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ARS Home » Plains Area » Clay Center, Nebraska » U.S. Meat Animal Research Center » Nutrition, Growth and Physiology » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #302283
Title: House-level moisture production of modern swine by age, temperature and source

Author
item Hayes, Morgan
item Brown-Brandl, Tami
item STINN, JOHN - Iowa State University
item LI, HONG - University Of Delaware
item XIN, HONGWEI - Iowa State University
item Nienaber, John
item SHEPHERD, TIMOTHY - Iowa State University

Submitted to: Proceedings of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers International (ASABE)
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/30/2014
Publication Date: 2/7/2014
Citation: Hayes, M., Brown-Brandl, T.M., Stinn, J.P., Li, H., Xin, H., Nienaber, J.A., Shepherd, T. 2013. House-level moisture production of modern swine by age, temperature and source. In: Proceedings of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers Annual International Meeting, July 21-24, 2013, Kansas City, Missouri. ASABE Paper No. 131618005.

Interpretive Summary: Minimum ventilation in swine housing is often used to control relative humidity in a barn. Thus, realistic data on latent heat or moisture production are critical to correctly determine the minimum ventilation needs. As part of a study to update heat production rates for modern swine genetics, moisture production has been calculated for various scenarios. The objective of this paper was to evaluate the effect of age of pigs and barn temperature as well as management of various water sources on moisture production. These water sources include evaporation of water from the manure pit and leaks in the drinkers, combustion of fuel for supplemental heat of the barn, evaporation of water from sprinkle cooling systems, as well as respiration of the pigs. Data for pig respiration came from earlier work in chambers where moisture production sources other than the pig’s respiration were minimized. The non-pig water sources were determined in an empty barn with varying sprinkle cooling usage or heater usage. The moisture production was then combined for all sources and compared to the measured values from a stocked barn of pigs of various ages and barn temperatures.

Technical Abstract: Minimum ventilation in swine housing is often used to control relative humidity in a barn. Thus, realistic data on latent heat or moisture production (MP) are critical to correctly determine the minimum ventilation needs. As part of a study to update heat production rates for modern swine genetics, latent heat production or MP has been calculated for various scenarios. The objective of this paper was to delineate MP by age of pigs, barn temperature and source which includes a) respiration of the pigs, b) evaporation of water from the manure pit and leaks in the waterers, c) combustion of fuel for supplemental heat of the barn, and d) evaporation of water from sprinkler systems. This was obtained using MP data for pigs housed in indirect calorimetry chambers where moisture production sources other than the pig’s respiration are minimized, analyzing MP data for a full-scale empty barn with varying sprinkler usage or heater usage to determine MP unrelated to the pigs, and partitioning the whole-house MP according to the above sources for pigs of various ages and at different barn temperatures.