What is better to make a slit floor for a pigsty and how to do it yourself
Farmers who are going to breed piglets should prepare special premises for this in advance. Slit floors are important for pigsties. These are comfortable floor coverings that greatly simplify the cleaning of sheds from manure and other debris. Before you start organizing floors, you need to familiarize yourself with their varieties and features.
Sex requirements for pigs
Before choosing a floor that would be suitable in terms of quality and cost, you need to familiarize yourself with the technical requirements for flooring. Indoor floors for breeding piglets should be:
- Resistant to wear and tear. It is no secret that floor coverings are often damaged in livestock buildings. Therefore, it is recommended to use reliable floors that are resistant to mechanical damage and are not destroyed by the waste products of piglets.
- Safe. When choosing a floor covering, you need to make sure that it is completely safe. Pigs' feet should not fall into crevices. Therefore, the maximum width of the holes should not exceed fifteen millimeters.
- Eco-friendly and hygroscopic. These floor coverings keep the barn clean. They practically do not absorb moisture, so that unpleasant odors do not accumulate inside the room.
- Practical and comfortable to use. Floors should be such that they can be easily cleaned of manure or food debris. They should also be easily disinfected and cleaned of contamination.
Advantages and disadvantages of slotted coating
Slatted floors have a number of disadvantages and advantages that you need to be aware of before using them. Among the advantages are the following:
- Reducing the risk of morbidity in piglets. Slotted coatings do not absorb moisture, and therefore animals in such pigsties are less likely to get sick with intestinal diseases and colds.
- Increased weight gain. When using such coatings, the daily weight gain reaches 80 grams.
- Reducing the amount of liquid you may need to clean the barn. To care for slotted surfaces, you need five times less water.
- Easy to manufacture. If desired, each farmer can independently make such a flooring for a barn, which contains piglets.
However, such coatings also have disadvantages, among which are:
- if they are made of low-quality metal, traces of rust appear on the surface;
- Galvanized metal floors have a high thermal conductivity and are therefore often cold.
Varieties
There are three types of slit coverings that are most often installed in pigsties.
Plastic
The most modern floors are considered to be made of high-strength plastic. It is impossible to make them yourself, since special equipment is used in their manufacture. Plastic floors are installed in small pigsties. If the room has a large area, plastic should not be used. This material can crack under the stress of a large number of animals.
The main difference between plastic products is their low thermal conductivity. Thanks to this, a high temperature will be kept inside the barn even in winter.
Metal
These slotted coverings are made of cast iron or galvanized metal. Although not very common, such products are considered the most reliable. They can withstand any stress and cope with mechanical damage. Also, iron does not absorb moisture, and therefore the inside of the barn will not smell like manure.
The only drawback is corrosion, which appears in rooms with high humidity.
Concrete
In large farms, concrete flooring is most commonly used. They are capable of handling heavy weight loads. For small farms, these floors will not work. The disadvantages of concrete structures are their high cost and complexity of manufacture.
Required tools and materials
Of all these types of coatings, a metal floor is considered the most suitable option for self-production. Before creating it, you need to prepare the materials and tools that will be needed to complete the work. These include:
- metal base in the form of galvanized sheets with a thickness of five millimeters;
- gloves;
- eye protection mask;
- work clothes;
- roulette;
- welding machine;
- grinder, with which the iron sheets will be cut.
How to install a slatted floor in a pigsty with your own hands
You can make an iron slatted floor in several successive stages:
- Make blanks. The width of the metal strips should not be more than ten centimeters. The gap between them is 1-2 centimeters.
- Weld the prepared iron strips. The parts should be welded with an overlap to make the structure stronger.
- Make supports. To prevent the floor from sagging, five metal supports are made. Four of them are placed on the sides, and one is placed in the center.
- Cover the installed metal structure with plastic or wood flooring. On such a surface, animals will sleep more comfortably.
Conclusion
A slatted floor is considered the most suitable floor covering for a pigsty. Before making it, you need to familiarize yourself with the design features, as well as its varieties and installation nuances.
