Effect of farrowing room temperature adjustment on total electrical energy consumption and sow and litter performance

Effective management of farrowing room temperature optimizes production costs by influencing sow feed intake, piglet growth, and long-term productivity, making it a crucial factor for farmers. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a 2 °C increase in the temperature setpoint in farrowing rooms equipped with a crossflow evaporative cooling system on total electrical energy consumption and sow and litter performance. Sows (parities 1 to 4) were allocated to two temperature treatments. In T23-20 (n = 232), room temperature was set to 23 °C during farrowing week and reduced by 1 °C per week, reaching 20 °C at weaning. In T25-22 (n = 213), temperatures were managed similarly, ranging from 25 °C to 22 °C. Total electrical energy consumption was 7,724 kWh for T23-20 and 6,151 kWh for T25-22, a 20.4% reduction in the energy consumption with the higher temperature threshold. However, sows in T23-20 had greater average lactation feed intake (6.5 ± 0.1 kg/day vs. 6.3 ± 0.1 kg/day; P = 0.03) and litter weight gain adjusted to 26 days (67.8 ± 1.3 kg vs. 62.0 ± 1.4 kg; P < 0.01) compared to T25-22. Pre-weaning mortality was not affected by treatment (7.9 ± 0.6% vs. 9.1 ± 0.7%; P = 0.23). Parity had a significant effect on sow body weight at farrowing and at weaning, sow lactation feed intake, and piglet average daily gain (P < 0.0001). Even small adjustments to the temperature setpoint of farrowing rooms can influence sow feed intake and piglet growth. Increasing the temperature by 2 °C reduced total electrical energy consumption by 20.4% (US$1.00/sow), but the economic losses associated with reduced piglet weaning gain were estimated at US$5.28/litter/sow. Therefore, adopting short- and long-term strategies to maintain cooler farrowing environments and respect the thermal needs of the sow is economically advantageous.