Page 21 - RealDirtENG2020

DID YOU KNOW?
Pigs can get a sunburn too! That’s why even pigs that live outdoors must have access to some kind of shelter from the sun.
Career Pro le
Pig Farmers
Paul and Micah Larsen
Paul Larsen and his son Micah raise pigs on their farm near Belfast, Prince Edward Island. They grow a rotation of barley, winter wheat and soybeans which are then used to make feed for the pigs in their on-farm feed mill. They make specialized recipes, called rations, depending on the needs of the animals at that age. The manure produced by the pigs is then used as a natural fertilizer for their crops.
Micah has been farming full time for three years. In 2019, he spearheaded a change to make the farm more cost ef cient and environmentally-friendly by installing a high-ef ciency biomass boiler to heat their barns. A biomass boiler uses renewable fuel to create energy. It can burn woodchips and sawdust from leftover waste such as tree tops and branches, shipping pallets and construction or furniture offcuts, as well as straw, corn husks and cherry pits to name a few.
Pigs
Pigs can be raised indoors or outside, but since most breeds don’t have fur or wool coats to keep them warm in Canada’s cold winter weather, it is dif cult
for them to live outdoors all year long. That’s why most pigs in Canada live in specially-designed barns with fans—or “curtains” that can be opened—to keep a steady, comfortable climate indoors year-round, and to protect the animals against disease. For more information on biosecurity, visit page 24.
Sows and piglets
Sows are female pigs that “farrow” or give birth to a litter of piglets twice a year. Each litter usually includes 12 to 16 piglets.
Just before giving birth, most sows go into special enclosures called farrowing pens where they stay until they’ve nished nursing their piglets. They can lean against the bars of the pens as they lie down—that’s to make sure they don’t accidentally lie down on top of their piglets and crush them. The pens allow farmers to monitor the piglets and sows closely during this critical time, and also include a special area next to the sow where the piglets sleep, and can be kept warm with a heat lamp or a heating pad.
Once they are weaned from their mothers, piglets live in groups with other
pigs the same size or age. In barns built after 2014, sows live in groups too, as individual stalls are being phased out in Canada. Farmers, researchers, and other welfare experts work continually to improve how pigs are raised, and research in pig health, behaviour and housing is ongoing in Canada and around the world.
Ontario Pork
Farrowing pens are used to protect piglets and the sow.
Chapter 3: Farm Animals 21