Today we visited Van Rooi assembly center in Lieshout. There were sows and piglets at the time of our visit. Because there was a wind, the temperature in the barn was fairly comfortable, even though it was almost 30 degrees outside. The doors were open on both sides, allowing the wind to flow through the area.
The sows had troughs with water to drink from. In contrast to metal drinking nipples, troughs provide less competition for water between the sows. The water is also easier to access using this system. One sow was even stretched out in the water trough to cool down.
The piglets were in a different area of the barn and had litter. The doors were closed, but the barn manager says that they are opened as soon as it gets too hot. Mobile fans are also available for times when there is no breeze outside.
Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take photos and were only present at the assembly center for a short time due to the owner being unavailable at the time of our visit. Afterwards the owner did gave us a photo of the trough system we approved of.
