Preparing swine barns to sit empty

During difficult economic times, pork producers may consider leaving barns empty for an extended period. However, closing these facilities involves much more than simply emptying the barn and shutting off the lights, especially if it is anticipated that the barns may be brought back into production in the future.

Take steps to ensure your barn is safe when empty and has the ability to restart production economically in the future.

Thoroughly clean the facilities and equipment

• Removal of all organic material from the barn, penning, and equipment is necessary to minimize deterioration.
• Wash all surfaces thoroughly and allow them to dry completely, removing as much moisture as possible. Manure, animal dander, feed dust, and manure gases can all combine with moisture or condensation on cooler exterior surfaces, resulting in enhanced degradation.
• Grease motors, drive chains, and other moving metallic components to inhibit moisture penetration.

Empty feed lines, feeders and water lines

Feed contains salts and other products that, when combined with moisture, can cause corrosion.

• Empty out all feed lines and feeders, and flush feed lines with whole grain, such as corn, to remove as much of the feed particles and salts as possible.
• Flush and drain out water lines, blowing out lines with air if possible, to remove all water. Shut off the main water line entering the barn and remove all water openings, such as nipple water receptacles.

Remove all manure in storage

Removing manure from under empty barns is critical.

• Decomposing manure continues to produce gases, such as methane, hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide, and ammonia, even during cold weather.
• The buildup of methane poses an explosion risk, while other gases present extreme health and safety hazards.
• Take all necessary precautions while pumping out manure pits, including ensuring adequate ventilation, and attempt to remove all accumulated solids.
• Consider filling pits up one-third to one-half full with water after removing manure to relieve pressure and stress on pit walls, although this can also increase the level of condensation in the barn.

Supplemental heat is required in winter

• Maintain a minimum level of heat throughout the winter months to prevent the flooring and foundation from freezing and deteriorating, which could potentially compromise their structural soundness.
• Frost may crack exterior walls, causing leaks in pits and potentially resulting in structural failure.
• To ensure proper operation and minimize heating costs, have a qualified individual inspect and maintain the heating system.

Maintain and provide ventilation

Minimum ventilation should be provided in empty barns to ensure adequate removal of moisture and gases that may continue to accumulate either from manure decomposition or heater combustion in the barn. Failure to provide adequate ventilation may result in increased equipment and facility corrosion or severe injury or death due to carbon monoxide poisoning or hydrogen sulfide asphyxiation.

• Make sure the facility is reasonably “tight” and that room inlets are operating correctly to ensure fresh air is properly introduced and distributed in the barn from the designed air inlets.
• Use insulated panels or heavy plastic to prevent backdrafting and air leakage. Close and seal sidewall curtains in curtain barns and louvers of large summer operating fans in tunnels or year-round, mechanically ventilated barns.
• Allow only one side of the barn to introduce fresh air during winter months (south side in barns running east-west) to prevent snow blow through in the building attic.
• Finally, check the operation and cleanliness of all minimum ventilation fans. Dirty or rusted shuttles can reduce the airflow capacity of a direct drive fan by 40%.

Routinely inspect empty facilities

• Empty barns should be periodically checked, preferably on a weekly basis during cold weather.
• Inspect heating and ventilation systems to ensure they are functioning correctly.
• Check for signs of water or mold damage, particularly in the attic. These may indicate roof damage, or if the attic is humid, inadequate air distribution, suggesting insufficient ventilation.
• Actively bait and check rodent traps. Removing feed will help rodent control considerably, but maintaining bait stations should ensure that a rodent infestation does not occur.

Reopening the facility

When considering bringing a facility back into production, have all electrical and heating systems inspected by a qualified technician. 

Thoroughly test all other water and feed systems, equipment and penning for functionality prior to use.