Discover the advantages of the Grow Feeder Anti-Stress

The legislation on animal welfare establishes that pigs must have permanent access to adequate manipulable materials to allow them enough activities of investigation and manipulation. This normative establishes that young, post weaning and pregnant sows must receive sufficient feed rich in fibre, as well as feed with a high energy value.

With the aim of helping to comply with the legislative requirements and encourage the welfare of the pigs, Rotecna offers the Grow Feeder Anti-Stress, a hopper to supply straw, to enable the animals to develop their natural instinct to root, satiate pregnant sows and improve welfare in the pens.  

The Grow Feeder Anti-Stress hopper has been designed to supply straw as a material the pigs can manipulate, which offers many benefits. Unlike other materials that can be supplied to the pigs to enrich their environment, like chains or plastic objects, straw can be ingested and is totally destructible, factors that help to maintain the interest of the animal in the material. Note that, in contrast with other systems without a lower platform, the hopper design minimises the loss of straw and allows its use in pens with slats, although it is recommended for installation in areas with compact ground. With a capacity of up to 60 litres, the Grow Feeder Anti-Stress hopper is injected in a single piece and has stainless steel protectors on the areas of most wear, which makes the unit more durable.

Under natural conditions, pigs root in the ground as a behaviour of exploration and searching for food. With the intensification of production and the confinement of the animals, the possibility for pigs to root is limited. Supplying the pigs of manipulable materials helps them to express their natural rooting instinct as a behaviour of curiosity. In consequence, this encourages the welfare of the animals and reduces stress. This way, we minimise stereotypies like chewing or biting bars and reduce redirected actions, like tail and ear biting, which can be serious problems in the fattening farms.

Moreover, the supply of straw with the Grow Feeder Anti-Stress hopper helps to satiate the gestating sows during the stage in which voluntary capacity for ingestion by these animals is greater than the ration offered. This way, the animals are calmer, thus diminishing the incidence of quarrelling between sows and helping the maintenance and growth of the foetuses.

ADVANTAGES:

• Reduces the level of stress for the animal and the appearance of stereotypies.
• Facilitates the supply of feed rich in fibre. 
• Avoids quarrelling between animals.

FEATURES:

• It is made with a robust finish without joints or edges, which facilitates cleaning.
• Stackable to optimise space during transport.