Solid floors are difficult to clean - TIPS ON PIGS

This trick shows how to reduce the cleaning time of the fattening pens with a solid floor.

Photo 1: Fattening pigs with a dirty pen.

The growing and fattening pigs housed in pens with a solid floor tend to soil the area next to the central corridor of the building, specially in spring and summer. There are several explanations for this, but the fact is that this area is frequently dirty.

Photo 2: Fattening pigs with a clean pen.

The only thing we can do is cleaning or scrub brushing periodically: using water can be very effective for cleaning, but it uses great amounts of water and time, so it is not the ideal solution, due to the amount of slurry to get rid of or to the time needed to clean each pen. Brushing is less effective than cleaning, but is the most frequent option, and the results are acceptable. Can we improve this?

Photo 3: Industrial squeegee.

We know that pig slurry is very liquid, specially when we give them liquid feed ('soup'). If the concrete pavement has been well laid (it is very flat), the simple use of an industrial squeegee can be a good idea. The job is done with less effort and more quickly than with a broom or a scrub brush.

The industrial squeegee can have a width of 75 cm, and it is very hard-wearing if well used.