Smaller Groups Key to Easy and Efficient Moving of Pigs

An animal science professor with Colorado State University says the key to easy and efficient moving of animals, both pigs and cattle, is smaller group sizes.
"Discussion on Pig Handling and Welfare" will highlight day one of Saskatchewan Pork Industry Symposium 2024, set for November 5th and 6th in Saskatoon.Dr. Temple Grandin, an animal science professor with Colorado State University, says animal handling has improved dramatically over the past 40 years.

Quote-Dr. Temple Grandin-Colorado State University:

One of the things I always have to keep emphasizing in handling both pigs and cattle is moving small groups.With pigs for example  on the loading ramp, you bring three to five up at a time, not 10.For years I've had this battle on group size.

I did consulting during COVID with a slaughter plant over in Europe and they were trying to bring 20 pigs up at a time to get them up a single file chute.I said to them, "it's seven, not 20," and it was hard to get them to change their mindset of moving these small groups but it's really important.The good handling is going to take more walking, going back and forth and bring up the small groups and put them on the loading ramp.

I remember back in the 80s on a very hot finisher farm and this was back in the days when handling was terrible and they put an electric prod on every pig and it took forever to load the truck the way they were going.My truck, I said we're going to just bring up five pigs at a time and we got my truck loaded faster and easier.

That was years ago in the 80's, boiling hot, southeastern United States, I never forgot that.And now the scientific research is very clear, three to five, small groups and it's something you constantly have to enforce because it requires more walking.

Dr. Grandin says another really important strategy to make pigs easier to handle is walking the pens, preferably every day, training the pigs to quietly get up and away and they'll be much easier to handle on moving day.For details or to register for Saskatchewan Pork Industry Symposium 2024 visit SaskPork.com.