To help producers meet the unique nutritional needs of lactating sows, Nedap has introduced Nedap Activator, an add-on to Nedap Farrowing Feeding that automatically drops feed when sows trigger an electronic sensor with their snouts.

“Nedap Farrowing Feeding with wireless Activator gives producers more control to monitor and maximize feed intake during lactation with minimal labor,” says Martin Enderink, Sales Director Nedap Pig Division. “The optional Nedap Activator add-on offers a high return on investment by helping pork producers reduce operational costs and boost sow and pig performance through strategic feeding.”

The Nedap Farrowing Feeder automatically delivers snack-sized feed portions to sows at regular intervals throughout the day to stimulate the appetite. Between scheduled feedings, the Nedap Activator add-on enables sows to “ask” for additional appetizer-sized portions by moving the trigger with their snout. Producers can easily mount the wireless Nedap Activator to feeders in new or existing farrowing feeding automatic feeding systems.

Nedap Farrowing Feeding with wireless Activator: How it works

Nedap Farrowing Feeding with Activator maximizes return on investment by:

1. Improving sow performance

Nutrient requirements for sows are three times higher during lactation. Nedap Farrowing Feeding with Activator can increase overall feed intake through demand-driven feeding to promote faster farrowing recovery while supporting body condition score (BCS). Benefits include shorter farrow-to-breed intervals, faster return to service and less early culling.

2. Cutting labor costs

Labor costs can be a burden for pork producers. Nedap Activator can reduce farrowing barn labor in multiple ways. First, it automatically sends an alert if no feeding activity is detected for predetermined period. Barn managers know exactly which sows need attention without manual feeder checks. This allows them to focus their time where they are needed most. Second, Nedap Activator’s demand-driven feeding requires less time to clean stale feed and manually drop feed. For Nedap customers, reducing labor time in farrowing has saved up to €25 per sow per year. For 1.000 sows, that’s €25.000 per year in labor savings.

3. Increasing feed efficiency

Nedap Activator can reduce feed costs, which account for 65-70% of pork production costs. Small, demand-driven portions can reduce waste and unpalatable feed in the feeder. The Activator is installed at the bottom of the feeder and can’t be triggered when covered by feed. Additionally, Farrowing Feeding with Nedap Activator provides feed intake data and enables producers to adjust feed rations and delivery rates to promote further efficiency.

4. Boosting piglet performance

Because Nedap Farrowing Feeding with Activator stimulates appetite and maximizes feed intake through increased feeding frequency, customers report more consistent and greater milk yields from sows. The result? Customers report an up to 50% reduction in farrowing pen mortality and up to 0,75 kilo of additional weight per piglet at weaning.

“Nedap Farrowing Feeding with Activator has perfected demand-driven feeding for lactating sows,” says Enderink. “Demand-driven feeding can help sows recover from farrowing faster, support BCS and promote reproductive health and rebreeding. Producers can also benefit from less feed waste and more efficient use of labor, maximizing ROI of Nedap Activator.”

See your ROI

Overall savings per sow, per year can total up to €127 ($143). Get in touch to see how much you can save.

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