slatted floor with the concrete lying area; 18 pigs/pen) in winter.
The two heating protocols are:
- STD (standard heating regime): set room temperature of a constant 28°C post weaning, then decreased by 2°C each week thereafter
- NTR (Nocturnal Temperature Reduction): similar daytime temperature setting as STD but set to 22°C from 15:00 h to 07:00 h daily from 4 days post weaning
Value for producers:
- Reduces winter shed heating costs and Increases sustainability
- The NTR heating regime used 20% less gas compared with STD heating regimes. The total cost of feed and energy usage was $84 lower for 1000 weaners during 35 d during winter.
Recommendations:
- Growth performance and mortality rate of weaners were not different between STD and NTR heating regimes
- The occurrence of piling was similar between STD and NTR heating regimes. The NTR heating regimes tended to increase the proportion of pigs huddled during the early weaner phase
- Rectal temperature of piglets in the NTR group was slightly lower than STD group during the early weaner phase but still within the normal range
- Before implementation, pig producers are encouraged to evaluate the NTR heating regime in their production systems and climate conditions.