The Rural Voice, 1998-04, Page 48NEW PRODUCTS
1. Plastic Rolls 118 inch for barn
lining.
Sizes 2 feet x 100 feet
3 feet x 100 feet
4 feet x 100 feet
2. Galvanized Flat Bar.
Supports for plastic flooring.
Custom cut.
3. Pre -Galvanized Flat Top Woven
Wire Flooring
Weaner Flooring
Opening 3/8 x 2 inches long
1/4 Inch material weight 4.3 lbs.
per square foot.
Farrowing,
Finishing,
Dry Sow Flooring.
Opening 3/8 x 2 inches long
5/16 material weight 5.8 lbs.
per square foot.
4. White Extruded Plastic Sheeting.
Std. sizes # 4 feet wide, 8 feet,
10 feet, 12 feet long. Thickness.
3/32,1/8, 3/16, 7/32,1/4, 3/8, et
1/2 Inch. UP
P.O. Box 1, Godench, Ontario N7A 3Y5
(519) 524-2082 • FAX (519) 524-1091
Congratulations
Dave and Brenda!
We are pleased to
have been the contractor
on your new barn
BARN
RENOVATIONS
• Renovations to
farm buildings
• Concrete Work
• Foundations
• Manure Tanks
• Bunker Silos, etc.
• Using a Bobcat Skid Steer
w/hydraulic hammer, backhoe
and bucket
BEUERMANN
CONSTRUCTION
R.R. #5 BRUSSELS
519-887-9598
KNIGHTS'
BUILDING CENTRE
• Lumber • Plumbing • Electrical
• Paint • Hardwood Flooring • Windows
• Pipe Threading • Saw Sharpening
RESIDENTIAL - AGRICULTURAL - INDUSTRIAL
r. MEAFORD LVSA
mr",, (519) 538-2000
p
44 THE RURAL VOICE
The barn is kept at 55-58 degrees
F in the winter, the sows producing
their own heat. The system has
workcd well this winter, he says.
The design of the barn is
relatively simple. "It's not a lot
different than what we used to do 20
or 30 years ago," Dave says except
for modern touches like sandwich -
wall cement walls and natural
ventilation. They hired local
contractor Neil Beucrmann
Construction to do the cement work
and frame the building. Local
plumbers and electricians did the
minimal amount of work needed for
water and electricity. The family,
including daughter Stacy, 20 and
sons Randy, 19, Paul, 14, and Jeff,
13, helped finish the barn, including
installing insulation. They decided to
install insulated panels for the natural
ventilation instead of curtains. Still,
Dave estimates the cost at about 20
per cent less per sow space than a
similar conventional barn based on
100 sows, even Tess if he makes use
of the full capacity for 120 sows (he
uses some space for storage now).
Dave says he enjoyed researching
and building the barn, sharing advice
and getting ideas from Dr. Blackwell
on a weekly basis. Now he's moving
on to learning the best management
techniques.
After weaning from their
litters, the sows are moved
from the farrowing crates to
stalls to be rebred. They're held
there for three weeks until they can
be pregnancy checked and embryos
are past the crucial implantation
period 17 days after breeding. The
sows are now moved, by trailer, in
groups of 10 to the dry sow barn
where they'll spend the next two to
two and a half months.
Initially the Lintons had some
problems with fighting when the
sows were put into the new pens
together but fellow producer Ron
Douglas suggested a double feeding
after moving which makes the pigs
contented and drowsy enough they
don't bother causing trouble. They
also give fresh straw after the feeding
to keep the pigs occupied. They've
had only a few problems since but
nothing too bad, Dave says.
The Lintons are still deciding
what kind of feeding system they
want so have been using a floor-