Livestock Toy's

[Muttley]

I just read in this weeks Western Producer that Europe is bringing in a plan that will force hog producers to put a toy in the pigpen for every 20 pigs.

Sounds like a good idea!! What grags my graw about it is that some pencil pushing person in some government tell you that you have to do it!!!!

Why would anybody try and make this mandatory? If it relieves stress and works I'm sure producers will try it, but do not tell me to do it. Watch, wait, and see, once Europe has it, it won't be long before Canada will adopt the notion.
They won't stop at pigs. It won't be long and every pasture will have a toy hanging from a tree. OH! excuse me now that wouldn't be enviromentaly friendly know would it.

Maybe I'm way off base here and should be agreeing with it. Maybe I'll start a new business. MUTTLEY'S TOY'S for the calf, piglet, foal, etc. that has everything.

[ianben]

Yes it is true but it is a farmers idea to avoid the use of straw.
New welfare regulations state pens must contain some fancy word material. They meant straw or any other bedding material so pigs could not be kept in stalls or on concrete slats
This messed up some manure handling systems big time as well as being more costly so some clever guy has got footballls and plastic toys classed as this fancy word material.

[TJM]

Muttly....you've got me laughing. This is probably going to sound just as bad but when we were in the hog industry, we did hang 'toys' for the 'kids' to play with. Old tires, ropes, chains, anything that would amuse them. But they would become bored of them rather fast so we would have to change them around often. And they would get into the game as well. Sometimes the 'toys' would become swinging so fast one wondered if they weren't 'weapons'.

I do agree with you that farmers will adopt almost anything if the cost can be justified by the benefit. We definitly don't need gov'ts telling us what is best for something they know little (rather, nothing in most cases) about.

Clever way to get around a tough legislation in the UK don't you think!

[Muttley]

Yea your right, I see nothing wrong with having something in the pen to play with. Like you I used to put tires and such for the pigs to play with to. It's just that old government crap about telling me to do it.