Waiting area
Group housing of sows improves their well-being as well as their constitution. There are several housing and feeding systems available from Big Dutchman. The most important factor is that the selected system fits your farm‘s individual requirements.
Group pens
Main advantages
- all sows eat at the same time;
- the farm manager can easily supervise his stock while the sows are feeding;
- the sows do not need a training phase;
- forming sow groups with identical constitution is very simple;
- feeding space width of 45 to 55 cm per pig;
- simple pen arrangement;
- cost-effective solution.
Group housing with single stalls
Where single stalls are used, the door behind the sow is opened and closed manually by the service personnel. When the stall is open, the sows can move around freely in their group.
Main advantages
- all sows have a separate feeding place where they can eat without being interrupted;
- no aggression during feeding;
- good monitoring conditions for every sow, not only during feeding, as each stall can be locked;
- manual individual feeding by means of volume dispensers if a dry feeding system is installed;
- can be used both in the service centre and in the waiting area.
Group housing with free-access stalls “BD” and “Easy Lock”
The free-access stalls ”BD” and ”Easy Lock” developed by Big Dutchman provide sows with the advantages of animal-friendly housing and the farm staff with the advantage of optimal working conditions. They can be used in the service centre and in waiting areas.
The sows can move freely in their group in both systems, but receive their feed in stalls. This provides every sow with her own feeding place where she can eat without being disturbed. This has the following advantages:
- all sows can eat simultaneously → no stress during feeding;
- protection against more aggressive sows → the stall acts as safe retreat for individual sows;
- ideal monitoring conditions for every sow since the stalls can be locked individually or altogether;
- high comfort provided for both the service personnel and the sows.
Main advantages
Free-access stall “BD“
- the front and door elements operate as an up-and-over door;
- integrated insemination door → simple insemination and pregnancy check;
- open design of the stall → good overview for the farm staff;
- the individual locking device can be operated at the front or at the back of the stall;
- group locking function (optional);
“Easy Lock“
- the sow enters the stall through a swinging door;
- easy to use;
- only minimal mechanics;
- special insemination door (optional) for easy monitoring, e.g. pregnancy checks;
- adjustable width (650 to 750 mm);