I am in the process of building a new show barn with an area inside of it to farrow pigs. I do have concerns about putting heated floors in the barn such as will the pigs be too hot with the shavings and the heated floors. Also is it even worth it or is it a waste of money? Any feedback is greatly appreciated!
Thank you!
Heated Floors in Showbarn
Re: Heated Floors in Showbarn
If you have the money, heated floors work very well for keeping general areas and nurseries warm. I've heard of large barns being heated either geothermally or with hot water pipes running through them. Typically sows like it to be about 65F so you don't have to turn up the heat too much to make everyone comfortable in the cold weather.
The exception to this is if you are doing any farrowing. While 65F is great for the moms, newborn piglets are not capable of thermal regulation for a week or two and need to be kept at about 95F. At this temperature sows get very grumpy, may go off their food and don't want to lay down and feed the babies. This means you will need a farrowing heater for them.
Since you are planning on using bedding, you'll want to avoid glass heater lamps. No matter how much money you spend on them, they all can break and send that glowing filament into straw or wood shavings used for bedding. If you've been to the World Pork Expo in the last few years, you may already know about Ceramic Infrared Radiant Heaters. They're made of durable ceramic embedded with meters of coiled resistance wire. They are break resistant and don't explode if moisture is splashed on them when they are hot. They can also be used for general heat as well. They are non light emitting so they don't agitate the animals, and they don't interrupt their natural sleep and feeding cycles.Also, some power companies are offering rebates on the purchase of ceramic infrared heaters because they are much more efficient (not to mention safer) than glass bulbs. I won't bore anyone with all the details, but if you want to know more here's a link: http://www.nexthermal.com/product/elste ... ators.aspx
The exception to this is if you are doing any farrowing. While 65F is great for the moms, newborn piglets are not capable of thermal regulation for a week or two and need to be kept at about 95F. At this temperature sows get very grumpy, may go off their food and don't want to lay down and feed the babies. This means you will need a farrowing heater for them.
Since you are planning on using bedding, you'll want to avoid glass heater lamps. No matter how much money you spend on them, they all can break and send that glowing filament into straw or wood shavings used for bedding. If you've been to the World Pork Expo in the last few years, you may already know about Ceramic Infrared Radiant Heaters. They're made of durable ceramic embedded with meters of coiled resistance wire. They are break resistant and don't explode if moisture is splashed on them when they are hot. They can also be used for general heat as well. They are non light emitting so they don't agitate the animals, and they don't interrupt their natural sleep and feeding cycles.Also, some power companies are offering rebates on the purchase of ceramic infrared heaters because they are much more efficient (not to mention safer) than glass bulbs. I won't bore anyone with all the details, but if you want to know more here's a link: http://www.nexthermal.com/product/elste ... ators.aspx