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When Larry Nightingale constructed a 50' x 500' building to produce cage-free eggs on his 700-acre farm in Pulaski, IA, utilizing the manure from the 20,000 laying hens was an important consideration. "A deep pit has less moving parts than a scraper system and having 12 months of storage allows us to apply all the manure in the fall after the crops are out," explained Larry.

Access door to manure pit

  The eight-foot-deep pit under the building consists of a steel reinforced concrete floor with eight-inch formed perimeter walls. Two openings, with slider doors, permit access on each side to remove the litter from the pit with a skid loader. Cross section with plastic flooring and nests suspended above pit

The nests and flooring are suspended above the pit with a support system constructed from 8-inch "I" beams spaced on ten-foot centers. The "I" beam framework sets in pockets in the pit walls and is supported in the center by steel posts.

Potter's colony nests

 A double row of single-tier Potter's colony nests runs down the middle of the building. Curtain fronts on the nest provide the hens with a secure, dark laying area with AstroTurf® covered floors sloping to the center collection belt.   The nest floors rise to exclude the birds from the nest during the night.

GrowerSELECT chain feeder with additional roost bars located on plastic flooring.

18’ of raised plastic slatted flooring extends on each side of the nest boxes with the chain feeding and water lines located there.

  Unique triangle supports used on the GrowerSELECT chain feeding trough provide additional roosts for the hens.

Precast concrete scratch area  

One noteworthy design feature is the pre-cast concrete used for the scratch areas located along the outside walls. 4' x 10' solid concrete slabs were placed on the support beams roughly four inches lower than the plastic slats. Manually operated access doors located above the scratch area permit the birds to access outside pasture runs.

Windstorm galvanized fans with sidewall curtains used in the natural/ power ventilation system

The natural/ power assist ventilation system provides the birds with a comfortable year-round environment.   Three 52" Windstorm pit fans cycle on timers during the winter drawing air through ceiling inlets. As the temperature increases, the sidewall curtains start to drop to allow natural airflow to cool the interior. At approximately 80 degrees the system switches to tunnel ventilation with the sidewall curtains closing and end tunnel curtains opening as the ten Windstorm 54" end wall fans stage on.   Although deep pit structure may have a higher initial cost, there are several advantages for integrated farming operations. 12 months of storage allows fall application for maximum crop utilization. As Larry pointed out, a deep pit is virtually maintenance free with no moving parts compared to using a scraper or belt system to remove the manure from under the slatted area to a separate storage pit.

The pen gestation continues to evolve as producers gain "real world" experience managing production systems.

In 2012 Prestage Farms remodeled an existing finishing complex into breeding and farrowing units and installed stanchions in the pen gestation. You can read more about the remodel project here.   Production Manager, Russ Goss, explained some of the changes made in new sow units built this year,   "In the new facilities, we increased the square footage from 19.5 to 23 per sow, and the stanchion width changed from 19" to 24" on center. In addition, the rodded stanchion dividers were increased from 18” to 48”.

"Extending the dividers changed the behavior of the dominant sows in a pen. Shorter dividers enabled the boss sow to disturb the other animals, and you would see some of them repositioning during the feeding period. The 48" divider prevents the aggressive animals from reaching the shoulders of their pen mates. Instead of going down the line and disrupting other animals, they quickly figure out they can't move anybody and just return to their spot."

"The other thing we see is at any one time 50% of the animals in a pen will be lying in the stanchions.   They never laid in the shorter stanchions, but would always be lying around the "donut" in the middle with their backs against the pen perimeter gating.   A sow always wants to lay with her back against something. She feels secure in the longer stanchions and she appears comfortable staying there, but is also free to leave and move around the pen."   Russ continued, “We have noticed that after the initial fighting to establish the pecking order in the pen, the sows are noticeably calmer and quieter compared to our stall barns.”

"Using pen gestation with stanchions fits our system and personnel. The ESF systems are really an intriguing concept... being able to feed and track sows individually in loose housing. Maybe it's our genetics, but I don't think it's that important for us to feed a sow individually all the way through gestation. From our experience, we can effectively condition the sow the first 6 weeks in gestation. However, if we do not have all sows in the ideal condition, we will group them together and set all feeders in the pen accordingly.

A move to 21-day weaning along with an increasing born live, sent Great Lake Pork, headquartered in Allendale, Michigan in search of the best method for ad-lib feeding in farrowing. 

"Improved sow genetics resulted in more pigs farrowed plus we wanted to boost pig weights by weaning later. We needed to push more feed to the sows and increase consumption," commented Great Lakes Pork, partner Joel Phelps.  

After trialing several different feeder and water combinations, Great Lake Pork settled on a Hog Slat's SowMAX with a floor mounted cup waterer.   "We feel the stainless steel SowMAX dispensers are more durable and easier to install on the different feed bowls in our system. The sow activated trigger mechanism is more reliable than models incorporating plastic balls or electronic timers, " said Joel.  

"We have barns where the ad-lib hoppers are hand-filled and those with automated delivery systems; the results are the same, one just requires a little more labor. We fill the feeder starting on day one and let the sow have all the feed she wants.   That's the beauty of ad-lib, there's no guessing like with hand-feeding, sows eat as individuals when they are ready."  

"Although we don't weigh individual litters, we know the sows are milking well, and they are doing it without losing body weight. They are coming out of the farrowing houses in very good condition which helps in the breeding barn."  

Joel finished by saying; “ As soon as we finished the trial and decided on the equipment we made the switch across the entire system, 18 sow farms in all. That was over three years ago and we’ve never regretted it. It has been a good decision for us.”

Potter's colony nests

A group of Missouri farmers is developing production systems needed to meet the growing demand for cage-free eggs. The producers contract with local egg companies to provide facilities that meet established humane standards for egg production. Unlike typical industry contracts, the farmers are also responsible for purchasing the birds and feed along with supplying labor.

Side doors allow chicken access to outdoor pasture

Farms produce either free-range or pastured eggs. Free-range hens have access to exterior areas equal to 2 sq. ft. per bird, while the pastured designation requires 108.9 sq. ft. per hen.   The farms receive 17-week old pullets that begin laying at 19 weeks with full production reached at around 24 weeks.

Center egg gathering belt with AstroTurf pad

The 50’ wide buildings feature a double row of colony nests down the center of the room, allowing nine sq. ft. of nest area per 100 hens.   Curtain fronts on the nest provide the hens with a secure, dark laying area with AstroTurf® covered floors sloping to the center collection belt.

Raised flooring with either pan feeders or chain feeding

12’ of raised plastic slatted flooring extends on each side of the nest boxes with the feed and water lines located there. A 9-1/2' lowered scratch area runs along each sidewall.

Windstorm 36" panel  fans and 54" exhaust  fans

The ventilation system is a combination power/ natural design with a 36” fan and ceiling inlets providing minimum air requirements. Two 52” fans stage on as the weather warms with the sidewall curtains dropping to supply the increased airflow. Hot weather triggers high-pressure misters on with 36” box fans increasing air circulation. Some of the larger facilities also add evaporative cooling systems with tunnel ventilation fans for extremely hot weather and eliminate the sidewall curtains, misters, and 36" stir fans.

Automated access doors to outside runs with portable shades outside.

Hens are locked out of the nests overnight until 5:30 am. Egg collect begins at 9 am with the sliding side doors opened at 10 am to allow the hens access to the outside runs. Chickens can move freely in and out of the buildings during the day choosing their environment. In the outside lots, the hens have access to portable shades along with supplemental feed and water.

Manual egg packer and automatic version

A second egg collection occurs mid-afternoon. Smaller facilities hand pack the eggs from the center collection belt while larger operations utilize an automated packing machine. Walk-in egg coolers capable of maintaining 45-degree temperatures hold the eggs until the farm’s weekly pickup. The building’s side doors remain open until after dark with the interior lights left on to draw the hens in before closing up for the night. Approximately ½ hour before shutting down the building lights, the nest floors lift up gently pushing the hens out of the colony nest and blocking access until the next morning.

Andy Altenburg is an expert when it comes to bad slats.  Sitting at a massive, 1200-pound conference table made with a full-size concrete slat, the owner of Altenburg Construction in Lewisville, MN explained how he got started in the business.

Altenburg Construction Conference Table

“I was working for a local producer at a nursery site. We were building new buildings like crazy during that time and got behind grouting slats. Grandpa had an old portable mixer out back, and I figured I could mix cement and sand together, and I needed the money. Later I started repairing slats, and when some of the slats were too bad to fix I figured out a way get the old ones out and new ones in.”

“Our goal from the very beginning was to develop tools to make slat replacement faster with less labor. We developed and manufactured the machines we needed learning as we went. Our volume continues to grow each year because we are getting more efficient. We are on track to replace 20,000 slats by the end of 2016.”

Project Manager, Tyler Sauck explained some guidelines to use when examining the condition of slats in a facility.

Look for damage on the side when cracks are visible on top

“The first thing to judge when you see a crack in slat is how deep it is. Surface cracks aren’t a big deal, but if that crack is deep or starting to separate, it becomes a concern. We look for damage on the sides. One of biggest problems comes from improper rebar placement. If the manufacturer placed the rebar too close to the sides or bottom, you’ll see it swell and pop out the concrete.”

Support beams are the cause of many slats failures.

“Really the support beams are a bigger problem than the slats. Everyone can easily see if slats are bad, but checking the beams takes more work. We shine a flashlight down through the slat openings and look closely at the beams. Many times slats on top appear to be fine, but the beams will be shot. You also have to look at both sides of the beam; one side can look perfect and the other side will have rebar hanging out of it.”

Crumbling slat pocket caused this beam to fall

“Another overlooked area is the amount of bearing surface the beam has on a column or end wall pocket. We like to see at least 3” of bearing surface. Over time a building can shift, especially on the end walls. We recommend producers add a pre-cast column at the end wall when building new barns.”

Dry cast slats, machined finished slats in the yard.

Andy joined in, “This year we set slats produced by 13 different manufacturers. The building owner buys the slats; we only set them. Let me tell you, every company can build good slats some of the time, but only a few can build good slats consistently.   The key is quality control. The best manufacturers use machine finished, dry cast concrete and steam cure the slats.”

Setting top quality slats on new construction project.

“Biggest mistake I see in new construction is trying to save money on slats. A guy builds his first barn and thinks all slats are the same. Well, they aren’t, concrete slats are not a commodity product, and there is a difference. Spend the money up front, and you won’t be calling us to replace them near as soon.

Not everything at Altenburg Construction is work. Andy likes to build and race stock cars. We found this in the back shop.

Stan Shrock fills a unique niche in the poultry industry as an independent pullet producer supplying independent layer customers.

Stan explained, “I have an arrangement to raise pullets for two local independent producers. I bring them in as one-day-old chicks and raise them until 16 weeks of age. I own the chickens and supply the feed with this arrangement. I also raise one flock a year for a producer from outside the state where he supplies the chicks and feed under contract.”

Stan’s construction background enabled him to act as his general contractor and build the 50’ x 320’ structure with local labor. The house will hold up to 25,000 pullets.

Stan Shrock with Rotem house controller

The Rotem house controller acts to integrate all of the building systems into a central station to monitor daily production inputs. Along with controlling and tracking the ventilation, heating, and water data the controller also automatically records bird weights and daily feed consumption.

BinTrac Load Cell Bracket feeds information to record and monitor feed levels.

Each bin leg has a load cell bracket attached and relays information to the digital summing box which feeds a display unit mounted inside the office. This display unit, in turn, is linked to the house controller which records and stores feed intake. Stan can easily monitor the flock’s daily feed consumption and note any problems that can affect production.

Rotem hanging scale records chick weight in only 3 seconds.

A hanging scale automatically weighs the birds as they mount the platform. Only 2 to 3 seconds are required for an accurate weight to register to the controller. Stan’s contract includes a bonus on weight uniformity based on the average recorded from the scale system.

Plastic flooring and water line are raised to 24″ to train pullets

The building contains an innovative approach to training pullets for their transition to the layer house. A section of slatted flooring is positioned under each water line. Gradually the water lines and flooring are raised to a height of 24” before the pullets go out. Stan’s layer customers report fewer floor eggs from pullets conditioned with this technique.

Anti-roosting fixtures above pan feeders

Unique anti-roost fixtures above the feeders prevent chicks from soiling the pan feeders but still allow the feed line to be used as a roost.

Wall inlets with light trap hoods outside.

The building features a cross ventilation system with automatically adjusted wall inlets along one wall with light traps on the outside. The fan banks are located on the opposite wall. Stan explained the system; “We felt cross ventilation fit our production model better than tunnel ventilation. We saw excellent circulation patterns when we smoked the building. When the outside temperatures were 95° we stayed at 90° inside.”

Cross ventilation fans with light trap hoods

The building is set up for half-house brooding with five 80,000 BTU, U-tube heaters supplying 400,000 BTU of heating capacity. Stan commented, “ The brooders do a great job of throwing heat to the outside walls, and we get even temperature across the brood area. Additional heat is supplied on the far end with three 40’ long, 100,000 tube heaters.”

Big Foot U-Tube in brooder area with GroTube Infrared heaters in the remainder of the house.

Stan finished up by saying, “ The chicken business has been a nice addition to our farming operation. It fits in with our purebred cattle as we utilize the litter to fertilize the pastures. I am pleased with how the building performs. As a matter of fact, the only thing I would change is the office…I didn’t build it big enough!”

Your reaction on seeing the PRICE of Hog Slat’s Vent Actuator will probably be to dismiss it as a low quality item.  You get what you pay for.

Don’t let the price fool you.

The Vent Actuator is a great example of Hog Slat’s engineering expertise, combined with global sourcing and lean distribution chain.  

Engineering added features to increase the useful life of the unit.

24″ stroke length with a maximum speed of 1/4″ per second and adjustable limit switches.

Built-in potentiometer sends feedback to room controller to position air inlets.

800 lb. payload

Increased protection of interior electrical components with clamped extension boots and motor seals.  Overall, the Actuator’s Internal Protection Rating is 65 vs. competitive brands with ratings of only 53.  (See What is an IP rating?)

Hog Slat’s lean distribution chain model direct sources products and delivers them to the farm without an expensive and outdated dealer network.   (See eliminating margin stack)

All in all, a great product at a great price.

The Right Kind of Sticker Shock.  For ordering information go to HS667-24.

Gene and Phyllis Williams

“The chicken business works good with land and cattle,” Gene Williams commented as he looked out across the pasture next to his farm outside of Everett Springs, GA. “The land gives you a place to spread the litter; the chicken litter builds up the pastures, and the poultry checks provide a steady income when cattle prices are tough.”

Gene and Phyllis Williams have included poultry farming in building their family’s business for over 40 years. Starting with a registered Angus herd, they expanded into the poultry business by leasing two breeder houses in 1975, followed by building three new broiler houses in 1978. In 1994, the family business grew to include The Calhoun Stockyard, and again when oldest son Michael and his wife Shelby made the decision to build four new broiler houses in 2003.

Their middle son, Adam, and wife Jenny moved back to the farm in 2013. In 2014, the two older sons joined with younger brother, Jacob, and his wife Natalie, to purchase a neighboring land tract to form the Circle W Ranch entity. Central to this expansion was the construction of eight 66′ x 600′ broiler houses, each capable of holding 62,000 birds per flock.

Circle W Ranch with Eight 66′ Wide Broiler Houses near Everett Springs, GA.

The tunnel ventilated houses feature Windstorm 54″ exhaust fans, Hog Slat EVAP Systems, and TEGO tunnel doors, regulated by a Rotem control system. The GrowerSELECT feed system utilizes Classic Flood feed pansalong with supplemental feeders in the brooder section. One notable feature is a dedicated feed line with Hi-Grow feeders, used for the first ten days of a new flock and then winched up out of the way. Also, a special hanger line above each feed line permits storage of the Hi-Grow feeders inside the house.

Windstorm 54″ fans power the ventilation system. Shown with winter fan covers to reduce energy loss.

TEGO tunnel doors seal up cool cell openings and direct air up and across the ceiling to promote proper mixing.

Black arrow highlights dedicated starter line in raised position with feeders attached

The dedicated feed line for supplemental feeding in the brood area.

Still actively involved in the daily farming operations, Gene and Phyllis continue to influence the education and work ethic of the ten grandchildren joining the family workforce.

Three generations of the Williams family.

Dedicated chick  line with Hi-Grow feeders.

“Several years ago we came up with the idea of installing a dedicated feed line in the brood area to add extra feeder space and reduce hand filling, “explained Georgia producer, Jacob Williams.

Hi-Grow feeders installed on main feed lines between GrowerSELECT Classic Flood pans.

“Although we added additional feed drops and feeders between the pans on the main lines, we still didn’t meet our integrators requirement for enough extra feed spaces in the brood area. In the past, this meant we placed additional feeders or trays between the lines and had to fill them by hand.” continued Jacob.

Eight broiler houses at Circle W Ranch near Everett Springs., GA.

Jacob along with his brothers, Adam, Michael and their families own Circle W Ranch, located near Everett Springs, GA. Circle W Ranch recently constructed eight 66’x 600′ broiler houses each holding approximately 54,000 birds.

Black arrow highlighting dedicated feed line in the raised position.

The 290′ long feed line with 124 Hi-Grow feeders is located in the middle of the brood area. Constructed of plastic, the 10-pound capacity feeders reduce wastage compared to standard trays or paper. After providing the additional feeder space for ten days, the entire line is winched up out of the way along with the feeders.

“We have to gather up the Hi-Grow feeders under the main lines and store them when we are done brooding,” said Jacob, “Being able to store the pans right on the feed line when we winch it up is another great feature.”

“Having the dedicated chick line fill automatically not only saves labor but frankly, just does a better job than we can do by hand,” noted Jacob, “You know how it goes; you get busy, and feeders don’t get filled up right away, and you have empty hoppers. You just don’t see that happening with a dedicated line; that means we start with a more uniform flock and get better performance at close out.”

“Our old feeders just weren’t allowing us to compete with some of the newer barns around the area. Our very first flock with new Classic Flood feeders settled at # 1″, explained Exeter, MO grower, C.L. England.

“We felt like changing out the feeders in our 29-year old buildings was a cost effective way to lower our production costs. We proved that out with .2  improvement in feed conversion on the first flock.”

“One of the biggest factors is probably the flood feature of the new pans. With our old pans, we had to hand-fill feeders with extra feed when starting a flock. With the Classic Flood feeders, we just drop the feeders and the pans fill with feed automatically. Getting extra feed into the chicks at the start makes a big difference at settlement.”

“I’m pleased we made the change as it appears it’s an investment that will pay us back quickly,” said C.L.