Sow management: News for farrowing systems – from conventional to alternative

Big Dutchman offers semi- and fully-automatic feeding systems for suckling pigs, group lactation pens, variable-restraint pens and more.
calendar icon 3 June 2021
clock icon 7 minute read
Renke Specht group lactation pen
Renke Specht group lactation pen

© Big Dutchman

Requirements regarding sow management differ greatly on a global scale. However, all sow managers have one thing in common: they want to be profitable and ensure that their stock is healthy and well. This leads to high demands on the equipment – and to a wide range of farrowing products from Big Dutchman.

Great news for sow managers – a selection:

Feeding

CulinaCup | CulinaFlexpro

CulinaCup is a semi-automatic feeding system that provides suckling pigs with supplements such as milk and prestarters in a hygienic and efficient manner. The feed is dispensed into small cups. Until today, more than 28,000 of these cups have been installed worldwide.

CulinaCup
CulinaCup

© Big Dutchman

With CulinaFlexpro, Big Dutchman has turned the cup feeding system into a fully automatic facility for the feeding of suckling pigs. Feed is dispensed time-controlled through a feed valve. A sensor in the trough determines whether the trough is empty or whether feed is still available for the piglets. [Video reference Denmark] [Video reference Germany] [Video reference Netherlands]

CulinaFlexpro
CulinaFlexpro

© Big Dutchman

EasySlider

Optimising the feed supply is a central factor for economic success in sow management. In farrowing pens, the computer-controlled dosing device EasySlider contributes to this goal by ensuring that each sow can demand just as much feed as she needs. Moreover, the Big Dutchman innovation helps to prevent piglet losses: the sows no longer get up suddenly as they often do with fixed eating timetables.

Vario volume dispenser

The Big Dutchman volume dispenser Vario for sow feeding is available in all required configurations. And best of all: it dispenses small portions of as little as 100 g to 700 g of feed just as precisely as larger rations. This impressive range is made possible by an additional dosing flap for small quantities that can be inserted into the volume dispenser’s filling funnel.

Volume dispenser Vario
Volume dispenser Vario

© Big Dutchman

Management systems

ActiWel farrowing pen

Feedback from first use in the field confirms: sow managers are very happy with the smart concept of the ActiWel variable-restraint pen. It saves working time and ensures that the sows have a large area to move about without restrictions. The integrated farrowing frame can be closed during farrowing and in the first days of the piglets’ life. Closing and opening it requires only four steps – and there is no need to enter the sow area. [Video ActiWel]

ActiWel variable-restraint pen
ActiWel variable-restraint pen

© Big Dutchman

NaturalCare farrowing pen

To meet special requirements regarding the management system, Big Dutchman’s product range includes the NaturalCare free-movement pen, in which sows are only restrained for a short period of time, for example during veterinary treatments. Piglet protection bars prevent losses caused by overlying. A heated creep protects the piglets and functions as a retreat.

NaturalCare free-movement pen
NaturalCare free-movement pen

© Big Dutchman

Renke Specht group lactation pens

Big Dutchman customer Renke Specht is one of the few sow managers in Germany who keeps lactating sows in groups. His innovative concept, which he developed together with the pig equipment supplier from Vechta, proves its practicality in use – not only because of clearly increased animal welfare. The concept offers much more room for sows and piglets and corresponds to the sows’ natural behaviour of rearing their offspring in the group.

Every pen has been designed for three sows and their piglets, with 16.5 m2 dedicated to the sows and 4.5 m2 used as a separate piglet area. Generous openings provide the piglets with easy access to the sows. The sows, in contrast, cannot access the piglets’ creep.

Group lactation pens "Renke Specht" - sow management © Big Dutchman
© 2000 - 2024 - Global Ag Media. All Rights Reserved | No part of this site may be reproduced without permission.