From Science to the Barn: What We Know About Feed Gaps
Whether or not you’re managing a 2,400-head ending barn or a 6,000-sow farrow-to-wean, the idea is that if the bin has feed, the pigs are consuming. However what in the event that they’re not?
Feed outages—outlined as both full-blown empty feeders or delicate inconsistencies in supply—stay probably the most under-diagnosed efficiency issues in swine manufacturing.
Twenty years in the past, Brumm et al. (2005) confirmed that out-of-feed (OOF) occasions in grow-finish (GF) pigs may delay market weight by a full day or extra. On the time, feed interruptions have been normally apparent and tied to main mechanical failures or energy points. However at the moment’s barns, with automated techniques and fewer individuals strolling pens, face a brand new form of OOF occasion: the hidden form.
“Simply because the final swap turns off the auger doesn’t imply the primary 5 feeders received stuffed,” explains Chris Elvidge, Pig-Tek’s COO and Lead Engineer. “That’s the problem with dead-end techniques—you’re trusting a single sensor to inform you the entire barn’s been fed.”
Develop-End: Hidden Feed Gaps, Hidden Prices
In trendy GF techniques, pigs are sometimes grouped by physique weight or circulation stage, making it difficult to establish variability in feed consumption. Add in variable bin moisture, fines, and feeder design—and also you’ve received the right storm for inconsistent consumption.
The 2007 examine by Linneen et al. revealed {that a} single out-of-feed occasion in nursery pigs had a major affect on common day by day achieve (ADG) in the course of the affected interval. That impact, whereas extra delicate in heavier pigs, nonetheless results in skewed closeouts, poor uniformity, and financial loss, particularly when advertising and marketing beneath tight packer specs.
Chris Elvidge factors out:
“You won’t see a feeder go empty, but when drop #3 fails to open and solely the final drop triggers the shutoff, these pigs are dropping feed time. And in GF, even 30–60 minutes issues when feed consumption drives margin.”
Furthermore, as pigs turn out to be heavier, their feed demand will increase—however so does the chance of bridging, shear pin failure, or auger put on, particularly in single-run setups.
Farrowing & Lactation: A Systemic Blind Spot
Out-of-feed occasions throughout lactation are much more damaging.
Sows that miss meals present sooner physique situation loss, diminished milk output, and delayed weaning weights. Chances are you’ll not understand the sow missed a drop till you’re questioning why she weaned 2.5 lbs lighter litters—or why the identical sow is at all times the one needing further body weight restoration earlier than rebreeding.
“These issues repeat as a result of we’re not at all times connecting them to feed outages,” says Chris Elvidge. “If we tracked each feed occasion like we observe litter weights, we’d make the connection sooner.”
This turns into very true in bigger sow farms, the place feed supply is usually scheduled or automated. One small electrical glitch, improperly wired sensor, or dead-end feeder system may cascade into widespread efficiency losses throughout farrowing rows.
Why Conventional Programs Don’t Lower It Anymore
Many techniques in use at the moment are “adequate”—till they’re not. Frequent limitations embrace:
- Lifeless-end auger runs that shut off as soon as a ultimate swap is triggered
- Feed bridging in bins resulting in false full/empty readings
- Drop bins that miss supply resulting from poor design or unmonitored malfunction
Chris Elvidge notes,
“We’ve seen barns the place the staff thought pigs have been fed as a result of the controller mentioned the system ran—however the auger skipped three sections resulting from a foul boot or flawed wiring. You’d solely know in the event you’re on the market checking each feeder.”
Trendy Programs with Redundancy and Move Suggestions
To fight feed supply gaps, recirculating techniques like flex augers or chain discs supply vital benefits. As a substitute of terminating at a ultimate feeder, the system loops—giving every drop field a number of alternatives to fill earlier than the system shuts off.
However the important thing isn’t simply bodily system design, it’s sensible automation.
Pig-Tek’s Automated Bin Slider, when paired with bin stage sensors, gives producers with full management over bin utilization, eliminating the necessity for on-site labor. From a smartphone, you possibly can:
- Open or shut tandem bin sliders remotely
- Monitor bin fill ranges in actual time
- Keep away from bin switching delays that trigger pigs to expire of feed
“We’ve seen barns the place the one challenge was somebody forgetting to change bins,” says Chris Elvidge. “With the Automated Bin Slider and a sensor, that mistake doesn’t must occur anymore.”
This easy improve prevents one of many most typical and expensive feed outages, tandem bins working empty over the weekend or in a single day, just because nobody was there to flip the gate.
Producers utilizing these instruments report fewer emergencies, much less guesswork, and higher peace of thoughts.
When Diet Plans Meet the Flooring
As a swine nutritionist, I can create essentially the most scientifically exact eating regimen formulation attainable—however that effort is nugatory if the feed doesn’t attain the pig constantly. Feed outages aren’t simply system failures; they’re failures in execution, and so they immediately undermine dietary technique, animal well being, and profitability.
Whether or not it’s just a few sows in lactation or a GF pen not hitting goal weights, if feed isn’t constantly obtainable, we’re compromising efficiency from the ground up.
The Producer’s Motion Plan: Forestall, Monitor, Improve
- Reassess feed system wiring and swap placement—particularly in older barns
- Monitor drop efficiency throughout all feeders, not simply endpoints
- Improve to looped, recirculating techniques the place sensible
- Select feed supply techniques that supply redundancy and information suggestions
- Implement preventative upkeep protocols to keep away from hidden failures
“Feed is your largest enter,” says Chris Elvidge. “For those who’re not guaranteeing each pig will get it, once they want it, you’re leaving cash on the ground.”
Remaining Thought: Consistency Over Comfort
Feed supply techniques should match the complexity and scale of at the moment’s swine operations. “Out-of-feed” can not imply “completely empty”—it should embrace missed drops, partial fills, and untracked shutdowns.
Producers who act now to evaluate, modernize, and monitor feed circulation will likely be extra aggressive, extra environment friendly, and extra worthwhile than these counting on getting old, underperforming techniques.
To be taught extra about feed system improvements from Pig-Tek, go to www.pigtek.internet.
References:
Brumm, Mike; Richert, Brian; Marchant-Forde, Jeremy; and Marchant-Forde, Ruth, “Out-of-Feed Occasions in
Develop-End Pigs: Causes and Penalties” (2005). Nebraska Swine Reviews. 24. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/coopext_swine/24
Linneen, S Ok.; Goodband, Robert D.; Tokach, Michael D.; DeRouchey, Joel M.; Nelssen, Jim L.; and Dritz,
Steven S. (2006) “The results of frequent out-of-feed occasions on progress efficiency of nursery, rising,
and ending pigs,” Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Analysis Reviews: Vol. 0: Iss. 10. https://doi.org/10.4148/2378-5977.6945
