Blog posts of '2015' 'May'

Bait rotation is an important strategy for effective control of rodents in livestock and poultry buildings.  Continued use of one active ingredient or bait type may increase the risk for potential resistance problems.  Rodent populations may also prefer the flavor or texture of one type of bait.

As livestock and poultry housing became larger and we developed more sophisticated feeding methods, the use of multiple bins in tandem was more common.  While this set-up allowed for greater flexibility in feeding, the front bin of the pair was often prone to plugging.

If we look at the anchor bear...

1. Incandescent bulbs are being phased out by numerous countries (US included) making it now illegal to manufacture many incandescent bulbs leaving only those bulbs still in supply to sell. Usually the higher the wattage the more expensive and more difficult the bulb is to find now with the new laws...

I was scrolling the web for information on sow housing and ran across this piece authored by John J. McGlone, PhD at Texas Tech University.  Here are some highlights:

First mention of sow stalls was in 1807 in Baxter, England.

Lubbock Swine Breeders housed sows in stalls starting in 1964/1965.  Th...

Most producers have a checklist for basic equipment repairs between groups to prevent costly and time-consuming problems later. One commonly overlooked item is the feed delivery system. Whether you choose to have the auger inspected by a service crew or do the work yourself, the following is a check...

One of the newest tools utilized by Hog Slat’s engineering group is a 3D printer.  About the size of a small refrigerator, the 3D printer generates plastic prototype parts from computer generated 3D models.

A member of Hog Slat’s engineering group, Andrew Mitchell took a few minutes to show us how ...

Frank Harris, Head of Hog Slat’s Engineering Department, spoke with us about the development of the GrowerSELECT product line.

What is the focus of the GrowerSELECT product line?

Hog Slat wanted to directly source products to reduce final cost to the end user. We knew we could lower the cost if ...

The old saying, “ You can’t improve what you can’t measure,” applies to measuring wind speed in a hog or poultry house.  Gauging wind speed of tunnel ventilation or velocity out of an inlet without an anemometer (wind meter) is like trying to regulate building temperature without a thermostat.

T...

The handbook begins by comparing merits of different systems available for group housing. Complete with illustrated pictures of equipment and diagrams of building layouts, this 16 page handbook contains practical details needed to build new sow housing or convert existing stalls to group housing.

In our blog post highlighting Hog Slat’s engineering department (see Engineering Grower Select) Frank remarked, “In almost every case we can look at existing products and make improvements.”

The GrowerSELECT® Curtain Machine is a great example of making changes to existing products to improve perfo...