Imagine you could deliver 11% more pigs from your current stall. So this would also mean 11% more feed yield annually. By structuring your feed and stall systems more intelligently, you not only make better use of every square inch, you also save on labour and feed costs. Altogether, this makes money for you in three ways. How? We’ll be glad to explain.

Space is precious. This goes for pig farms, too, of course. So why prop your pig stall full of concrete or plastic crib partitions? By keeping growers in large groups and feeding them based on body weight, you can use every square inch of your stalls more efficiently and your feed patterns are better tailored to requirements. Furthermore, thanks to finely tuned stocking and delivery management, you can also achieve more cycles each year. This way, you can produce 11% more pigs each year from the same stall size.

 

11% more pigs

The illustration shows a stall configuration with the Nedap PorkTuner, which can hold groups of between 300-600 pigs. The total space consists of two feed stations, a resting area and a passage to the station with three possible exits. This system weighs each pig and leads the animals to one of the two feed stations with the feed most appropriate for the weight of the pig. Precise information about weight development enables easy switching of individual animals to the next type of feed. This results in both faster growth rates and improved feed conversion, since you feed exactly according to need.

The third exit from the Nedap PorkTuner leads to the delivery space once pigs are up to delivery weight. The animals use every square inch of the pen until the moment that the first pigs reach delivery weight; you partition off the selection space only when selecting. This way, you use every square inch of stall space much more efficiently. Furthermore, you deliver pigs at the desired delivery weight and you get an extremely reliable delivery prognosis and schedule beforehand. Not only is this practical for you, but efficiency also increases throughout the chain due to better logistical planning.

More yield, lower feed costs, less labour

You benefit in multiple areas with this efficient stall set-up and individual feeding method.

  • Thanks to better utilisation of stall space, you can deliver up to 11% more pigs annually.
  • Average yield price per kilo increases since you no longer have weight discount.
  • Improved delivery planning: the system provides a reliable prognosis of delivery moments for main, intermediate and residual deliveries from each pen. In the summary on your computer screen, you see exactly how many pigs you can load from which stall.
  • Lower feed costs and higher growth rates from feed based on need. Based on actual body weight, the system determines the moment to switch each individual pig from starter feed to final feed via an intermediate step.
  • Higher health status and better bio-security: your personnel doesn’t need to walk among the pigs for marking or delivery. So less animal–human contact and less risk of spreading disease.
  • Less labour: Placement and delivery of pigs is much less labour-intensive. When stocking, personnel don’t have to sort piglets by weight: sorting is done automatically.
  • Stalls are easier to clean and disinfect with less fencing and corners.

Financial benefit

Here’s a calculation example providing insight into the financial picture. If you have a business with 20,000 places and deliver 11% more pigs, this means that you deliver 8,097 more pigs on an annual basis. Since the feeding station switches each individual pig to the following type of feed at the right moment, you save € 4.54 worth of feed costs for each pig. At the same price per kilo of delivery weight, the same piglet price and other costs, feed profit then increases by € 4.54 for each pig. With this more efficient stocking and feeding system, the total feed profit is then € 643,726 higher than in the traditional situation.

Combine this with savings of € 20,000 in employee costs, and the result is € 663,726 of extra yield and savings each year. And this doesn’t even include the benefits of higher yield price per kilo, faster growth rates and health status.

Traditional Nedap PorkTuner Difference
Number of places 20,000 20,000
Number of fattening pigs delivered/year* 71,251 79,348 + 8,097
Yield per pig** € 156 € 156
Stocking costs per pig € 66 € 66
Feed costs/pig*** € 55 € 50.46 – € 4.54
Feed profit/pig € 35 € 39.54 + € 4.54
Total annual feed profit € 2,493,789 € 3,137,515 + € 643,726
Annual labour costs € 40,000 € 20,000 – € 20,000
Total additional yield and savings/yr. + € 663,726

*With the Nedap PorkTuner, you deliver up to 11% more pigs each year
**At live delivery weights of 130 kg and an LG price/kilo of € 1.20
***Average feed price of € 0.25/kg and savings of 18.2 kg of feed with the Nedap PorkTuner

ROI

Naturally, the investment in the Nedap PorkTuner is factored in. In this calculation example, the purchase amount of the system is € 365,000. Investment yield is then € 365k / € 663k = 0.55. So the payback period on your investment is less than two years. On the other hand, you save on crib furnishings, making the payback period even shorter. So with the Nedap PorkTuner, you use every square inch of your pig stall optimally, saving money on both feed and labour. It’s a sustainable investment that also contributes to improved health status and optimises delivery management.

More info

Care to know more about automated solutions that Nedap can provide, such as the Nedap PorkTuner? Then please contact your local Nedap distributor. Contact details can be found here.