These days, pig producers in North America face many challenges that simply weren’t present several decades ago. As global demand for animal protein continues to increase and the cost of feed is also on the rise, it is more and more important for feed to be distributed as effectively as possible if farmers are going to be able to keep producing more pork with essentially fewer resources.
Automatic pig feeders can help to largely eliminate the margin for error when it comes to improving the efficiency, convenience, and control of getting the animals fed, not to mention keeping them happy.
1. Seamless integration into your current setup
With an automated pig feeder, each pig will be identified to the feeder by their individual identity tag. The feeder will then be able to distinguish between each unique animal and give them the required amount of food.
The feeding and weighing of the food are both managed completely by the system, eliminate several steps of work for the farmer and also making sure the little mistakes which are often the result of normal human error do not take place.
2. Pigs with more freedom are happier
With an electronic sow feeding system, the pigs have a much greater degree of mobility and are considerably happier than when they are confined individually. An automatic system allows them to determine their own feeding schedule and works to decrease overall stress, anxiety, and aggression.
When there is no competition for food among the animals, they are more content and much easier to approach. An automatic system will also allow farmers to account for each individual animal’s needs and to adjust the amount of feed they are given accordingly.
3. You’ll save money and have a better idea of overall expenses
The precision provided by automated feeding also helps control and more precisely predict expenses. For example, due to the fact that the automated feeding system accounts for the entire process, the weighing components are able to record the weight of pig while they are feeding, allowing the farmer to make real-time management decisions after they have analyzed the data collected.
It is this type of accuracy that allows for real savings to accumulate over time. It is also worth mentioning that the cost of automatic pig feeding equipment is also notably less than installing individual crates and also takes up less space.
4. Less labour involved
Speaking of saving time and space, using an automated pig feeding system will also decrease labour costs. With entrance gates that allow the pigs to come and go as they please, less manpower is required to complete the same task. The individual identification tags also allow for a number of automated tasks to be done remotely, accurately, and with little to no worry to the farmer.
5. A more flexible schedule
The need for less hands-on labour also naturally translates to a more flexible working schedule. Once you’ve got your automatic pig feeder set up, you’ll have more time to take care of other tasks on the farm or to simply enjoy more time for yourself. The feeder can also be loaded up with extra feed if there will be a day or weekend-long absence.
In order to keep an automated pig feeder running seamlessly, you simply need to fill it on a regular basis, there is no need to be present at a specific time of day in order to complete the chore of feeding. You have more time on your hands and your pigs are able to eat whenever they want, it is a win-win situation.