The Citizen, 2019-01-10, Page 10PAGE 10. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2019.
Terpstras use toys to help keep swine calm
It’s unexpectedly quiet in the
Silver Corners Inc. sow barn owned
by Dennis and Tara Terpstra. There’s
some grunting and a few clangs from
the electronic sow feeders (ESF) but
no sounds of fighting or agitation.
Mostly, it’s the sound of jangling
chains one hears as you enter the
bright, clean, loose-housing barn the
couple built in 2015 to exceed
current pig housing standards.
Simple lengths of chain hang from
the ends of each partition wall as
part of their use of enrichment
devices to eliminate aggression,
meet Code of Practice protocols and
create an environment that pigs from
weaners to adult sows, can thrive in.
Focusing on antibiotic-free pork,
with a contract meeting Loblaw’s
specifications, the couple makes
broad use of enrichment devices as
part of their pig-raising and
marketing strategy for their farm.
When they first started into pigs,
Tara and Dennis were in a
partnership and focused on the
finishing end. Being a city girl, Tara
didn’t spend much time in the barn
as she raised the couple’s three sons.
When the partnership dissolved, and
Tara was looking for work, she
posed the idea that she might like to
work in the barn with the pigs. She
already had an abiding affection for
these intelligent creatures. When the
national pig code of practice
required all barns with gestation
housing to be converted by 2024 and
any new builds requiring group sow
housing, Tara and Dennis found a
system they were both excited about.
They decided to build a brand-new
sow barn and nursery with the latest
technology for feeding, ventilation
and animal care. It can house over
350 sows and the resulting facility is
bright, airy and far less odorous than
older pig barns.
The new structure requires
different management techniques as
pigs “are really only happy when
they are wrecking something,”
laughs Tara. Consequently, there
was a huge learning curve as it is
estimated only 15 per cent of
Canadian hog farmers have switched
to loose housing. The reality is sows
bite and fight and strategies are
required to reduce poor behaviours.
Understanding sows have a
pecking order, the Terpstras built a
two-sided sow barn so that they
could monitor two dynamic groups
of sows. There is also a training pen
in the back where new gilts are kept
and trained together.
“We’ve trained more than 450
sows in the last two and half years,”
says Tara, explaining that the ESF is
new to pigs who grew up eating from
a trough. With ESF, the gilts and
sows enter a gate to access their feed
ration, portioned to their
requirements as dictated by their
electronic tag. Food finished, the
sow has to push through another gate
to leave the system. Once they
understand it, the system works
brilliantly even with some scuffling
at the entry and departure areas. Pigs
can be bullies and sometimes a sow
likes to wait with sour intentions for
sows coming out.
“Some gilts get it in a day. Others
need five to six days of training,”
says Tara. The process requires a lot
of patience. “If you make one
mistake with a pig, it’s three
mistakes for us.” All this early
handling helps the sows get used to
people and we walk through the
sows, the friendly ones eager to lick
my camera and rub against our legs.
Part of sow-raising protocol
requires all farmers to provide two
forms of enrichment. Terpstras
provide three and are looking to add
a fourth.
Sows can be seen playing with the
three devices: the already-mentioned
chains, a no-name plastic toy (a
plastic disc with plastic arms)
hanging from the ceiling and a blue
rubber spiky ball from Ireland called
Easy Fix Luna. Tara plans to install
speakers and play music for the
sows. Also in consideration is a
scratching pole which she learned
about from another producer. “But
the bristles were too rough,” says
Tara.
Lengths of wood are another
option. The pigs love it but wood’s
tendency to splinter makes Tara
nervous. Plus, she prefers toys that
can be easily cleaned and sanitized
as per strict cleanliness and
biosecurity rules in place at Silver
Corners.
In some European countries, tail-
docking is banned. These farms are
also required to use enrichment
Learning and growing
Tara and Dennis Terpstra of Silver Corners Inc. use enrichment toys in their sow barn to keep
pigs of all ages entertained. Above, Tara shows how a flavoured PorkyPlays keeps piglets busy
and content as they grow. (Lisa B. Pot photo)
SHEAR TALENT
Hair Design & Tanning
Perms $57 + tax
Partials $46 + tax
45 West St., Goderich 519-524-6555
By Lisa B. Pot
The Rural Voice
Fun and games
From toys to burlap sacks to chains on the ends of partitions, Silver Corners Inc., believes that
an entertained pig is a happy and healthy pig, and the proof is in the pork. (Lisa B. Pot photo)
Continued on page 11
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