Con-tented Products has launched a new sunshade designed to provide comfortable respite for hot sows in outdoor paddocks – reducing stress and maintaining productivity in hot temperatures.
The company has introduced the new sunshade to span between the company’s large dry sow arcs. Constructed from durable shading fabric, it creates a generous shaded sleeping area and blocks UV light, while allowing heat to escape.
The fabric and the design prevent water pooling in the event of heavy summer rainstorms, while the rip-stop construction offers a long service life and reduced waste.
Con-Tented pig specialist, Jamie Macdonald, said the quality of the shades ensures they are not for single-season use that would end up in landfill after one summer.
“They offer incredibly good value when measured against returns. Pig farmers are often accustomed to investing large sums to make small gains in welfare and herd performance. The cost per sow or per litter produced from a paddock of up to 30 sows sharing a 4 m x 6 m shade can be recovered in no time at all,” he said.
Typically, 30 – 40 shades are used on a large 1000+ sow commercial breeding unit during gestation in the service and dry sow group housed paddocks.
High UV risk
Climate shift is creating prolonged periods of intense sunlight – last summer’s maximum UV Index in eastern counties recorded ‘Very High Risk’ of harm every month from May to August, while 2024 also saw periods of ‘Very High’ levels as early as March.
In Essex last year, ‘Very High Risk’ warnings were issued on 37 days (61%) of June and July – with one period of 22 days in June when the max daily UV never dropped below High Risk. Under such intense conditions outdoor sows can suffer adverse effects from sun, as well as productivity losses in hot conditions.
Norfolk outdoor pig farmer and Con-Tented Products consultant, Rob McGregor, said productivity losses from heat stressed sows can adversely affect conception rates, litter sizes and potentially create spikes in mortality. Boars are also highly susceptible to heat stress affecting activity and fertility.
“Stock seeking to escape the heat of the day in huts and wallows creates greater stress on individual sow behaviour and disharmony across the herd – which inevitably impacts on productivity,” he advised.
“Providing effective shade in dry sow paddocks improves comfort for sows and boars during hot weather. That helps to reduce heat stress and encourage animals to spread more evenly across the paddock.”
Rob advocates a reduced reliance on wallows to cool sows delivers savings in water, labour and machinery, while reducing hygiene risks.
- Con-Tented Products will be on show at the Cereals Event on Jeremy Clarkson’s Diddly Squat Farm in June – including the revolutionary Clarkson’s Ring; designed in conjunction with Jeremy and Kaleb Cooper to protect newborn piglets in the farm’s Con-Tented farrowing arcs. See more about the products here: https://contentedproducts.co.uk