TITLE:
Flat Belt Separation System under Slat in Fattening Pig Housing: Effect of Belt Slope Angle
AUTHORS:
Francisco Alonso, Aranzazu Mateos, Jesús Vázquez, Miguel Angel Garcimartín, Elvira Sánchez, Ismael Ovejero
KEYWORDS:
Flat Belt, Manure, Separation and Drying Efficiency, Separation System, Swine
JOURNAL NAME:
Agricultural Sciences,
Vol.9 No.6,
June
25,
2018
ABSTRACT: In this study, the separation and drying efficiency of the excreta, separated into solid and liquid fraction by a flat conveyor belt under a partial slatted floor in a facility for fattening pigs, was determined. Two transverse slope angles (4° and 6°) for the flat belts were used, in a trial with pigs from 20.61 to 117.83 kg of live weight (LW), and the sample size was 7 pigs per pen, 42 pigs per room. The flat belt was more efficient with 6° than with 4° slope angle (32.65% vs. 29.91% dry matter content of solid fraction during the whole fattening period, respectively; P ° than for the 4° (1.4137 vs. 1.3030, during the whole fattening period; P °, this efficiency was not improved in finishing period -83.40 to 117.83 kg LW (two extractions per day) with regard to the growth period -20.61 to 83.40 kg LW (one extraction per day). Meanwhile, with 4° it did improved. The ventilation system underneath slat seems to play a key role in the obtained results.