Automatic pig feeders are becoming more and more popular as farmer’s increasingly see their ability to improve the feeding process, save money, and ultimately end up with healthier and happier pigs. Their automatic has become highly sophisticated, meaning there is litter room for error.
It also means the farmer in charge doesn’t need to be worried about remembering feeding times or always being present to feed the pigs and keep track of how much they have eaten. They are easy to care for, affordable, and a good investment for any farm looking to stay up to date in current feeding trends while taking good care of the animals.
1. How do they work
Basically, most automatic pig feeders are composed of three main parts, the feed cylinder, the base plate, and the regulating stem. When the animals are hungry and wish to eat, they will push the wheel of the trough and the wheel will deliver the feed into the trough.
While this is happening, an agitator bar will be pushed by the wheel in order to stir the feed and prevent it from settling unpleasantly. The speed and volume by which the feed is delivered can be controlled and set to appropriate measures.
2. The advantage of a round feeder
The round shape of an automatic pig feeder provides a lot more feeding space than exists with a square feeding set up. In addition to being able to feed more pigs at once, it also frees up floor space, giving the pigs more space to move around freely.
The round shape also facilitates a more natural way for the pigs to approach the feeder and leave when they’ve finished eating, without causing congestion of disrupting other pigs who are still eating.
3. There will be less overall waste
Due to the smart engineering of an automatic pig feeder, less waste will ultimately be produced than what results from a natural flowing feeder. The amount of feed dispensed can be adjusted to how much the pig is able to consume at one time, and therefore there is virtually no food waste.
The mechanical feed delivering device has been specially designed for efficiency and therefore it won’t take long before you see returns on your investment in terms of money saved on feed.
4. Benefits of dry wet automatic pig feeders
A truly innovative way of feeding pigs, the dry wet pig feeder is able to integrate both automatic feeding and drinking functions. These machines are also designed to be suitable for holding both powder feed and feed pellets. Either way, it is distributed evenly through the valve that comes with a built-in automatic regulation device.
Likewise, having the drinking vessel attached means that the pigs have to do less shuffling between where they get their feed and where their get their water. This contributes to better digestion and overall ability to absorb the nutrients in their feed.
5. Standardization means the best results for every pig
When pigs are being fed manually, in addition to the labour and tediousness of the process, there is also a relatively high margin for error, meaning that some pigs will ultimately end up getting more feed than others. When this is the case, it will cause some pigs to be smaller in size and less valuable for sale.
By automating the process, you eliminate that risk and ensure that each and every pig gets the feed it needs to grow and be healthy. This is important not only if you intend to sell, but also necessary for sows to deliver large litters when they produce.