Voluntary/Free Access Cubicles

• System Components
• Feeding System
• Housing Layout
• System Management
• Gilt Management
• Positive and Negetive Features

• Combined feeding/lying area divided up into individual cubicles or free-access stalls
• Dunging area (scrape through or slats) with gates that close across the lying area.
  

• Sows are given full protection at feeding time with rear gates on free-access stalls or when the dividing gates in the dung passage are shut behind the sows. Use of lockable rear gates, operated from handles at the front of each free-access stall or sow operated, allow all sows to be shut in and individually rationed without the need to shut all dung passage gates.
• Feeding is usually manual as sows do not always use the same cubicle. Semi-automatic or drop tubes fed by an auger can be used to provide a flat rate of feed, topped up manually for thinner sows.
• Liquid feeding may be incorporated into the system using a continuous trough, but this removes the ability to individually ration.
  

• Width of the dung passage is dependent on the combined width of a block of cubicles/stalls. Typically a 2.5 m (8’) passage has been used with a dividing gate shutting off a block of 4 cubicles, but with larger sows it may be necessary to allow 0.68 m (2’3") per stall giving a total passage width of 2.74 m (9’).
• With a solid dunging/roaming area there should be an adequate fall to allow for the drainage of liquid. It is also recommended that the lying area has a slight fall to the rear.
• Floor surface should provide sufficient grip whilst not causing physical foot damage and remaining easy to scrape clean.
• With a solid dunging/roaming area a 100 mm (4") step up from the solid area is required to minimize fouling of the lying area whilst the passage is being scraped out.
• Where slats are used these must be of the highest quality, well laid and level. The type and quality of slats for breeding animals need to be very specific to provide adequate support for the foot, good grip to prevent slipping and no sharp edges to cause foot or leg damage.

• Sows lie as individuals and therefore require a higher air temperature than sows lying as a group.
• In general purpose buildings it is necessary to provide a well fitting cover (preferably insulated) over the lying area. Provision of a flexible curtain, such as colliery belting or plastic strips, over the entrance of each cubicle can significantly increase temperatures in the sows lying area in the winter months.
• In insulated controlled environment buildings, the concrete lying area must be well insulated. Typically the lying area is not covered. These systems have a low overall stocking density for the building and low ventilation rates may be required to maintain adequate air temperatures which can lead to high ammonia concentrations.

• Boar pens can be sited between blocks of sows providing ample contact for courtship behaviour. These would occupy approximately the same area as a block of 4 cubicles and the lying area would be covered in a general purpose building.
• Total floor area for living and service area must be at least 10 m² (108 sq. ft) per boar with the shortest side not less than 2.5 m (8’2").
• Floors should have non-slip surfaces.
• Space Allowance
  • Lying/Feeding
    Internal dimensions should be at least 1.8 m (6’) to the front of the lying area and up to 0.68 m (2’3") wide to accommodate larger sows.
    The divisions between individual sows should have open horizontal bars with a gap along the bottom of approximately 150 mm (6").
    
  • Dunging/Roaming Area
    Width of cubicles or stalls in each block normally dictates the width of the passage. With lockable rear stall gates a narrower width of passage may be used but should never be less than the length of the longest sow in the group to allow the sows to turn round without difficulty.
    

• Sows are usually fed once daily and can be locked into each feeding cubicle by rear gates or by closing the dunging passage gate behind each block of cubicles.
• A high labour input is required shutting and opening gates at feeding.
• Pregnancy diagnosis or other treatments can be carried out when the sows are locked in the lying area. However access to covered cubicles is difficult, particularly with limited height in the kennel area.
• If individual sows return to service and are removed it becomes difficult to regroup the remaining sows without fighting, therefore the system could carry unoccupied places.
• In combined service and dry sow housing, boar pens are located at one end of the building and sows are moved up each week to the next block.
• A continuous trough provides an option for liquid-feeding, but this removes the ability to individually ration.
• Fresh drinking water should be provided, usually as a bite drinker mounted on the dung passage wall, protected from the tractor scraper by a 100 mm (4") wide kerb set underneath the drinker down the length of the building.
• The provision of front opening gates aids the movement of sows.
  

• It is essential, as with any other group housed system, to house gilts during their first pregnancy in separate pens.
• To prevent 2 gilts attempting to occupy the same cubicle, a narrower width of 500 mm (20") is recommended.

• A sow kept in voluntary cubicles should be able to back straight out of the stall so that her head is clear of the stall before she turns. She should also be able to exit the free access stall without being routinely impeded by other sows in the roaming/dunging area.
• Where free access stalls are back to back with a central roaming/dunging area the minimum distance between the front of the stalls (excluding the trough) should be 3 times the length of the sow and the distance in the roaming/dunging area between the stalls should not be less than the length of the pig.