Heating weaner sheds in winter represents a significant energy cost in the pig industry. Reducing the heating cost in weaner sheds may be a way to control the cost of production if animal welfare and performance are not compromised.

An overseas study showed that a heating regime with 6°C reduction in nocturnal temperature saved 30% energy cost without negative impacts on growth performance in winter (Johnston et al. 2013). This project studied the implementation of a similar system in the Australian climate.

An experiment was conducted to compare the two heating protocols and their impact on the growth performance of weaners housed in a conventional shed (metal slatted floor with the concrete lying area; 18 pigs/pen) in winter.

The two heating protocols are:

• STD (standard heating regime): set room temperature of a constant 28°C post weaning, then decreased by 2°C each week thereafter.
• NTR (Nocturnal Temperature Reduction): similar daytime temperature setting as STD but set to 22°C from 15:00 h to 07:00 h daily from 4 days post weaning.