Sow producers who feed their pigs with an electronic feeding system know: health monitoring of sows in group housing is very important and very labour-intensive. A software extension from Big Dutchman now provides unique support for these tasks: the new tool registers the sequence in which sows visit the feeding station thus giving an indication to problematic sows. The Big Dutchman software solution is based on current scientific research results which show that strong deviations of the daily feeding times and therefore of the visiting sequence often indicate health issues or that the sow returns to heat. The user-friendly innovation can be integrated into existing Big Dutchman ESF systems that are equipped with BigFarmNet technology.
Practical use is as simple as it is efficient: via the transponder ear tags, the daily feeding times and the visiting sequence of the individual sows is registered by the management computer over a longer period of time. The data is then displayed in lists and in graphical form. In case of strong deviations from normal behaviour the farmer is informed by means of alarm messages which enable quick reaction. This way illnesses can be detected much earlier which often means that less medication is required.
The Big Dutchman innovation was awarded a silver EuroTier Innovation Medal by an international expert commission of the “DLG” (German Agricultural Society) in the forefront of the show.
Hall 11, Stand D21
EuroTier 2012: tool for health monitoring of sows in group management awarded silver medal