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In 2005 Dustin Anderson and Paul Anderson came to an agreement on a  venture allowing Dustin to quit his job at the local coop and farm full time. Besides farming 1,500 acres, Paul also serves as a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives and wanted to devote more time to his political career.   Part of the agreement included each of them constructing a 2,498 head finishing house with Dustin managing the sites.

original sort barn

Dustin explained “The integrator that we fed with at the time spec’ed a sort barn system and we constructed the facilities according to the standard plan. The sort barn was different from what we were used to managing.  The pigs had to be trained to go through the sorting scale for about three weeks, we had to force them through until they learned where the feed was. Even with that type of training there always seemed to be a handful of pigs that refused to go through the sorting scale. They would literally starve themselves to death.  In addition, anytime the pigs became sick, the whole barn would refuse to go into the food court.  We would then have to open up the gates and give them access to the feeders. After a couple of days of that, we would have to retrain them all again!”

“Our death loss was a little higher than we would have like because it was hard to treat individual pigs. The pigs had a half a barn to run around in and giving a shot or separating a pig from the group was a job. The one thing I will say is that the pigs loaded for market like a dream. I could literally load a semi in 15 minutes. The pigs were accustomed to moving around in large pens, and they would run right up into the truck.”

Dustin continued, “Several years ago we changed companies and quickly found out our feed conversion and rate of gain were not measuring up.  In order to compete, we felt we needed to convert to a more typical pen layout.

“We called our local Hog Slat rep, Wade Finch, when we got serious about doing the retro.  Wade measured up the rooms and met with us several times before we decided on a final layout.  We set up the rooms with a center alley and 18 pens measuring 18’8” wide X 23’9” long holding 65 head each.

In addition, we created four “sick pens” that are 9’4” wide.

We also added extra gating by the feeders so we can shut off the front of the pen and presort for load out.

It took a lot of cutting and welding, but we were able to utilize most of the existing gating, feed system and watering equipment for the retro.”

Justin was just starting to sort pigs out of the first remodeled barn the day of my site visit.  When I asked about the results he replied, “We would typically start to sell out of the old system after 18 weeks and finish up with the last ones going out at 22 weeks. We’ll start selling the first group out of the remodeled barn at 13 weeks, and I’m sure the last pigs will be gone at 15 weeks. Chores are much easier; I can see all the pigs and treat sick ones without having to chase them around.”

“Now that I see the results, I wish I would have done it several years ago!”

I recently caught up with Mark Daughtry of Prestage Farms in North Carolina to discuss his experience with SowMax farrowing ad lib feeders.  Mark is the Sow Production Manager in North Carolina and oversees about 55,000 sows.  He quickly corrected my terminology regarding the SowMAX.

“First of all…” Mark said, “the SowMAX is not a sow feeder.  It’s a feed storage device that delivers feed to the sow on demand. It’s like having a bunch of MINI FEED BINS sitting above the feeders ready to deliver fresh feed on demand.

“I’m not sure exactly what you mean.”

Look I’ve been working with sow herds for 24 years in one way or another. The BIGGEST challenge I’ve faced in that time has been training farrowing house personnel to feed lactating sows.  It is extremely difficult to feed sows correctly by hand.

Sows are individuals and depending on their genetic makeup some sows are capable of eating much more feed on a daily basis than the group.  If you were to look at daily feed intake per sow, you would see a normal bell curve.  The bulk of sows will eat somewhere between 18-22 pounds per day, but some of those gals will eat as high as 30 pounds a day! Those are the sows that normally don’t get fed correctly with hand feeding.

If we decide that 20 Lbs is all we will ever feed any sow, then those high appetite sows are going to get short changed.  Those are the sows that will typically wean desirable large litters of heavy pigs.

I like to think of today sows as being like high performance race cars.  If we don’t fuel up a race car, it will not run.  Same with sows, they are capable of high performance as far as producing large numbers of pigs, but we have to get the feed/fuel in them.

How does that change with SowMAX?

SowMAX allows us to feed sows to full appetite without guess work.  Our feeding regiment in farrowing goes like this:

For three days prior to farrowing we feed four pounds of feed through the SowMAX.  We instruct the farrowing personnel to place two pounds, twice a day in the SowMAX hopper.  This gets them up each time and gets them accustomed to activating the trigger lever on the SowMAX.

After farrowing, we continue to hand feed for two more days.  On day three, we fill them up and monitor feed disappearance.

Feed disappearance? What does that mean?

Simply put it means that we fill the SowMAX up twice a day and look the amount feed that is gone in the hopper.  As long as the sow is eating over half of that amount we just fill it up again and go on.  We are only concerned with the sows that aren’t eating; that’s the one that’s having trouble and needs our attention.

“You know Mark, feed is very expensive; what about a producer’s concern that SowMAX may be getting more feed into the sows but that it’s also wasting more feed?”

Our experience has shown the exact opposite.  We waste less feed with SowMAX than hand feeding, and that’s easy to figure out.  With hand feeding if you guess wrong and put more feed in the feeders than she can eat, it spoils and you end up dumping it out.  The SowMAX delivers fresh feed to the feeders….on demand….whenever a sow is ready to eat.   Human judgment is eliminated….we don’t have to try and outguess mother nature. Again, we have those MINI FEED BINS sitting there ready to deliver feed whenever she’s ready to eat.

Do you have farms with other types of systems?

Yes, we have automatic systems where feed is dumped from drops into the feeders several times a day.  There is less physical labor but it really isn’t any better than hand feeding.  You still have to guess on the amount of feed each sow will consume each day.  Plus, as the systems get older they take more maintenance; it seems like we are always fixing a switch or replacing a motor. SowMAX works everyday; no timers, no motors, no switches, nothing to wear out.

With SowMAX, we fill the hopper, and we have some flexibility if something goes wrong.  In a dire emergency, we still have almost a day’s worth of feed storage at each hopper.  We have other systems that use a plastic tube and have almost no storage.  We have a lot more cushion with SowMAX than the other systems.

So with SowMAX, you are able to “fuel up the race cars” What differences do you see in performance?

First, there are only two things that make milk, feed and water.  A sow produces more milk per body weight than a milk cow.  Can you image a dairyman limit feeding a milk cow?  That would never happen, yet we expect a sow to produce to her full genetic potential on limit feeding!  SowMAX allows us to fully feed sows according to their individual appetite and they produce heavier litters.

Second, we quit condition scoring sows coming out of the farrowing crates that are using SowMAX.  Rarely would we have a Two score, they consistently scored as Threes. Because of their better body condition rebreeding is improved.

We have SowMAX in about 5,000 crates in North Carolina.  You can bet that any updates or remodels that we do in the future will include SowMAX feeders also.

To learn more go to http://hogslat.com/sowmax-feed-dispenser on our web store.

Ever notice how some people or companies try to make a job more difficult than it has to be?

Today I read an article about a show case farm with an  integrated computer system including electronic sow feeding.  There is a picture showing a hand held computer programming in the amount of feed that a sow will receive according to its body condition score.

Looks like a complicated and expensive system that isn’t any more effective than hand feeding.  If the computer based delivery system puts more feed in front of the sow than she can eat then it spoils and if the system puts in too little she doesn’t get the nutrients she needs for full milk production.

Compare this to feeding with a SowMAX.

You fill the hopper.  The sow activates the lever and eats as much or as little as she wants….whenever she wants……night or day.

No guess work.  No wasted feed.  No under fed animals.

In the same e-mag there was also an advertisement describing an ad lib sow feeder that looked a lot like the SowMAX.  One crucial difference though, it described the product as having a “timer that dispenses food at desired intervals over a 24 hour period”

Who’s desired time, yours or the sow’s?   Why would you use a timer and motor instead of a lever?   Most importantly this feeding dispenser still requires the operator to make a decision on the amount of feed that is metered out in 24 hours.

Again, same story. Feed too much and you’ll get spoilage or feed too little and the sows produce less milk.   The SowMAX system lets the sow make the decision instead of a human operator.

SowMAX is the best Ad Lib Feeder on the market today.

• All stainless steel construction instead of plastic or nylon which means it lasts longer.
• Simple mechanical activation instead motor and switches which means no parts to replace.
• Eliminates guess work in determining the amount of feed which means the sows are always feed correctly.

To learn more about SowMAX go to http://hogslat.com/sowmax-feed-dispenser

SowMAX ad lib dispenser

Claiming an Ad Lib Sow Feeder can save feed may seem like a contradiction of terms.  How can allowing a sow unlimited access to feed save money on feed?

It’s simple really…sows are individuals with different eating and consumption patterns.  Some days they’re extra hungry, some days they’re not. Sows also prefer to eat at different times of day.

It’s hard to guess right when feeding lactating sows.  Feed them too much and they don’t eat it all…it spoils in the feeder and you end up dumping it out and wasting feed.

That’s the beauty of the SowMAX ad lib dispenser.  The hopper is filled, either by hand or from an overhead auger system, and the sow decides how much she will eat.  She eats to appetite without wasting feed…..you’ll see heavier litters; sows stay in better condition coming out of lactation and reduced feed waste.

To learn more go to http://hogslat.com/sowmax-feed-dispenser

A couple of weeks ago I received a call from Fritz Richards, Hog Slat’s national sales manager. Next time you are in North Carolina we need to run out to TDM #29 and take a look at the way they are utilizing a SowMAX feeder for feeding weaned sows.” It just so happened I was going to be in North Carolina the following week so I met Fritz at his office and we set out for the farm.  As we drove he filled me in.   “They have adapted 30 of the breeding row stalls with small bowl feeders and SowMAX dispensers mounted in the front gate.    It’s giving them a chance to compare the results against the other 70 stalls that are fed by the standard method.”   “What is the thinking behind that?" I asked.   “They know that if they can increase the energy intake of a sow from weaning to first service they will get production benefits.  The problem has been it’s tough to increase consumption without over feeding and wasting feed.  With the high cost of feed it’s more important than ever to feed sows correctly without wastage.”   “We have had several industry production advisors through the farm recently and they were very positive about what they saw.”   We showered into the farm and happened to catch the unit manager, Britt Hooper and his staff during their morning break.  Fritz spoke with Britt about his early experiences with the SowMAX test.  To view a video of his observations please go to http://hogslat.com/sowmax-feed-dispenser

Billed as the world’s top event for animal production, EuroTier was held this past week in Hanover, Germany.  Producers from across the world attend EuroTier and for many it was their first exposure to American style production equipment as exhibited by Hog Slat.

We spoke with Hog Slat’s European sales manager, Kirk Brincks and asked about international producers comments concerning the equipment. He replied, “ Their general reaction is Hog Slat builds durable products that represent a good value.  They like the common sense design and how it is incorporated into the overall building layout.”

We asked Kirk what particular item was most popular, “ I would have to say the SowMAX dispensers.  All producers are facing high feed costs and feed saving equipment is important to them.  A customer, with sow farms in the Ukraine and Poland, has installed over 1,000 SowMAX units and is sold on the feed savings.”

He continued, “Another big item of interest is concrete slats.  We had many producers who see them for the first time and immediately comment on the quality.  I think people tend to view concrete slats as all being kind of the same, but we really do build a slat that will last longer.  Experienced producers seemed to recognize it very quickly.”

“And”, he laughed, “they always ask when are we building a slat plant near them”

Kirk finished up with, “The Grower Select line has caught on quickly. We have several production companies that we work with in identifying their high replacement items, providing them easy order forms and stocking those parts for quick delivery.   Grower Select just fits with Hog Slat’s basic philosophy of providing producers with a better value for their money……. in this case it’s excellent quality replacement parts that are priced right.”

One of the steps in adding new items to our product line is on the farm testing.  Mike Lucariello, regional manager for Georgia Poultry in Missouri and Arkansas, did the initial trials using starter feeders vs. feed trays in his broiler houses.  We talked on the phone recently about his experiences.

How did you set up the trial?

Mike: “We took two houses and randomized the birds evenly between the breeder flock sources to eliminate any possible differences.  In one house we fed the chicks on traditional feed trays and in the other we set starter feeders under the feed lines. We then weighted the chicks at 7, 14 and 21 days.  The chickens in the starter feeder house were routinely 8-12% heavier than feed tray house.  We repeated the trial this time, switching the houses between trays and feeders and had almost identical results…..starter feeders are now part of our routine.

Describe how you set up the house with starter feeders?

Mike: Each of our houses holds 23,500 birds and we aim to have one supplement feeding station per 75-100 birds.  We can place 150 starter feeders between the pan feeders under the feedline. We also like to remove the pan under the control pan and replace it with a large 3×3 cardboard tray so the chicks will activate the control pan quicker.   We add additional 100 paper trays under the brooders that we feed by hand for 3 days.  After that we pick up the paper trays and replace the pan on the end control and all the supplemental feeding is done in starter feeders.

Any ideas why the chickens were heavier in the building using starter feeders?

Mike:   Yes, it is easier to keep supplemental feed in front of the chicks.  Using feed trays requires the grower to manually operate the feed system.  They have to run the feed system several times a day to put feed on the trays.  This becomes increasing difficult, as the chicks get older and more aggressive and start scattering feed as it drops in the trays in the front of the house. The grower has to shut off the front drops as they fill the trays so feed will be delivered equally to the end of the brooder area.   With the starter feeders you simply position the feeders under the feedline and fill them up.  Within a couple of days the control pan is regulating feed delivery automatically and distributing it down the entire length on the house.   Supplemental feed is always available to the birds.

Most growers would like to put out supplemental feed for ten days but with feed trays this can be a challenge.  Since the system is manual it’s a little bit of a guessing game to know how much feed to run out.  The chicks lie in the trays, scatter and defecate in the feed.    A real aggressive flock will waste so much feed growers will stop supplement feeding after eight days.

With starter feeders the birds can’t lay in the feed, they aren’t scratching feed into the litter and feed is always available.  We can easily keep supplemental feed in front of the chickens for 15-16 days with very minimal wastage.

That early feed intake is critical.  The faster we can get their allotment of starter rations into the birds the heavier those chickens will be at settlement.

We understand not everyone is proponent of starter feeders?

Mike: Yes that’s true.  Some people will argue feed trays provide more eating space.  Consider this, when there are 100 birds lying in a feed tray, access is very limited.   We think their access to feed is increased vs. trays because birds are not covering up the feed.

Do you clean the feeders between flocks?

Mike: No, because the birds can’t mess up a starter feeder like they do a plastic feed tray.  We save quite a bit of labor not having to clean the feeders like we would if we used plastic trays.

Georgia Poultry is now offering an even better price on starter feeders than ever before.  Go to www.hogslat.com/hi-grow-pre-starter-chick-feeder.  Run a trial on your own farm.   Start birds faster and gain a competitive advantage at settlement.

Here’s a thought provoking list of 20 factors that effect feed conversion in swine production. We pulled this information 0ut of Jim Long’s Pork Commentary on Dec 17^th which he cited Vern Pearson PhD and Mariela Lachman PhD.   As Jim noted with the cost of feed rising so dramatically, effectively utilization of rations has never been more important. Number one on the list?... feed wastage.

Hog Slat manufacturers feeders that have been proven to save feed for over 25 years.  Hog Slat dry feeders are the industry’s standard in finishing and nurseries barns, our wet/dry and round fiberglass feeder are additional options and we continue to pioneer sow feeding in breeding and farrowing with SowMAX. Choose Hog Slat hog feeders and feed system components for your next replacement, remodel or new construction project.  

It’s not news to pork producers that hogs are hard on equipment. Just normal wear and tear will damage even the stoutest equipment.

One tough repair is a loose anchor bolt in concrete walls or floors.   Whether it’s a wall bracket, divider panel or gestation stall leg, they can all work loose with the constant “banging” from large hogs.  This not an easy repair; typically the anchor has to be removed and the hole drilled either larger or deeper to hold a new stud.

The new EPO-SET 400 makes this repair much easier.

EPO-SET 400 is a two-part polymer especially formulated for repairing loose anchor bolt studs. Simply clean the loose debris out of the hole around the anchor.  Place the mixture into the void and it sets up in ten minutes with full strength in two hours.

EPO-SET is  easy to use because of the unique dual cartridge system for use in a standard caulking gun.

The standard sized tube contains two separate chambers that mix inside the static mixing nozzle.  No need to buy an expensive two-tube caulking gun or mix the two parts in a tray before using.  Just squeeze the handle and the blended mixture comes out the nozzle.  Makes it easy to direct into holes and cracks in concrete.

You can watch our video at http://hogslat.com/epo-set-400  to learn more.

Murphy-Brown’s North Division has completed one of the largest stall to group housing conversions in the industry. All the company farms have been converted to group housing over the last four years; 58,000 sows in total.  Keith Allen, General Manager of the North Division, discussed the conversion.

Keith, how did you decide on the type of group system?

“Long before we announced our conversion plans, we toured several types of housing systems abroad; ESF (Electronic Sow Feeding), Free-Access stalls and Pens with feeding stations or Stanchions.  We felt stanchions would require the least amount of cost and would be easiest to manage. The results four years post conversion support that decision.”

Can you explain that a little further?

“Our production records validate improvements for any metric you can compare, pig/born, pigs weaned, etc.  The company farm production records rank better than most contract growers with stall gestation.  Sow mortally is neutral when compared to traditional stall operations in the system.  Fighting is less than we expected. Although we anticipated higher feed consumption in gestation, it also has remained neutral.”

Do you manage any other types of group housing systems to compare stanchions to?

“We have a large 10,500-sow unit with ESF feeding stations.  The repair and maintenance of the feeding stations requires a full time employee on this operation.  There is extra labor involved with the management of the animals.  Every day the computer system prints a list of animals that didn’t record entry into the ESF from the previous day.  An employee must locate those animals and identify why; Is she sick? Did she lose her tag? Is the feeding station in need of repair? Etc.”

“We just don’t have the extra labor costs or the maintenance in our stanchion type barns.”

“Free access stalls don’t have the same issues, but are more expensive to construct and present an increased opportunity of equipment failure with the gate latching mechanism.  There is also a chance an employee inadvertently or purposely could lock the animals in the stalls, and then we really don’t have loose pen housing anymore.”

How did the transition go on the farms?

“The transition was seamless; our employees now prefer stanchions to the stall system we used before.”

What are basic design requirements you used?

“We designed the pens to hold six sows with 24 square feet per animal; there is one feeding stanchion per sow.  The stanchions are 24” wide, and the dividers are 18” long.  The length of the divider is important; this divider should be long enough to extend past the shoulders. By extending past her shoulder, she feels more comfortable and secure when eating.”

“The facility design provides breeding stalls to house sows for 35 to 42 days post insemination.  After preg-checking, sows are grouped by size and moved to the pens.”

“An additional 3-5% of stalls have been added in the Group Housed gestation barns to provide critical care space for any animals that may require extra care or must be removed from the pens.”

Have you made changes to the design over time since beginning the conversion?

“Yes, our original layouts allowed for 7% extra stalls in the group housed gestation barns…..we have since cut that back to only 3-5%.”

“We have also realized it is unnecessary to have an alleyway between rows in group housed gestation. We simply mount the stanchions and sow feed drops head to head. One of the things you lose with group housing is the ability to regulate individual feed intake…..you manage by pens, so there isn’t a lot of adjustment to the drops.”

“We also have added “Access Doors” to the pen dividers to make it easier to walk from pen to pen.  These consist of two posts set far enough apart that a person can squeeze through with a swinging solid divider on top to prevent the animals from attempting to go over the opening.  We no longer have to climb pen dividers to check sows.”

How have the changes been viewed by Smithfield’s customers?

“I have personally toured many representatives from large food companies through our remodeled facilities.  These companies made public commitments to securing pork from “stall-free” producers by a named date….they are listening to the consumer and committed to their long term Sustainability Programs.  In every case, the reps remarked how well cared for the animals seemed to be and remarked how clean the facilities were.   We think we have answered their concerns with this type of group housing.”