M. Castillón: "With Dositronic, sows come out with the optimum weight"

Willing to continue with the family business, in 2007, Miguel Castillón took over the reins of the farm that his father had built in 1978. In each of the extensions carried out since then, the family has certainly bet on Rotecna products, always with the advice of Salleras. Of all the equipment it has, the Dositronic M stands out especially for its benefits in farrowing.

What is the origin of the farm, and what extensions has it undergone over the years?
After my father built a fattening farm in 1978, we wanted to expand and diversify the business, so in 1998 we built a new farm for 250 sows. On the first farm, we installed Rotecna's feeders, recommended by Salleras. So, we decided to have the products of this brand again in all the farrowing pens. In 2007, I got involved in the farm. Taking into account the new animal welfare law, we again expanded the farm to 600 sows and, again, we worked with Salleras and Rotecna. Ten years later, in 2017, we built a new quarantine space, and finally, in 2020, we expanded with a  weaning house, a new farrowing pen, and another gestation area. In this latest expansion, we have automated all farrowing pens with the Dositronic M electronic feeder.

How are the facilities distributed?
We have one weaning house, two farrowing, one for control mating with boxes, another for group gestation, and one for quarantine which is divided into three areas: reception-fattening, which is where the sows arrive, the box area for mating-control for gilts; and a last one for group gestation, also only for gilts.

Weaning pen with Rotecna products. Photo: Salleras.

Which Rotecna equipment gives you the most confidence in your day-to-day operation?
The Dositronic M, Rotecna's electronic feeding system for sows in farrowing, is a product that has allowed us to reduce the day-to-day tasks on the farm and has made it possible to have less staff on weekends and holidays. In addition, it is a very intuitive and visual system, which makes its use very easy. Other advantages of this system are. On the one hand, the possibility to incorporate water supply thanks to a sensor, with which a perfect proportion of wet feed is achieved. And, on the other hand, the option of being able to program it so that the sows eat at night, something that is very useful in summer, since it is during those hours when the sows are cooler, and therefore, when they eat the most. Before, some sows used to come out of farrowing pens very thin, but with the Dositronic M, they come out with a good body condition, just like piglets, which also come out with more weight at weaning.

Why did you choose this product?
I have had the idea of automating maternity wards for a long time, and I valued different options. The drop lever dispenser system did not convince me because it involves the need to regulate it every day, and a lot of food gets wasted. I also thought about the liquid diet, but it did not fully convince me. So, I started looking for different brands of automatic dispensers and, after talking to the Salleras team and Rotecna's technicians, I chose the Dositronic system, which offers the option to include water. Something I wanted the system to have. After managing everything with Salleras, we installed a total of 224 Dositronic M on the farm.

They are working with Dositronic M in farrowing. Foto: Salleras.

What advantages would you highlight from this electronic feeding system?
I highlight the reduction of work for the farm employees and the fact that the sows leave with a better body condition from farrowing, without losing weight. In addition, the system manages to satiate the sows and, therefore, they are calmer. Before installing the Dositronic, they looked more restless and got up more because they were hungry. Now they know when it is their turn to eat, and once they have eaten, they lie down and are calmer. In short, with the Dositronic M, both animals and farm staff have gained comfort.

Do you have new livestock projects in mind?
Right now, we have finished with the last phase of expansion. So, I do not intend to carry out extensions, at least in the next few years. For now, the only thing I have planned is the installation of solar panels on the roof, to reduce the energy costs of the farm.