An Industry-Wide Question with Deep Roots
If you’ve been in the livestock business long enough, some years it seems like a losing game. You’ve probably heard the age-old question: What’s more valuable—the sow or the litter? It’s the kind of thing that comes up at producer meetings, in farrowing houses, and likely your granddad pondered as he was live breeding in those outdoor sloped pens. You remember the kind—concrete walls that came up past your waist and concrete sow bunks that allow thin sows to slip out.
The Case for the Sow—and the Risk of Injury
Why sure, at first glance, most folks will say the sow. After all, she’s the driving force behind every litter you raise. But here at ADA Enterprises, we believe it’s not an either/or situation. The truth is, both the sow and the litter are vital to a successful operation.
Let’s break it down. A good sow is more than just a pig-pulling machine. She’s an investment. You spend time selecting the right genetics, running those ornery Meishan boars past her every day, keeping up with her cycles, selecting the right boar, keeping her healthy through breeding, gestation, and lactation, and counting on her to wean strong, uniform pigs that’ll thrive on the nursery decks and in the finishing barn. But what happens when a sow slips trying to get up on poor flooring? Or rips a teat on a jagged, broken piece of flooring? That kind of injury can take her out of production quickly—she may go lame or develop a bad case of mastitis. Let’s be honest—a sow in that condition doesn’t leave the crate like the others. She drags down your weaned numbers and affects herd-wide mortality. Suddenly, that high-dollar production female with great maternal traits just became a liability.
The Flooring Solution: Dura Trac
That’s where Dura Trac flooring comes in. We have studied the downfall and problems that occur even in the best of sow farms throughout North America for over 50 years and have subsequently designed a flooring system like no other. Dura Trac farrowing floors have both the sow and her piglets in mind because you can’t protect one without looking out for the other. The plastisol coating on our flooring adds traction and smoothness without sacrificing strength. That means no more teats getting torn up from jagged or sharp edges, no more blown hocks from heavy slippage, and no more sows panicking because they can’t get their footing. A sow that feels sturdy on her feet and legs is less likely to thrash around in the crate or have a flight reaction, which means fewer piglets get crushed, and nursing time becomes more consistent.
Beyond the Numbers: The Bigger Picture
It’s easy to get caught up in the numbers game—how many pigs per sow per year, conception rate, weaning rate, and many more. But behind those numbers are real animals that need the right environment to hit their genetic potential. You can feed top-quality feed, use the best genetics, and monitor every step with cutting-edge sensors, like much of the industry is doing now. But if the flooring in your facility isn’t working with—and for—your animals, you’re leaving both money and pigs on the table. You can’t make money grow on trees, but by golly, you sure can get more pigs and pounds out the door if you’re willing to think outside the box. We get it, everything costs money. But does it even matter how much money you spend on genetics, if you have flooring that is junk and isn’t weaning and raising pigs to their genetic potential? At the end of the day, every sow that doesn’t make it out of the crate represents a lost investment.
Rethinking Priorities in Facility Investment
Maybe, as an industry, we need to take a step back and look at where money is being spent. Think of it this way: most people focus on genetics or the latest fancy sensors. Yes, those things are very vital, but that’s only 40 yards towards making a touchdown. Facilities—the barn, the pens, and last but most IMPORTANTLY the flooring—are the part of the equation we can absolutely control. Good flooring supports maternal instincts, reduces injuries and sickness, and helps your sows raise pigs the way nature intended—without getting hurt or weaning hard out of the crate. That’s a win for your sows, your pigs, and your bank account.
The Answer: Sow and Litter—Together
So, back to the original question: Sow or Litter? At ADA Enterprises, we say—Why choose? Your operation depends on both. That’s why we’ve made it our mission to support both, starting from the ground up. Because the best producers don’t choose between sow or litter—they build barns from the floor up that have stood the test of time. Designed to both protect and increase the longevity of your sows and their litters.
Josh Couch, Swine Sales Manager
ADA Enterprises, Inc.
