Effect of cooled air on keeping sows with piglets

Abstract

A method has been developed to improve the comfort of suckling sows with piglets of Great White and French breeds in the conditions of the industrial technology of the pig-breeding complex of LLC "Agroprime". According to the developed method of reducing the temperature in the area of the fixing box, a stepwise process took place: at an air temperature in the room of 27 °C, the water irrigation system was switched on, which supplied water in the form of drops to the sow's body in the area of the shoulder blades; at an air temperature in the room of 32 °C, water was supplied in the form of a thin stream on the body of the sow in the area of the shoulder blades. The use of the proposed method contributed to an increase in the weight of the nest of piglets at 28 days by 9.5-10.5 kg compared with the traditional technology and 5.0-6.4 kg compared to the system of fine dispersion of water. At the industrial enterprise LLC "Agroind" in the Dnepropetrovsk region, an air cooling system was developed using the thermal energy of the earth. Its essence was as follows. In the premises for keeping animals in the under-floor space between the manure baths at a depth of 1 m, concrete channels were laid - air ducts with a cross-section of 1 x 1 m, through which passed the incoming air. Due to the thermal energy of the earth, it was cooled in the warm season and was fed into the preliminary preparation chamber of the incoming air where radiators - heat exchangers were located, through their pipes or cold water was pumped from an artesian well. Additionally, a temperature and humidity control device was installed at the entrance to the incoming air preliminary treatment chamber, which made it possible to regulate and level these indicators before feeding into underground channels - air ducts. The supply of preheated (cooled) air in underground ducts - air ducts due to the thermal energy of the earth with air outlets of the ventilation system low located along the perimeter of the room - contributed to better seasonal temperature stabilization in the room, effective removal of harmful substances, improving microclimate, increased comfort of livestock keeping and as a result improving production performance.