Alternative batch farrowing systems on large farms

Introduction

Batch management systems (BMS) longer than one week are usually associated with small to medium-sized farms, where grouped tasks and increased batch size are clear advantages. On large farms these advantages become less relevant. With a large staff and the ability to establish shifts, excessive task grouping can even be a disadvantage.

However, with the reduction of antibiotic use, the improved health management provided by BMS is gaining interest. In this article we will look at a BMS option that allows tasks to be distributed evenly, with the aim being able to adapt this to farms of any size.

BMS every 2.5 weeks with weaning at 28 days (2.5-wk BMS)

The 2.5-wk BMS is the same as 3/2 wk BMS, the only thing different is that with 3/2 wk BMS we always wean on the same day (e.g. Thursday), while with 2.5-wk BMS we alternate days (e.g. Monday and Thursday) to achieve a period of 2.5 weeks between batches.

The 3/2 wk BMS creates one and a half weeks of low workload every 5 weeks (weeks 3, 8, and 13).

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