Blog

Okay I admit it…it has been awhile since we’ve posted a blog. But I have an excuse…We’ve been working on some new ad campaigns and new swine and poultry catalogs (which you can request a copy of here.) But now we are back…ourlast blog was about the Bin Flag and at the end we mentioned a way to connect it to a phone alarm dialer.

When you pair the Bin Flag with a alarm phone dialer you will receive a phone alarm whenever feed levels drop below the critical level.  Setting the Bin Flag up with most alarm systems is a pretty simple process.   Purchase the magnetic sensor for less than $20 (item #HDL59065-952) and screw it into the Bin Flag.  You then run common phone wire from the sensor to a contact on the phone dialer.   The alarm system will allow you to program a unique message that identifies each particular bin.

Really I’m not so sure this isn’t a more important feature than the visual part of the Bin Flag…normally you have to be at the building site and look at the Bin Flag. But with the Bin Flag connected to an alarm it calls you. So whether you are in the field, on the road, and wherever you have cell service you will be notified when a feed outage occurs and have to time to react and get feed ordered.

You can learn more about setting up the Bin Flag with the Sensaphone and Agri-Alert alarm systems by going to our website and reading the manual we have located under our Resources section.

The Lein family’s start in the egg business began with 12 hens back in 1999. Those hens provided eggs for the family as well a few neighbors and friends.  Visitors to farm thought the hens had it so good they referred to them as “yuppie chickens”.  When Lynn started direct marketing eggs she adopted the brand name, Yuppie Hill Poultry. As the business grew, Lynn acquired the present farm on Potter Road and converted an existing dairy barn into a laying house for 3,000 hens.

“That first house was a lot of work.  We gathered the eggs, washed them and did the feeding all by hand. The air quality was poor and production never got above 70%” remarked Lynn.

In 2008, the family decided to increase production by constructing a new 50’ x 250’ flat deck house for 9,000 hens. Although the new system saved labor with automated feeding and egg gathering, the family researched other options before their next stage of expansion.

As Jay explained, “We were not totally satisfied with our conventional deck system.  We felt the environment could be better for the chickens.  In addition, we were spending a lot of time cleaning out the building between groups.  The extended down time between groups made it hard for us to supply our customers and reduced our income.”

Their research led them to Potter’s Poultry, one of the leading manufacturers of cage-free production systems.  After contacting Hog Slat rep Jason Billings, the group traveled to England to see firsthand the Potter’s System in use.

“We visited six commercial farms in four days and came away very impressed.” said Lyn “We were particularly interested in an aviary type system because the zoning restrictions on our farm forced us into putting as many chickens as possible in a limited floor plan.  The other aviary systems we had looked at were really just big cages. Potter’s has been building aviary systems for 20 years and has designed a true cage-free system that is the most open one on the market.”

Jay added “We liked what we saw and came home determined to copy the style of barns we had seen in England. The ventilation was excellent and it equipment was built extremely heavy with a lot of small features that make a big difference.”

After returning,  plans were finalized on 55’ x 245’ building with a center wall running the length of the building creating two individual rooms each capable of holding 8,900 hens. By combining this capacity with the first building the Leins will have three separate flocks.  Because no more than one room is ever out of production for cleaning, eggs are always available to supply customers.  Construction began in mid July and the first hens were placed October 3rd.

Colony nests are stacked two high along the center wall with the aviary facing it.  The AVINEST colony nests allow hens to gather in groups behind privacy curtain to lay their eggs. The system uses the original AstroTurf pads that are perforated to allow dirt to fall away ensuring cleaner eggs.    Cleaner eggs are also promoted by the automatic expulsion feature where the nest floors are lifted with a rack and pinion system gently moving the hens out of the nests at night time.

The aviary features perches where feed and water are available on multiple levels.  Two manure belts also run the length of the system.   On the other side of the aviary, opposite the nests, is a scratch area with doors that can be opened to an outside run.  The computer controlled ventilation system features chimney style fans linked with automated sidewall vents.

When I asked about the different lights installed in the building Jay explained “First the red lights above the boxes come on at 4:00 until 6:00 am with the nests’ floors dropping down to provide access to the nests.  At 5:30 the whole house fluorescents come on dim and gradually increase every 15 minutes until they are on full power.    Next the perch lights come on, then the lights on the second layer of the aviary come on and finally the floor lights are activated.  The floor lights are key to preventing floor eggs from being laid.  At night the order is reversed with boxes closing around 4:00 pm with the house lights going down at 7:00.  At 8:10 the bottom lights are turned off, the middle lights at 8:20 and the house lights are shut off at 8:30.  This entire sequence is automatically controlled by a master light control.”

Egg collection system on the two-tier nest system is accomplished by the use of curved mini steel rod conveyers that bring the eggs to a single level.  From there another conveyer system moves the eggs to collection area where the eggs are inspected, packaged and cooled until delivery to customers.

Jay also called out the manure handling belts. “We feel that one of the biggest benefits of this system over our older building is the ability to remove the manure frequently.  Because a majority of the manure is deposited under the aviary perches, we are able to run the belts located under the aviary and dump them on to a cross belt where it is piled outside.”

“We like our niche in the market” Lynn said when we discussing Yuppie Hill’s customers.  “We supply upper-end restaurants and grocery stores in Madison, Chicago and Sheboygan.  We provide a quality product produced by a family farm.  Demand keeps growing and this new facility will enable us do a better job supplying our customers.”

One final  point of interest at Yuppie Hill farm is the original dairy barn used for the first laying house has been converted again…into a restaurant that serves brunch every Sunday morning except the second weekend the month.  The second weekend is devoted to special Saturday night theme dinner of four to five courses with neighborhood chefs invited in to host the event.  The chefs prepare local foods paired with regional wines and beers.   The event is becoming quite popular with the last couple of dinners being completely sold out.

Kip and Michelle Cullers took a hard look at their existing broiler operation and decided changes needed to be made. First put into operation in 1989, the six 22-year old buildings were in need of major renovation to qualify for premium payments.

After exploring their options with MoArk, a leading producer of specialty eggs, the Cullers next contacted Mike Lucariello who heads up Georgia Poultry’s operations in the area.

Working with the existing 40’ x 400’ dimensions, Mike put together a layout designed to house 12,500 hens per building. The layout features two rows of Wadeken center belt nests set up on a flat deck of plastic slats with a lowered center scratch area. New chain feeders and the old drinker systems, outfitted with cups, were installed on the deck area between the nests and the exterior walls.

The ventilation system was upgraded with the addition of seven 52” Windstorm fans and a 5’ x 55’ cool cell system on each side of the building. The system also unitizes the existing curtain system that can be manually activated during mild weather.

To complete the project, a 20’ x 40’ egg room was added to each building. The bulk of the egg collection is done in the morning with center belts moving the eggs to the end of the building where they are placed into flats, stacked on wheeled racks and moved to the egg cooler until pick up every Tuesday and Friday.

Kip commented, “We had complete confidence in turning the project over to Mike. He’s been in the chicken industry for a long time and has broiler and laying houses of his own. We are especially pleased with the way the ventilation system performed last summer. The tunnel system combined with the cool cell system kept the hens comfortable; in fact, we experienced no loss of production despite the record heat we had.”

Kip continued, “Michelle is responsible for the day-to-day operations on the farm. She does an outstanding job keeping up with the paperwork necessary for organic egg production. Plus she manages two full time employees and four part timers who gather eggs. I help out with repair and maintenance as the farming operation and travel allows.” (In case you are wondering whether you have heard Kip’s name before, you may have. He holds the record for soybean production at 160.6 bushels per acre and travels worldwide speaking about his production methods).

To find out more contact us at 800-949-4647. We’ll sit down with you, explain your options and help you put together a plan and cost estimates for remodel or new projects.

A NEW Solution to Clean and Help Extend the Life of your Medicator

Medicator Rx is a water soluble concentrate, with Aqua Lube, that is designed specifically for maintaining and cleaning medicators used in swine barns and poultry houses.

It removes:

• Rust
• Bio-deposits
• Calcifications

Medicator Rx solution also lubricates your medicator’s interior seals and all moving components as it cleans.

Medicator Rx can be used in two different ways, cleaning in-line and deep cleaning.

• For in-line cleaning, between medicating and vaccinating cycles, mix one packet into 16 ounces of water, turn water on to inject Medicator Rx solution into the medicator and let it sit overnight*.

• For deep cleaning, without scrubbing, disassemble the medicator and simply soak the parts in the Medicator Rx solution for 12 – 24 hours*. You will be amazed with the results!

Medicator Rx is recommended to use when performing maintenance or repairs. One packet will clean one medicator.

Click here to order on line.

*Follow directions on packet.

I have been in literally hundreds of hog buildings over the course of my travels. It really doesn’t matter who built them, the quality of the metal or the insulation value…..if they have a metal ceiling you will eventually have some rust occurring. The most typical spots to see this are around the air inlets (cold air hitting a warm ceiling) and the along the outside walls where the ceiling metal is rolled over the knee braces (insulation tends to slide down). Over time this metal rusts and needs to be replaced.

Huge job! The plumbing and electrical lines have to be dropped, metal unscrewed, rips in the vapor barrier repaired, replace insulation and slide and fastened new metal sheeting into place.

Those kinds of repairs are the ones that tend to get put off indefinitely. That’s where products from Vanberg Specialized Coatings come in. Rust Converter and EM-15 Epoxy Mastic are used to repair metal ceiling in place.

First, remove all the loose rust you can by scraping or pressure washing.

Second, apply Rust Converter to the visible rust areas. Rust Converter will neutralize the rust, you will see the rust turn from red to black in a couple of minutes.

Third, mix the two part EM-15 Epoxy Mastic together and either roll or paint it on the metal for a hard, moisture resistant coating that preserves the metal and protects it from further damage.

Vanberg produces a repair kit (EM15-1K) with everything you need to get started. You can go to www.hogslat.com and order it today.

American Humane Association\’s Seal of Approval

Just returned from the 2012 IPE in Atlanta. Great place to catch up with industry contacts and see the latest and greatest.

Stopped by the Potter’s Poultry booth where Mike Button was quick to point out the new Seal of Approval presented to Potter’s by the American Humane Association. The American Humane Association created the first welfare certification program in the United States to ensure the humane treatment of farm animals. Their Seal of Approval process verifies that equipment, housing designs and installation meet the standards of providing humane treatment in livestock production.

“A very pleasant surprise” said Mike.

Mike went on to comment, “When we first started coming to this show we were viewed as kind of an oddity. Producers really questioned whether or not eggs could be produced like this on a commercial basis. As we put systems in and the producers achieved success, interest in our systems has grown.”

“We estimate only about 5% of the total egg output is being produced in cage-free systems here in the U.S. We think that this will grow to over 25%, similar to the amount produced in the U.K. There is a growing segment in the United States of consumers demanding eggs produced by more humane practices.”

“What’s unique about Potter’s Poultry is that we aren’t a battery cage manufacturer that took the doors off the front and started offering them as cage-free systems. We have been designing and manufacturing aviary systems for over 20 years. It not something we are doing because it’s the newest thing to hit the market…it’s what Potter’s Poultry has always done.”

You can learn more about Potter’s Poultry systems by going to http://www.hogslat.com/cage-free-eggs or giving us a call at 1-800-949-4647.

Another item of interest at the 2012 IPE show was the Big Foot Radiant Tube Heater by Space Ray. Space Ray manufacturers some the best heating equipment on the market; Hog Slat and Georgia Poultry have carried their 40,000 Btu poultry brooder and tube heaters for years.

“The Big Foot is a hybrid heater that combines the best qualities of the standard brooder and tube heaters,” explained Space Ray’s Wilf Jackson. “Tube heaters have the advantage of less equipment to maintain but tend to produce a heating pattern that is oval in shape, while individual brooders produce a better heating footprint on the floor but require a producer to clean more pieces of equipment.”

“The heating footprint of the Big Foot is rectangular without gaps and the equipment can be installed close to the ceiling like a tube heater. Big Foot achieves its large, even footprint by utilizing a 19° angle on the reflector shield eliminating problems with convective wash as the heat waves are directed towards the house floor.”

Current plans are to offer the Big Foot in 60,000 and 90,000 Btu models and both single and dual stage ignition with emitter lengths of 15’ and 20’.

The Big Foot is being field tested by Hog Slat in a local farm and Space Ray is having independent tests conducted starting in February. We look forward to reporting on the results of those tests in future blogs.

As the food industry responds to animal welfare issues, many producers have started to consider alternative options to stall-based gestation systems. We took a few moments to speak with Hog Slat’s national sales manager, Fritz Richards, about group housing systems.
Can you describe the options available and the advantages and disadvantages of each?
Hog Slat first took a hard look at the Electronic Sow Feeding or ESF systems. Sows are housed as groups and fed in stations that identify sows individually by means of RFID ear tags. This type of equipment seemed to offer slight advantages that would offset some of the management tools which producers would lose going to group housing from stalls. Such as the ability to feed animals as individuals and maintain dynamic farrowing groups. We looked at both domestic and international systems, touring and speaking with experienced growers. There were some differences that came to the forefront.

Like?
This type of system is a major paradigm shift for US producers. The US industry has developed a very straight forward system of handling gestation sows. Sows are weaned into a stall, bred there and sow condition is managed by individual feeding. ESF is a completely different management style. First, the animals must undergo a two to four week training process with up to five percent of them eliminated as untrainable. Second, because computers, scanners, RFID tags and low voltage lines are necessary for ESF equipment a highly trained staff is required to operate the system successfully. With many production systems experiencing high turnover of farm staff, it becomes very difficult to perform the necessary maintenance and training.

Where do you see ESF working best?
Farms where the owner works in the unit every day and is able to maintain and repair the equipment in-house. The U.S. landscape is not like the situation we saw in Europe where as many as six service technicians are available in an area the size of a U.S. county. Getting timely repairs when the equipment is down should be an important consideration when considering ESF systems.

What other options have you looked at?
Free Access Stalls. In this system, the sows are housed in groups but are provided with access to individual feeding stalls. The stalls have a lockout mechanism on the rear gate that allows sow access and prevents other sows from entering. She is able to exit the stall at any time to go back in the pen area. Most designs feature an option for the herdsman to lock the sows in the stalls for treatment. We feel this may be the ultimate sow housing system.

Are Free Access Stalls available from Hog Slat?
We offer this equipment to producers, but, they need to remember that this is the most expensive option they can install. The square footage requirements per sow are high, (as much as 37 sq ft per sow) and the stalls with a locking mechanism are more expensive than a standard gestations stall.

What other options are available?
Floor feeding in pens actually predates stalls. This system is designed with five to eight sows per pen, and the feed is dropped directly on the pen floor. This system is successful if managed correctly. Grouping of the sows by size is critical as the strongest animals tend to get the most feed. It is the lowest cost alternative to gestation stalls.

What seems to be the most popular option?
Stanchions are the most popular system we see for new and remodel projects. This is group housing with short dividers or stanchions to protect the individual sow at feeding time. This design lends itself to a wide range of group sizes with a lot of flexibility in pen and building dimensions, which is important with remodel projects.

Why do you think it is so popular?
Stanchion production methods adapt well to current U.S. production practices. A farm’s current staff can manage a stanchion system because it utilizes the same feed delivery system and penning equipment as they are currently using.

What criteria are used in designing a stanchion system?
The first decision is how many square feet per sow will be allocated. Obliviously, square footage in the building is expensive, and this can range from 17 to 24 square feet per animal. This is a business decision each producer must weigh against projected welfare regulations.
A group sizing of 10 to 20 head per pen is common. Equipment is standard 40-inch high rod panels with 18” long divider stanchions, creating a feed space for each animal in the pen. The stanchions are open rod style set at 18” to 21” width. Experience has shown it is not necessary to use solid dividers on the side or front of the stanchion. The rod style protects the ears and head of the sow from aggressive animals and doesn’t restrict air flow as much as solid panels. In addition, rod style penning is more cost effective and has a longer life span.
We also design a breeding area with stalls equal to 45 days worth of sow holding capacity. Sows are weaned into this area until bred and formed into gestation groups.

How is the stanchion system managed?
Sows are fed using an automated feed system with individual drops. Sows anticipate each feeding and start lining up before the feed drops. You don’t see much shuffling between stanchions as they become conditioned to eating their portion and realize the other feeding slots will not have feed after they finish. The earliest systems utilized a trickle feed system where over a longer time, small amounts of feed were dispensed to hold the sow at their feeding space. Trickle feeding was proven to be unnecessary and just added additional cost to the scheme.
While the sows are eating, a herdsman moves along the alley noting animals that are not at the feed trough. He can mark them for later treatment or movement to a hospital area.

Are there any disadvantages?
Yes, animals cannot be individually fed. Sows that “fall out” of a group because of sickness or injury have to be removed to a hospital pen or stall. Despite the disadvantages, this has been a popular choice for many producers desiring to move into group housing.

How many stanchions have been installed by Hog Slat?
Hog Slat has built and installed over 150,000 spaces of stanchion housing in the U.S., from individual farms up to large production systems. We have gathered a lot of field experience completing those projects and can help any producer considering group housing systems.

Just saw some interesting info from Billy Farmer. Billy is the store supervisor in Georgia, and had just attended the 2012 Poultry Tunnel Ventilation Workshop at the University of Georgia. They always put out great technical informational at their workshops and this piece caught my eye.  We all know that we should change v-belts on belt drive fans when they get worn but….why?

V-belts don’t actually stretch as is commonly referred. They get thinner as they wear. Because they get thinner, the belts will start to ride lower in the pulley groove. When this happens it’s just like the pulley becoming smaller. As the fan spins slower it moves less air. CFM delivery is directly proportional to the fan speed. Spin the fan 10% slower and it moves 10% less air. Reducing the CFM capacity of a building by 10% can spell disaster in terms of pig and broiler performance during the heat of the summer.

How do you know when to replace a V-belt? 

A quick visual check will determine if  a V-belt is worn and needs to be replaced. If the belt is riding above the pulley groove, it is doing its job. If the belt is bottomed out in the groove and/or riding below the top of the groove, it’s time to replace the V-belt.

While you have the V-belt off, you should take time to inspect to the pulley itself. A new pulley has a sharp V-shaped groove. A pulley that is more U-shaped is worn and needs to be replaced before you put on the new V-belt.

To make the job of replacing V-belts less expensive, Hog Slat developed our own line of V-belts called GroBelts. They are constructed of compressed rubber embedded with low stretch nylon cords. Hog Slat and Georgia Poultry stores carry a complete selection of the most popular sizes in stock. If you can’t make it to a local store, you can also order on line at http://www.hogslat.com/v-belts-grobelt-drive-belts and we’ll ship them directly to your door.

The 2012 Pork Expo is in the books.  Great weather this year and great food.  Especially the 260 lb pork burger Vinny and crew from Hog Slat cooked up.  This wasn’t just an inedible gimmick either…..the slice I had was very good.

Walking around the trade show, I noticed there were a few companies with products to address the bin bridging and feed outage problems caused by using DDGS and other alternative feed ingredients……mechanical bin whackers in other words. One rep explained that his product was a much better choice than his competitor’s model and “ours is only about $1200 compared to theirs at $2000.” Wow. The price of the anti-bridging device is almost as much as the bin.

Quite a few companies displayed their version of Electronic Sow Feeding (ESF).   One says each feeding station will handle 60-65 sows, the next guy’s will handle 300.   All the computerized systems are easy to use; intuitive I believe was the term they used.  Everybody had a “system expert” who probably lives several states away from your farm.

Remember when everyone had to hook up their ventilation controls up to a computer in their office? Going to run the barn from the house was the idea. Most ended up with the plastic cover left on after a month or two. A couple of years ago, sorting scales were going to change the way finishing pigs were raised. Most of those are sitting outside rusting away now.

No doubt some producers will successfully adopt ESF technology. One thing is guaranteed, not all the companies offering ESF will be at this show five years from now. Choose carefully.