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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 checklist of essential feed system maintenance items for producers to consider.

Remove the Feed
The most important and basic procedure for auger maintenance is to empty all the feed from the system. Feed left in the auger tube will draw moisture and cause the auger flighting to rust.

Upper and Lower Boots
The metal lower boots should be visually inspected for worn or rusted areas, bent slide gates and damaged access covers. GrowerSELECT® components can be used to replace individual items including body weldments for all flexible auger sizes. Go to GrowerSELECT Unloader Components.

Grower Select clear upper boots can replace existing solid boots so potential problems with feed delivery are easier to spot.  Injected from impact-resistant transparent polycarbonate, GrowerSELECT boots will fit any 16” bin opening and are available in 30° or straight models. Go to GrowerSELECT Clear Boots

Anchor Bearings
Auger bearings are a high wear item and should be checked whenever they are squealing or rattling. To inspect the anchor bearing, loosen the U-bolts holding the bearing, pull the bearing out from the tube and clamp a vise grip on the auger to hold it in place. Inspect the anchor bearing for visible wear and excess play. If the bearing needs to be replaced, select a GrowerSELECT anchor bearing that matches the size and brand of your system. Go to GrowerSELECT Anchor Bearings

Flexible Auger
Auger that is more than ten years old or installed with multiple turns should be examined for wear. Examine the auger to look for sharp edges concentrating on the elbow areas. Also check the distance between the flighting making sure this distance has not been compacted or stretched. To remove the auger for inspection; detach the anchor bearing from the auger and allow the auger to retract inside the tube. Go up to the drive unit and open the inspection plate on the control unit. Loosen the hex head bolt on the clamp holding the auger to the tube anchor. Holding the auger solid, rotate the anchor counterclockwise until the auger is free. Go back to the boot area and pull the auger out the back end of the system.

There are several options for repair.
A) Replace the entire auger.
B) Cut out and replace only the worn section.
C) Turn the auger end for end and replace. This will place the worn section of auger in a straight section of the tube instead of in an elbow section.

Grow-Flex™ auger is available custom lengths that are cut to order. Go to Grow-Flex™ Auger

Elbows
Many (most?) 10-year auger systems have duct tape over small holes in the tube where the auger enters the barn. Now is the time to replace the high wearing elbow sections while the auger is removed from the system.

Gear Head Oil
The oil in auger gear heads should be completely replaced every two years. Remove the bottom and side plugs allowing the oil to drain out of the gear head. Replace the bottom plug and refill with oil until it reaches the level of the side plug. Replace side oil plug. GrowerSELECT Gear Oil is specialty 80W-90 oil designed for use in any existing auger gear head. Purchase GrowerSELECT Gear Oil here.

Pinion Gears
It is also a good time for a visual inspection of the pinion gear connecting the motor shaft to the gear head. The teeth of the pinion should be sharply cut; pinions with rounded teeth should be replaced. There is a GrowerSELECT replacement pinion gear for most existing auger systems….Go to GrowerSELECT Pinion Gears

Feed Level Controls
Faulty feed controls can cause feed outages or wastage when they malfunction. There are many options of GrowerSELECT feed level controls available for replacements. The HS529 is a direct replacement for feed level controls mounted in the feeders. The Proxy Plus (HS10) and the Proxy Classic (HS09) are GrowerSELECT replacements for existing proximity switches.
This may also be a great time to consider a complete change in feed control switches. The Grower Select Drop Tube Control Switch (HSDTC01) is an excellent option for controlling the feed system. This type of switch removes the electrical components from inside the feeders helping minimize switch failure due to electrical problems.

Feed Bins
Older feed bins may have rusted areas or even pinholes in the exterior metal sheets. An excellent product to restore these areas and extend the bin’s useful life is AMC100L; an aluminum based coating that provides corrosion and weather protection. It is available in DIY kit form containing 1 quart of AMC100L, 1 pint of rust remover and 4 pieces of seam tape. This starter kit will cover 200-300 sq ft. Purchase the AMC100L-K kit here.

Producers have also upgraded feed bins with a simple feed level indicator called the Bin Flag. This low-cost device (just over $100) allows operators to check bin feed levels without climbing. No wiring is required for operation and the installation is all done from the outside. The Bin Flag can also be connected to building alarm system for dialer notification of feed outages. Go to Bin Flag.

Contact a local Hog Slat store (see store listings) or go to http://www.hogslat.com/feeding-systems-componentsto order feed system repair items. Hog Slat stores also have service crews available for on-farm repairs and inspections.

IP - Ingress Protection rating is used to specify the environmental protection - electrical enclosure - of electrical equipment

Many producers utilize Grower Select® products to lower their production costs. Paying 30% less for repair parts reduces maintenance costs in livestock or poultry buildings and increases the bottom line.

There may some hesitation by producers to take advantage of these savings because they are not sure which Grower Select® part number to use when repairing Chore-Time® or AP® feed systems.

To make the correct selection easier, we have created a new cross reference for Grower Select® feed system parts. Simply find the OEM part number in the list and cross reference to the matching Grower Select® part number. Download the Grower Select® Feed System Parts OEM Cross Reference Sheet.

Our new Fall/Winter catalog also contains the Cross Reference list.

To order a FREE copy online, click on Catalog Request.

Get your copy of Hog Slat and Georgia Poultry’s Fall/Winter catalog. We’ve updated the Grower Select products, added an article about SowMAX,  featured the new Classic Flood pan feeder for 45mm smooth pipe and much more. Click our Hog Slat Catalog request link to request your free copy online.

While you are there you can also request our quarterly Chick or Hog Biz.  Each issue is full of money-saving, seasonal specials offered to help hog and poultry farmers save money on essential items for their operations.

Georgia Poultry participated in the 37th annual Sunbelt Ag Expo in Moultrie, Georgia this year. At the Expo, a complete operational broiler house was exhibited, providing attendees first hand demonstrations of some of the newest products available to poultry farmers.

Celebrating the eighth year Georgia Poultry has exhibited, this year’s Expo was a continued success. Each year Georgia Poultry’s exhibit attracts over one thousand people, and is a highlight for many of the attendees.  Located in block E-6, the booth can easily be found by looking for a feed bin outside which stands tall for all to see and is placed next to the Colquitt FFA booth, where some of the best grilled chicken and smoked pork chop sandwiches are served.

Georgia Poultry enjoys contributing to the community, agriculture, and trade shows like this to help educate and demonstrate some of the newest technologies in both poultry and swine farming.  At the Sunbelt Expo we have numerous Georgia Poultry representatives, who are happy to help answer questions and showcase new methods and products we offer. In addition, several poultry equipment manufacturers are present inside of the exhibit space to showcase their new products as well as contribute to attendees overall experience. A highlight of this year’s show was the Cable Free Winching System, becoming the new model for suspension in poultry houses as it lasts much longer than traditional cable methods.

We invite everyone to attend the Sunbelt Ag Expo in Moultrie next year to see cutting edge demonstrations and product displays for both poultry and swine alike. Visit the Sunbelt Ag Expo’s website at http://sunbeltexpo.com/to find out more information about this year’s show.

Take a quick video tour of a recently completed swine gestation building located near Hardy, IA. This 41′ X 133′ gestation building houses 260 animals.

The building features a GrowerSELECT® Evap system, GrowerSELECT flag feed system with individual Sow Drops, Hog Slat dry cast slats, Hog Slat gestation stalls and a tunnel ventilation system.

I gotta to tell you, it is amazing.

EuroTier bills itself as the largest animal production trade show in the world. Held every two years in Hanover, Germany the show draws over 150,000 visitors from across the globe with 2400 exhibitors from over 50 countries.

If it has anything to do with animal husbandry, it’s at EuroTier. Robotic feeding and milking equipment, imaging cameras to digitally record pigs weights, BioFuel systems, manure processing equipment….digital this……computerized that.

Is all of it practical? Probably not.

But, as the global farming industry faces the prospect of feeding nine billion people by the 2050, we will need to embrace fresh ideas. We will need to challenge ourselves to develop systems that utilize workable technology with day to day reliability.

Hog Slat’s sales groups in each country work with local producers to create workable production systemsfor their individual farms. Hog Slat develops production ideas from around the world and adapts them to local conditions.

I recently had the opportunity to spend a couple of days at EuroTier 2014 (read more……). I asked the same question to the Hog Slat sales teams and country managers, ” What items are selling in your market?”

The answers varied, but they all had one common factor….SowMAX.

From German Country Manager, Karl-Heinz Wöste, “German producers understand feeding lactating sows as individuals results in heavier pigs at weaning. The SowMAX system accomplishes this task while reducing labor. Producers also like how simple the SowMAX is….no electronic ear tags to lose or motors to fail.”

“Our customers are adding SowMAX feeders to existing units” explained Rafal Bozek, Country Manager of Poland. “They tried a few units and saw the results…heavier pigs at weaning. For our producers, the SowMAX is the most durable unit on the market. 100% stainless steel. No plastic parts like competitive products. Simple to use too. Fill the hopper and sow eats as little or as much as she wants every day without wasting feed.”

To see more on the benefits of SowMAX click here……

I have been around Hog Slat for some 22 years now.  In my opinion, one of Hog Slat’s biggest strengths comes from the company’s ability to take its proven equipment designs and adapt to local production methods.

Hog Slat introduced the concept of total slatted, curtain-sided finishing barns to the Midwest during the late 80’s.   Hog Slat quickly changed the ventilation, manure handling and building materials to match local conditions, but the basic concept remained the same.  This style of finishing building changed the way pigs were finished in the Midwest resulting in improved pig performance and increased profitability.

A similar situation is developing in Europe with Hog Slat.

Hog Slat’s display at EuroTier showcased a new line of steel equipment tailored to the European swine market.  It’s a different type of equipment than you would see Hog Slat display at the World Pork Expo.

The first thing that comes to eye is the hot-dipped galvanized finish vs. the painted finish most common in the U.S. market.  Interior space is more confined, and the building layouts reflect in equipment design.   And of course EU regulations are followed regarding square footage allowed, penning and flooring design.

Breeding Stall

The Breeding stall features a split “saloon-style” back door.  The split gate allows the operator to enter the stall while the closed section prevents the sow from backing out.

The gate is designed to operated with only one hand allowing the technician to carry a preg-checker or AI equipment in the other.

 Watch a short Video of the saloon doors

European concrete slats tend to have less open area than slats in the U.S. due to welfare regulations. Stainless steel legs rotate to allow placement of an anchor in a slat opening.  A set bolt is tightened to secure the leg to the stall side.  Three top and four front bars attached to the stall sides with clamps, making it easier to get a straight installation without drilling or welding.

The stainless steel feed trough will outlast composite or concrete troughs.   Because sows can lie with their heads under the raised trough, the overall length can be reduced to 1.8 meters and still meet EU regulations requiring a stall to be 2 meters long.

International Crate

A typical pen layout will have farrowing stalls facing out against the room walls with only a center alleyway.

The combination feed and water trough is raised to allow the sow more effective stall length.  Many producers choose to install the SowMAX (read more…..) and fill with an automatic auger or chain disk system as hand feeding is difficult without a front feeding alley.

To load the crates the rear creep panel is opened, the rear gate unfastened and the movable side panel is slid to its open position. After the sow moves into stall, the operator adjusts the movable side to the size of the sow and selects one of the holes in the rear gate to hold it in place.  The operator then adjusts the bottom bow bar for large or small sows.  The bow bars also include anti-crushing bars to reduce pig mortality.

Hog Slat displayed its plastic flooring and with interlocking cast center sections for farrowing.  Optional types of flooring sections, including red heating sections, allow producers to design a custom floor.  Creep areas are larger than typically used in the U.S.   The EuroTier floor measured 1.8 meters (5.9′) wide by 2.4 meters (7.87′) long.

Hog Slat also featured traditional style European penning with PVC planking on the bottom and galvanized pipes fastened to formed stainless steel posts.  Notice the plastic fasteners at the end of the pipes, after the pipes are cut to length the plastic ends are forced onto the pipe and bolted into place.  U.S. style horizontal penning is also finding some favor with some European producers as it is more cost effective and allows for better ventilation.

Going forward, you will see a constant blend of American and European concepts reflected in the equipment Hog Slat builds for Europe.  Hog Slat’s manufacturing, sourcing and distribution expertise will lower the final cost to the producers without sacrificing quality.

U.S. concepts in ventilation (tunnel), feeding (SowMAX), and finishing equipment (open horizontal penning) will gain acceptance with European producers looking for maximum efficiencies in producing pork.

In an earlier blog post we reported the interest shown in the SowMax (see more….) at this year’s EuroTier.  Shown is German sales rep Ulf  Maroske as he explains features and benefits to a customer at the show.  We later received this email from Ulf concerning a customer who purchased 20 International farrowing crates and 50 SowMAX dispensers to fit on existing crates this October.

“When visited my customer last week the piglets were 14 days old. He placed the sows with the highest piglet losses in the last farrowing in the Hog Slat International crates. He told me had piglet losses of .6 per sow in the new crates compared to 1 piglet per sow in the old crates. This is nice result.”

“When I asked him how satisfied he is with our SowMAX he gave me the short answer.  Today he regrets that he installed 50 of them…if he had know the SowMAX worked so well he would have equipped all 90 farrowing crates with them.”

“Compared to his other feeding system he has significantly less feed wastage.  Now the sows eat more, the amount is 10kg (22 lbs.), that was not possible before. The sows are much quieter during feeding time”

To see (more…..)