Hot-Dip Galvanized Sow Farrowing Crate & Gestation Stall
1. For sows and piglets, you may freely choose between water bowls or drinking nipples, depending on your specific production management model.
2. Height-adjustable water piping system.
3. Sow Feeder: A stainless steel "wet-and-dry" ad-libitum feeder for sows, featuring a quick-release design that facilitates easy disassembly and cleaning.
4. Guard Rails: Primarily designed to prevent sows from crushing their piglets; these rails provide piglets with vital space for refuge and escape through physical barriers and cushioning.
5. Adjustable Anti-Crush Bars: The spacing between the two anti-crush bars can be adjusted to accommodate the size of the pigs.
6. Stainless Steel Piglet Feeder: Features fully adjustable height and positioning; it requires no disassembly for cleaning—it can simply be rotated—while simultaneously increasing the piglets' usable activity space.
7. Curved Rear Gate: The curvature of the gate can be configured to bow outward or inward, depending on the size of the pigs. The entire rear gate can be opened by pivoting from either side or completely removed; furthermore, the overall width of the farrowing crate can be adjusted by up to 15 cm using the rear gate and rear support legs.
Specifications and Configuration Selection
project | Common Specifications/Selection | illustrate |
Overall dimensions | 2.2m x 3.6m (double unit, for 2 sows) | Double farrowing crates are the most common choice, as one set can accommodate two sows for farrowing at the same time. |
Types of delivery beds | Economy/Standard/High-end | The main differences lie in the materials and level of automation: the economy type uses steel mesh flooring; the standard type uses cast iron and plastic; and the high-end type features an intelligent environmental control system. |
Material and craftsmanship | For hot-dip galvanized steel pipe frames (rust-proof and corrosion-resistant), the zinc coating thickness should be ≥80μm, and the steel pipe wall thickness should be ≥2.0mm (2.3-2.5mm recommended). | The key to determining the lifespan of a birthing bed |
Matching components | Incubator, heating plate, cast iron feed trough for sows, stainless steel feed trough for piglets, waterer, support legs | Confirm whether the complete set is included when purchasing to avoid additional purchases. |
The Farrowing Crate (also known as a farrowing pen, maternity pen, or raised farrowing stall) is a core piece of equipment in modern pig farms, specifically designed to facilitate the farrowing process for sows and the nursing of piglets. Through a raised-floor design, anti-crushing structures, and zone-based management, it effectively resolves the three most intractable problems associated with traditional ground-level rearing: piglets being crushed to death, diarrhea in piglets caused by fecal contamination, and the difficulty of maintaining adequate warmth for newborn piglets.
Core Functions and Value
1. Anti-Crushing Protection for Piglets: The farrowing crate features a sow confinement frame that restricts the sow's movement to the central area, leaving the zones on both sides as dedicated activity areas for the piglets. Anti-crushing bars located at the base of the confinement frame effectively prevent the sow from injuring or crushing piglets when lying down—this constitutes the single most critical function of the farrowing crate.
2. Hygiene and Disease Reduction: The farrowing crate is elevated above ground level; urine and feces pass directly through the slatted flooring into a manure collection trench situated underneath, thereby achieving effective separation of waste from the animals. This significantly minimizes contact between piglets and fecal matter, effectively lowering the incidence of common diseases such as yellow and white scour (bacterial diarrhea) and coccidiosis.
3. Precise Zone-Based Management:The farrowing crate features clearly defined functional zones:
Sow Zone: Located in the center, this zone is equipped with a dedicated feed trough and water dispenser, facilitating precise control over the sow's feed intake and supporting her postpartum recovery.
Piglet Zone:Located on both sides of the sow zone, this area is furnished with an incubator (creep box), an electric heating mat, and a creep feeder. This setup provides a small, thermostatically controlled micro-environment—maintained at approximately 30°C—for newborn piglets, while also facilitating early creep feeding.
Detailed descriptions of each core component are as follows:
core components | Key role | Common materials/specifications |
Sow restraint frame | Restrict the sow's movement to prevent her from crushing piglets; provide a feed trough and waterer at the front. | Hot-dip galvanized steel pipe welding, length 2.1-2.3 meters, width 0.6-0.65 meters, height approximately 1.0 meter. |
Piglet Fence | Provides a safe space for piglets to move around and prevents them from escaping; two types are available: slatted (good ventilation) and partitioned (good disease prevention). | Hot-dip galvanized steel pipes or PVC plastic steel sheets, 0.5-0.6 meters high, grid spacing ≤ 40 mm. |
Leaky floor | Achieving dry and wet separation of feces and waste, keeping the bed surface dry and hygienic, and reducing bacterial growth. | The sow area is made of cast iron (with a load-bearing capacity of ≥500kg), and the piglet area is made of plastic (for insulation and cold protection); there are also all-composite materials available. |
Insulated box + electric heating plate | Provide a locally warm environment (30℃±2℃) for newborn piglets to prevent them from getting chilled and developing diarrhea. | The insulated box is made of fiberglass or plastic; the heating plate is placed 3-7 cm below the floor inside the box. |
Feeding/Watering System | Sow feeding trough: precisely controls feed intake; piglet supplementary feeding trough: early feeding stimulation; waterers provide clean drinking water. | The sow feeding trough is made of cast iron or stainless steel; the piglet supplementary feeding trough is made of stainless steel or plastic disc type. |
