Glossary:Pig housing
The need to distinguish different types of housing for pigs such as slatted floor vs. partially slatted floor is due to different ammonia emissions that can be accounted for either system. In what respects N2O emissions, however, this distinction is not as relevant, as both slatted and partly slatted floors are operated as pit stores under animal confinement (IPCC, 2006).
Slatted floor housing refers to animal houses where the floors can be:
- partially slatted: part of the floor has slats where the manure and urine drop down below the floor into a pit, where they form slurry
- completely slatted: the whole floor has slats where the manure and urine drop down below the floor into a pit, where they form slurry
Solid floor housing (excluding deep litter) refers to a flat, solid floor usually made from non-polished cement (to avoid slipping) or hard soil. The floor normally slopes away to the rear to make cleaning easier.
Pig housing on straw-beds (deep litter-loose housing) refers to animal houses where the floor is covered with a thick layer of litter (straw, peat, sawdust, or other similar material binding the manure and urine) that is removed only at intervals that may be several months apart.
Other types of housing are types of housing different from the ones mentioned above.
Free range is a method of farming husbandry where the animals, for at least part of the day, can roam freely outdoor, rather than being confined in an enclosure for 24 hours each day. For the purpose of Integrated Farm Statistics it is not requested that the animals are always outdoors to consider them as free range. Some free range systems assume that animals come to a sheltered area at the end of the day.
Exercise yards are outdoor areas, normally with impermeable floor, where animals can exercise for part of the day. If an exercise yard exists on the holding, but the animals are not using it, it is not considered.