Sow insemina- tion: Tim Kropp does not have any stalls and simply insemi- nates the ani- mals while walking loose in the group.
The lying area in the insemination room. Through a sluice the animals can go back to the activity area.
along. At that moment, Mr Kropp marks those sows that need inseminating with a spray. Next, he plants an insemination device on the sows’ backs. The odd sow is still looking for an even better place to view the boar, but the remainder stands and can be inseminated quickly. As soon as all semen has disappeared from the tube, Mr Kropp removes the pipette and places the insemination device at the next sow ready for insemination. In the mean- time, sows which are not in heat yet, observe what he is do- ing. Mr Kropp does not mark those sows after insemination.
Apart from pigs, the Kropp farm has 120 ha of arable land and 10 ha of pasture.
He says, “I recognise all the sows, I know which ones have had their turn.” That doesn’t only apply to the insemination room, by the way. Even in the room for gestating sows Mr Kropp knows the sow’s number from a distance. He says, “Especially the older sows I know without having to read the ear tag. I can tell which one it is by the shape of their body, their attitude, the legs, special shape of their ears or snout.” As soon as the last sow has been inseminated, the boar is directed back into his own pen. The following day, a next
▶ PIG PROGRESS | Volume 34, No. 5, 2018
www.pigprogress.net/ worldofpigs
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