Hoop Structures for Swine Housing

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Hoop Structures for Swine Housing
Presented by Tommy Bass and Mike Daniel 2005
Georgia Pork Congress, Macon GA
University of Georgia College of Agricultural
and Environmental Sciences
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Solid versus Liquid Wastes

• Solid Waste
• low accident potential
• compostable
• cheaper to haul
• easier to export
• simpler management (loading, stacking, spreading)

• Liquid Waste
• accident potential and liability
• expensive to haul
• difficult to export
• complicated management (flushing, pumping and
  irrigating)
• public perception, NIMBY

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Hoop Basics

• Hoop structures are naturally-ventilated
  structures that have a heavy fabric roof.
• Sidewalls are wooden, block or poured.

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Hoop Basics

• Reflective tarps are used to reflect solar
  radiation to prevent over-heating.

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Hoop Basics

• Roofs are supported by tubular arches
• Hoops wider than 38 generally use trusses

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Hoop Basics

• Tarps are held in place by winch or ratcheting
  straps.

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Hoop Basics

• The north end is generally closed during winter
  except a small area for ventilation.
• Various ends are available. This one uses tracks
• Others provide more open space for ventilation.

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Hoop Basics

• Hoops are often used for finishing pigs.
• Plentiful, high quality deep bedding is the key.

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Hoop Basics

• Sow gestation is another common use for hoops.
• Sow feeding is an important decision.

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Animal Health and Performance

• Pigs fed in hoops compared to partially slatted
  confinement
• excellent health
• similar rates of gain
• faster in summer, slower in winter
• similar feed efficiency,
• except in cold winter months (Canada)
• lower mortality
• Connor, 1993 and 1994, Manitoba Swine Seminar
  Proceedings

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Labor

• Per pig labor is no more than in confinement,
  however tasks are distinctive
• checking pigs, walking through bedded area
• Storing and handling round bales, straw, shavings
  or other bedding
• hauling solid manure/litter

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Cost

• Iowa research, Canadian research and Iowa farmer
  data showed hoops
• lower heating, maintenance and utilities cost
• increased winter feed cost
• new expense in bedding
• lower initial investment
• This data showed slight advantage to hoops (3.50
  per pig)

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Hoop Barns at UGA

• 3 bedded hoop barns
• 2 hoop roofs over slatted floors
• 1 hoop barn for composting operation and some dry
  waste storage

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Hoop Barns at UGA

• Finish pigs at UGA
• Bedded on shavings/saw dust

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Hoop Barns at UGA

• Slab between barns for working and loading animals

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Hoop Barns at UGA

• Fresh Bedding in cleaned-out barn
• Waste is exportedoff site

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Hoop Barns at UGA

• Mortalities are composted in a hoop barn not used
  for livestock
• Safe from run-off
• Limited scavenger access

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Hoop Barns at UGA

• Gestation/breeding barn
• Hoop roof was added to old confinement building
  foundation
• Fans used for increased ventilation

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Take Home Points

• Cost benefit break even or slight favor to hoops
• Labor break even or slight favor to hoops
• Maintenance favor to hoops
• Feed cold climate favor to confinement, southern
  data not well organized
• Waste/Environment major favor to hoops

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Additional Questions/Needs

• Need more data for southeast additional analysis
• Health issues related to bedding
• initial UGA experience and research (Jones)
• worms, liver ascarids (Thacker et. al., Iowa
  State)
• Inexpensive and readily available bedding
  enhances cost advantage

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Additional Information

• http//www.abe.iastate.edu/research.asp
• Click on Hoop Structures for Swine in the
  right hand list of topics.
• http//www.agp2.org/aware
• Click on Search, then type hoop and press
  Enter.

Information for this presentation was obtained
from the Leopold Center for Sustainable
Agriculture at Iowa State University