Project Background:

Based on a survey of environmentally-friendly operations in the pig farming business, the production process faces the problem of wasteful water use in pigs’ drinking process. Originally, the pig farm employed a passive drinking water distribution system using duckbill drinking devices, which caused a large amount of water leakage from the trough as the pigs drank. As a result, an average of 18.58 liters of water per pig per day was needed as drinking supply. Therefore, the company wished to enhance water-use efficiency for pigs’ consumption while ensuring that the pigs have sufficient drinking water to meet their needs.

Approach

The company has developed a new drinking water distribution system by switching to drinking bowls and installing meters and pipes to regulate water level in the bowls. When pigs drink from the bowls, the system will transport water through the pipes and automatically refills the bowls. Consequently, the average drinking water requirement was reduced to 9.76 liters per pig per day, lowering water use for pigs’ consumption by 8.82 liters per pig per day, or 47.5%. Furthermore, the system provides pigs with clean drinking water, reduces humidity in the pig pen, eases pigs’ stress when changing groups, and reduces the amount of disinfectant used in drinking water. In 2020, a total of 168,000 pigs were raised on the farm. As a result of the drinking water supply system improvement, overall consumption of water by the farm was reduced by up to 109,200 cubic meters per year.