Schauer Agrotronic GmbH

Proven group housing systems for pigs – securing the future

It is no secret that the EU transition period (in which pig farmers must change over to group housing for pregnant breeding sows as opposed to individual crates) expires at the end of 2012. Here is a brief overview of Schauer Agrotronic's proven and future-safe solutions for successful pig production:

Compident VII electronic sow feeding for large dynamic groups of up to 80 sows per unit or 70 sows in large, stable groups.

Compident Simultan electronic sow feeding – for small stable groups.

Self-catching free-access crates for small stable groups. Now also with automatic operation.

BH-Box – self-catching crate with integrated treatment door for combined serving pen / dry sow house.

Manual crates with reliable closure system for small, stable sow groups for combined serving pen / dry sow house.

Feeding point organiser – open feeding points for small, stable sow groups, group-oriented feeding – condition groups required.

Modern housing systems: for all-round pig welfare
Two showcase units that have each found the best solution for their own business are good examples of Schauer's housing and feeding technology. Satisfied customers are the best proof of Schauer's experience and expertise. After extending the farrowing pen six years ago the dry sow area also became too small. When building work was in progress to years ago the family decided to invest in a BH Box - a free-access crate with integrated insemination gate. The feeding system is based on a pipe chain system with dosing points that are refilled overnight. Manfred Starzinger regards the simple animal control as a key benefit of his housing system. "You can see whether all the sows are actually eating at every feeding time. Additionally, any sow can move back if it wants peace and quiet."

PC control system
The pigs at Karl and Martina Eder's farm are kept in dynamic large groups. "It was the most cost-efficient solution for us, plus every pig can be fed individually for up to 60 days from the day of insemination until farrowing," says Karl Eder, praising his Compident electronic sow feeding. The sows are merely inseminated in the insemination pen and then return immediately to the group. Sows on heat can be selected using a chip and computer and the detector boar in the group. Martina Eder describes the benefits of the system as follows: "You can see that the animals feel comfortable, the sows can be brought to the same status individually and space conditions are better."

Modern feeding management with Compident Pig Manager
Unit: Rudolf Haginger, Mehrnbach

Unit manager Rudolf Haginger (42) runs a pig production unit with a Compident feeding and management system in the pregnant sow area. The unit has two full-time workers and one part-time worker to handle the various tasks. As a qualified and former teacher of agriculture for over 9 years he sees the IT tools in use at the unit as a sensible aid that any normal user can benefit from and use to improve pig management.

The main benefits of modern pig management with the Compident TOPO feeding computer and mobile Pig Manager according to Haginger:

• Data recording errors are reduced considerably
• Documentation takes up very little time
• Perfect overview of the condition and location of all sows in the unit

Group housing with Compident
Country View Farm, USA

Healthy group housing for the animals of the County View Farm in Pennsylvania. Compident feeders for welfare-friendly pig housing and the feeding computer "TOPO"
are in operation. Schauer's partner GSI takes care of the installation and service.

Agrar center Schwarzenau - www.lfl.bayern.de/lvfz/schwarzenau
On 20th May 2009 the Agrar center Schwarzenau openend its doors. About 5000 guests were able to see for themselves how well Compident, Spotmix and the fattening performance testing concept work for piglets and rearing pigs.

Haus Düsse – pig fattening unit, www.duesse.de
The new Haus Düsse trial unit opened its doors on 2nd April 2009. Thanks to an extremely intelligent network, the ventilation PC communicates with the feeding computer and the process control system of the sorting sluice with the fattening planner. Schauer Agrotronic has equipped the new unit with MLP stations to monitor fattening performance.

LSZ Boxberg – breeding and fattening unit, www.lsz-bw.de
Schauer Agrotronic has equipped LSZ Boxberg, Baden-Württemberg's largest research centre, with Spotmix multiphase feeding systems. Thanks to the newly organised fattening bays and Schauer's Spotmix feeding systems, animal performance can now be evaluated more effectively and statistics can be efficiently recorded. Sows in the dry sow house are fed with Compident electronic sow feeding.

Professional sow breeding and fattening at Altain, a large Russian farm in the Altajskij region. An interview with General Director Sergei Nozhkin of "OOO Altair Agro", T. Cervena, Schauer Agrotronic GmbH:

"Altair is the biggest project that the large-scale operation has undertaken in the last 20 years. It is associated with the hope of a rebirth of profitable and professional pig production in the region, explains Sergei Nozhkin, General Director of the OOO Altair-Agro farm.

The project is being implemented at a fast pace and is extremely impressive. Metal buildings with a frame construction have been built. The partitions have been erected with plastic panel walls for optimum hygiene and in the interest of healthy livestock.

The pregnant sows are kept in groups in accordance with EU livestock housing regulations and are fed individually with the Compident feeding and management system.