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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.”

Bait rotation is an important strategy for effective control of rodents in livestock and poultry buildings.  Continued use of one active ingredient or bait type may increase the risk for potential resistance problems.  Rodent populations may also prefer the flavor or texture of one type of bait.

Liphatech’s recent introduction of the new soft bait Revolver™ gives producers even more choices in their bait rotation program.

FastDraw and Hombre both contain the same active ingredient, Difethlalone.  FastDraw is a soft bait and Hombre is available as a mini block or place pak. Revolver and Boot Hill are formulation with the same active ingredient, Bromadiolone.  Revolver is the soft bait version and Boot Hill comes in either a mini block or pellet place pack.

Now producers can add another element, texture into their bait rotations.  Note the double orange arrows in the rotation diagram illustrating the possible choices.  For example if the first bait used was FastDraw the next choice in the rotation could be either Revolver (soft bait) or Boot Hill (mini blocks) as they both contain a differen active ingredient Bromadiolone.  If Boot Hill was selected the next step in the rotation back to Difethlalone could be either FastDraw (soft bait) or Hombre (mini blocks).

Also note on the diagram the rodenticide Gunslinger highlighted with the blue circle.  We highly recommend Gunslinger be inserted into any bait rotation at clean out as it most effective when animals aren’t present and feed sources can be removed. Gunslinger contains a completely different active ingredient, Bromethalin and its “knockdown” on rodent populations is impressive.

Shop the entire line of Liphatech® Baits today to compare their features and choose the best options for your operation.

As livestock and poultry housing became larger and we developed more sophisticated feeding methods, the use of multiple bins in tandem was more common.  While this set-up allowed for greater flexibility in feeding, the front bin of the pair was often prone to plugging.

If we look at the anchor bearing that is present in the rear bin, one would notice that it has a restrictor tube over the shaft.  This restrictor tube fills the core of a flexible auger and prevents feed from filling the core and overloading an auger. This restrictor is not present in the front bin.  When the slide is opened feed overloads the system faster than the auger will move it away.  The obvious solution is to cut the opening down by closing off the slide to restrict feed flow.  This can cause other problems as a feed flows tends to flow only down one side of the bin.  A better solution is to use baffles in the boot to restrict feed flow.  This works to prevent plugging but can cause feed bridging in the bin.

Over the last several years Hog Slat developed and tested a unique solution to this problem.  The final product is called the Extended Anchor Bearing.

Described simply, the Extended Anchor Bearing extends the rear tube restrictor to the front bin.  The auger core is filled in and feed cannot overfill the system.

The Extended Anchor Bearing ships complete with a 14’ restrictor tube, replacement bearing and fastening hardware.  The 14’ restrictor tube is cut to length and inserted it the auger core.  The new bearing is installed and the auger reattached.

If an extended anchor bearing would help you prevent auger overload, visit the Hog Slat website to find the model that fits your flexible auger fill system.

One of the newest tools utilized by Hog Slat’s engineering group is a 3D printer.  About the size of a small refrigerator, the 3D printer generates plastic prototype parts from computer generated 3D models.

A member of Hog Slat’s engineering group, Andrew Mitchell took a few minutes to show us how it worked.

“Here’s a feed line drop adaptor we designed for the Grow-Disk™ system,” explained Andrew as he pulled up a 3D model on his computer screen. “We needed to develop a model that would work on both metal and plastic tubes.  Since these tubes have slightly different diameters, we wanted to test the fit before proceeding with molding.”

The cube in the screen represents the printer’s chamber, and the white image is a digital model.  The program divides the object into digital cross-sections and the printer builds the object in layers.   The printer makes multiple passes spraying very thin layers of plastic until the final shape is complete. 

“You can almost compare the printer to a giant glue gun that accurately places liquid plastic down in precise layers,” Andrew said, “The process can take from several hours up to several days depending on the size of the item.  The maximum size part we can print is 10” x 10” x 12” tall”

“We were able to take the prototype drop adaptor and test it on both the metal and plastic feed tubes. We made a few small dimensional adjustments and proceeded with complete confidence that the final part would fit as we intended.”

Frank Harris, Head of Hog Slat’s Engineering Department, spoke with us about the development of the GrowerSELECT product line.

What is the focus of the GrowerSELECT product line?

Hog Slat wanted to directly source products to reduce final cost to the end user. We knew we could lower the cost if we reduced the number of people that handled a product, and in many cases improve the quality.

Replacement motors for fans and feed systems were the first items we started to direct source.  OEM Fan and feed auger companies do not produce their own motors; they all buy from the same motor companies.

We did not just buy off-the-shelf motors. We specified certain improvements in the motors based on our experience.  For instance, one problem according to our service department was motor shaft breakage.  We changed the shaft diameter blend radius and specified a hardened shaft of 1144 steel. We eliminated the problem.

Some people may have the perception that GrowerSELECT products are just cheap generic copies. How would you answer that?

I am not going to tell anybody that we invented feed systems or fans. However, in almost every case we are able to look at existing products and make improvements.

We evaluate every item developed for the GrowerSELECT lineup in three different ways.

First, from an engineering standpoint.

Can we make this product out of different material? Can we make it easier to manufacture?  Can we change the shape or size to eliminate problems?

Second, we evaluate from a repair standpoint with feedback from our service departments.

What are you fixing out in the field?  Where is this product failing?  What would make the product easier to service?

Third, and most importantly, we evaluate from our customer’s standpoint.

Is this the right product? Is this the right size?  What is giving you the biggest headache in using this product?   What changes would you make?

After gathering this information, we conduct the Process Failure Effect Mode Analysis or PFEMA.  Simply put, this is a logic method for determining why a product fails and how to correct it.  We document the process and can refer back to it when problems arise.

We then create detailed 3D computer models of the proposed product and subject it to computer-simulated stress tests.

Wait a minute; you can test the product before it is even built?

Yes, here’s a good example.  When we first designed the blue plastic hopper for the SowMAX, we did not have a lip at the top.  When tested via computer simulation, we realized it might crack when impacted, for example if a feed cart banged into it.  We added the lip to strengthen the hopper and eliminated a potential problem.

Another example is the GrowerSELECT® clear upper boot, injected from impact-resistant polycarbonate.  It does not have to be as thick as plastic boots used by other manufacturers to have a superior breaking strength.  We were able to “tweak” the material thickness and avoid adding unnecessary additional cost to the end user.

The next part of the process is to send the drawings to a manufacturer and order sample parts to test against a quality control process known as PPAP or Production Part Approval Process.

Okay, what does that mean?

It is the same quality control process the automobile supply industry uses.  It means we take the sample products and measure them against the drawings we created.  We particularly identify those measurements most critical to the quality of the product.

Once we are satisfied that the sample batch is correct, we then order a small production run.  This first-production run is then field tested.  Our service group installs them on farms, and we monitor the results.

After field-testing is completed, we release the product to manufacturing.

Before receiving those released products into warehousing, our Quality Control department conducts a series of QC checks.  Keith Riley, QC department head, creates an Incoming Inspection Document for each item.  This establishes a benchmark of quality checks used to test production parts.  This is not only done the first time we receive the product, but every time that product arrives from the manufacturer.

How many people work in Hog Slat’s engineering department?

We have nine engineers and six Quality Control members. We have a good core of experienced engineers with several younger guys that we have hired…I like to say we have just the right blend of “gray hair” in the group. I have to say the younger guys have a great “toolbox” they bring with them. They are contributing with new technology.  A good example is the 3D printer we recently added to the department.  It is allowing us to perform some things we had not been able to do before.

What are future goals for your group?

Continuous improvement of products.  Just because we have a product developed doesn’t mean we quit trying to make it better.  We think we can improve motors. One of the principle reasons we are able to offer a two-year warranty is that we have such a very small percentage of motors returned under that warranty. But, we have some ideas that will improve these motors even more.

Hog Slat has a very unique position in the industry.  We are responsible directly to the end user.  It is our own people installing and servicing the products we sell.  We cannot pass off problems to someone in the supply chain; we are the entire supply chain to the end user.

We have access to company farms to test new products.  We have feedback from our own service crews.  Our goal is to use these resources to improve product offerings and get those improvements to the market faster.

One of things I think we are the best at is identifying the optimum place in the world to manufacture a product.  We are not just throwing everything to Southeast Asia.  In fact, we have moved several products back to the United States. A good example is Classic Flood feeders, we started overseas but now these parts are molded in the U.S.

We do a lot of final assembly at our locations in Clinton, NC and Humboldt, IA.  We source items from the U.S. and other parts of the globe, bring those components in to test, then assemble the end products.  Using this process we have more control over the quality of the final product.