The water disappearance and manure production at commercial growing-finishing pig farms

• Published in: Livestock science 2014-11, Vol.169, p.146-154
• Main Authors: Tavares, J.M.R., Filho, P. Belli, Coldebella, A., Oliveira, P.A.V.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Drinkers; Gompertz nonlinear function; Growing-finishing; Manure production; Pigs; Water disappearance
• ISSN: 1871-1413; 1878-0490
• DOI: 10.1016/j.livsci.2014.09.006

Nowadays, livestock production, and literature regarding same, is confronted with a serious lack of information and tools to estimate and compare the real water disappearance (animal intake plus wastage) and manure production at commercial pig farms. An experiment was conducted over 13 months at 15 commercial growing-finishing pig farms, aiming the determination of water disappearance and manure production, using 3 different types of drinkers [bite-ball nipple (BB), nipple (NI), and bowl (BO)]. Two seasons, with 6928 and 6348 pigs (both: 9 weeks old and 24.5kg average body weight) were studied considering 2 housing periods (10 and 15 weeks). A total of 55 water meters [one water meter on each water line that supplies the housing building (pigs intake, cooling system and cleaning facilities)] and 15 fiberglass tanks (each 5m3) were installed at farms to determine the water disappearance and manure production. The BO drinkers were fixed permanently at 0.25m above the floor while the others were set at 0.05m above the shoulder height of the smallest pig in the pen. All data were recorded on a daily basis. The Gompertz nonlinear function was applied to the average weekly data to obtain mathematical equations that predict the water disappearance and manure production at growing-finishing farms. Independently of the drinker type, the water disappearance and manure production for the whole experiment (15 weeks) were 8.83±1.37 and 4.46±0.82L·pig/d, respectively. The water disappearance of the 2 seasons differed with the average value for the warm being 14% higher (P