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As a pig farmer, you want to do everything you can to keep your animals healthy while taking care of the environment at the same time. That’s why more and more pig farmers are switching to rooting barns where pigs can roam freely, with the aim of having happy animals and fewer emissions. Want to make your pig barn more sustainable and reconfigure it? We list the options for you.
Emissions from manure
In recent decades, pig farmers have already made significant strides in making the industry more sustainable. In particular, this involves reducing ammonia and methane emissions. Ammonia is released when a pig’s urine comes into contact with thick fraction as well as air and is mainly a problem in the barn, while methane is released when manure is stored.
So the challenge for pig farming is to prevent emissions from manure, because these substances are harmful to humans, animals and the environment. Investing in sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions in or around the barn can help.
Pig welfare
A major focus point for pig farms is the barn floor. Based on the Better Life quality mark, pig farmers can receive 1, 2 or 3 stars. Factors considered include group size, area per animal, degree of daylight and the barn climate. The more stars you have as a pig farmer, the more you have done to improve animal welfare.
At JOZ, we are increasingly in contact with 3-star pig farmers who have a rooting barn. A type of barn in which pigs roam freely and sniff at straw or sawdust. If you have such a rooting barn, you have to keep the barn floors clean in a different way. And that’s where JOZ comes in with its smart solutions.
The folding scraper or single-arm scraper
The thin and thick fractions enter a manure alley under the (slatted) floor of a rooting barn. By separating them immediately, you reduce ammonia emissions. Pigs have ample access to sawdust or litter in a rooting barn. The folding scraper is the most robust scraper we have and is best at taking the thick fraction – the litter along with the manure.
We also have a single-arm version of the folding scraper, which is particularly suitable for rooting barns. The manure scraper carries solid manure from the barn to the end of the manure alley.
Slurry drain
The JOZ slurry drain is a profile through which the slurry runs and is disposed of at an accelerated rate compared to the thick fraction of the manure. Using this, you can remove the slurry faster, and that makes for even fewer emissions.
Circulating Chain System
You can also use the Circulating Chain System (CCS) for manure removal. The solid manure is then fed from the manure alley with a manure scraper to the end of the barn and then deposited on the Circulating Chain System. This is a manure removal system that is often used in conjunction with manure scrapers and is highly suitable for the pig barn. This system feeds the manure to the manure storage area more quickly and reliably.
What is the best choice for you?
The best solutions for your pig barn will depend on several things. These include the number of pigs and your type of barn floor. Want to know how JOZ’s solutions can help get rid of manure in your pig barn?
