Simulated consequences of different housing and management strategies for growing pigs on productivity and the indoor area required

The impact of different housing and management strategies for growing pigs, from weaning to slaughter, on the total indoor area required was evaluated through development of a modelling tool, MANIP (Management of Indoor Pig Production). The effects of production system, sorting strategy, group size, and feeding intensity on growth performance and weight distribution were used to assess the indoor area requirement. The user can modify the biological assumptions in the modelling tool in order to comply with specific herd results. Within two production types (organic and conventional), four transfer strategies combined with four sorting strategies, three group sizes, and two levels of feed restriction have been evaluated. The required indoor area was generally decreased by the number of transfers, sorting the pigs by weight at an early stage compared to later, non-sorting the pigs compared to sorting by sex, or restricted intake of feed for a limited period. The strategy to minimize the indoor area differs from one production system to the other, primarily due to length of delivery interval.