Patent ID: 8132538

Claim:
A system for managing sows in a farrowing operation in which said operation is separated into at least separate impregnation, gestation and birthing operation areas comprising: (a) an impregnation section having plural impregnation means in the form of individual pens for sows to be artificially impregnated by boar semen, (b) an open pen gestation section having sufficient square footage to accommodate at least 20 sows with not less than about 24 square feet of free space for each sow to be housed in the gestation area, (c) said gestation section being separated into a feeding area and a loafing, or time-out area separated from each other by a sow barrier, (d) the sow barrier being breached by an electronic interrogator through which sows must pass in order to traverse the barrier in a first direction, said interrogator being adapted to interact with an identification means uniquely associated with each sow to identify and initiate a record of the presence in the interrogator at a given time of such a particular sow, and by at least one one-way gate through which the sows must pass in order to breach the barrier in a second direction, (e) the feeding area being provided with a series of trickle feeding stations equal to the maximum number of sows for which the open pen arrangement is designed, and having no access to water stations, (f) the loafing area being provided with sow watering means and having no access to feeding stations, (g) a further restricted area sow retaining section to which a sow may be directed upon passing through said interrogator, (h) the interrogator being positioned such that passage from one of the feeding areas and loafing areas must at all times be through said interrogator, the interrogator being provided with an entrance gate adapted to open into a main interrogator section where recognition and recording of the sow's identity is conducted, and (j) at least two alternative exit gates through which sows may be routed upon exiting said interrogator depending upon a predetermined electronic instruction derived from in the interrogator gate electronic operating means.