Simulation-Aided Capacity Selection of Confinement Facilities for Swine Production

Evaluation of Replacement Policies in Sow Farms Using Arena<sup>TM</sup> Simulation Software

“…The contributions of the model are: 1) it solves the problem of getting an optimal replacement cycle for sows with no antecedent in previous simulation models like those of Allen and Stewart [13] and Sing [8], since the first one tries to find the optimal lactation periods and the second addresses only how to use the facilities of the farm in the best way, 2) the proposed model is built on a simulator, not simulation languages like those used by the authors mentioned above which in the past were very difficult to use for validation purposes , and 3) through the model it is possible to study a transient state of the system, important for decision making, for example for recognizing the payback period of the investment. The statistical analysis of the performance variable (average daily profit), of the proposed simulation model to replace sows showed that the optimum number of cycles to maintain in herd is eight.…”

“…From the whole set of parameters of entry, some of them were the result of execute goodnessof-fit tests with the software Best Fit by Palisade, with available information in farms of Spain [12]. Others are reported in the works of Allen and Stewart [13], Marín et al [14], Plá [15], Singh [8]. For example, Figure 4 shows the probability of distribution for the time up to the first estrus after having weaned the piglets.…”

“…It is convenient to highlight the need for models which consider the behavior of the system in the transition state and non-homogeneity of the parameters. The simulation [8] and semi-Markovian chains models [9] have been used to plan the pigs' facilities, but without including economic considerations. Kristensen and Sollestad [10] proposed a sows replacement model to predict the performance of the production using Markovian hierarchical multi-level processes and efficient methods of estimation of parameters.…”

A simulation model for intensive piglet production systems

“…Given the importance of the capacity of farm facilities, there exist simulation approaches focused in housing facilities, for instance, Singh (1986) proposed a simulation model to select the optimum capacity of swine production facilities considering batch management. Later on, Lippus et al (1996) adapted a previous Markov chain model, developed by Jalvingh et al (1992), to support strategic planning for housing facilities for sows.…”