Introduction Osborne s TEAM Electronic Sow Feeding (ESF) has been around since the late 1980 s and continuous development has taken place since then. The technology, user-friendliness, affordability and reliability have improved to the point where ESF is a very worthwhile option for farms around 100 sows and up. Osborne Industries from Kansas USA have developed ESF over the last 20 years, and now export TEAM systems all over the world. Osborne manufacture the stations, electronics, eartags and write thesoftware in their Kansas factory. Compared to most other ESF brands this has real advantages with Osborne s service and the availability of spare parts. The TEAM system is simple (therefore reliable), easy to operate and not expensive. Mundigo have represented Osborne Industries in Australia for 5 years and are committed with stocks of equipment and all spare parts necessary. The main advantage of ESF is the ability to individ ually feed sows in groups. Other methods such as drop feeding in feeder stalls, trickle feeding and floor feeding all blanket-feed sows the same amount, giving varying sow conditions, often exacerbating variability (small timid sows miss out), and cause aggressi on at feeding. Farmers using ESF always say their sows are in better condition, are more placid and easier to handle. There is no feed wastage with ESF, and sows choose when they want to feed. How it works Every sow on the farm needs an RFID eartag in her right ear. When she enters the TEAM station and puts her head near the feed bowl her RFID is read and the computer decides how much of her daily feed allocation is remaining. It then dispenses around 100 grams of feed every 30 seconds (this is adjustable) along with about a cupful of water. The dispensing continues until the sow withdraws from the feed bowl or her daily allocation has run out. She is free to leave the station at any time via a one-way exit gate. When a sow enters the station the entry gate is closed behind her (with a pneumatic ram) so she is isolated from other sows. If she has no feed coming, the entry gate is opened and the next sow is allowed to enter. There is an anti-lay bar in the station to prevent sows laying down. Sows choose when they want to feed and some sows will visit between 2 and 5 times per day to eat their daily ration. Sows that are tagged on the computer (manually or automatically) for preg-checking, vaccination or farrowing can be either spray-marked or drafted into a separation pen, depending on the set-up.
Dynamic & static groups One of the most commonly asked questions what s the best one to use? It depends mostly on the size of the sow herd. astatic groups: In an ideal world static groups are the preferred method. Each TEAM ESF station can feed between 60 and 70 sows, so a static group would have a single pen of this number with one TEAM station in the middle, and you wouldn t stir the group by introducing or removing sows for the entire gestation. There would be very little aggression between sows, and the whole pen would be emptied into the farrowing shed together. Typically a 1500 sow farm would farrow around 65 sows per week. After 2017 Australian pig farmers will have to group sows straight after mating. Any returns need to be identified and removed from the group for re-mating. Walking a smelly boar up the walkway where he can have nose-to-nose contact with any returns is good practice and sows should be placid enough for one stockperson to walk returns out of the pen. In an ideal static group situation, the number of sows in the group will decrease putting less pressure on space and the station if no other sows are added. Not all farms are 1500 sows, so ESF layout design must focus on managing sow groups to avoid mixing sows too much, and maximise station utilization. For 700 sow farms one static group can be made up from 2 weeks production. Batch farrowing gives the opportunity for smaller farms to use static groups. DELIVERING EFFICIENT SOLUTIONS
Dynamic & static groups adynamic groups: Dynamic groups are the solution for smaller farms. This is when all gestating sows at various stages of gestation are kept in one large group and multiple TEAM ESF stations are arranged like checkouts at a supermarket. Sows can choose to feed at any one of the stations available. Because sows need to be removed from the group on a weekly basis, dynamic group systems usually incorporate a sow drafting system to a separation pen. Sows are tagged on the computer (manually or automatically) and diverted from the group after they visit the station. DELIVERING EFFICIENT SOLUTIONS When installing a TEAM system, you have the choice of: 1. a divert gate kit fitted to each station, or 2. installing a single divert station (2-way draft) through which all sows pass after leaving the TEAM ESF stations. The divert station is about the same cost as 4 divert gate kits. The system used depends on the size of the group and shed layout.
Dynamic & static groups agroup Mixing: Gilts and older sows can be run together in static or dynamic groups without problems. Generally speaking, when the group size is larger than 40 there is less aggression because of the memory factor. The large space means timid sows can run and hide more easily. Adding a boar to the group can distract the females and reduce aggression between them, and straw bedding occupies sows and reduces aggression. Gilts introduced to a group can get knocked around no matter what the group size. An easy way to prevent this is to stall the gilt (or sow) for several hours or overnight within the pen where she has exposure to the group before she s let out. ESF planning and installation Every installation will be different, and every system will be managed differently. Mundigo work closely with Osborne Industries to design the best layout solutions possible, taking into account group sizes, shed shape, drains, straw bedding, ventilation and other factors. Osborne Industries have over 20 years experience installing ESF systems everywhere and they know what works. The recommended space allowance is between 2.0 and 2.5 square metres per sow total pen space. The European Union standard is 2.2 square metres which is a good aim point. TEAM stations are best installed over concrete slats close to the drinkers to create a feeding and drinking area where most of the dunging takes place. The remaining space in the pen becomes the laying areas which may incorporate laying barriers to encourage sows to lie against instead of against other sows. TEAM stations run on 24V power, so wiring is relatively cheap and easy. One TEAM power supply is located close to 240V power in the shed, and then 24V is run to 8 TEAM stations. Compressed air isneeded to operate the entry gate ram allow for about 0.5cfm per TEAM station. A feeding system (typically Flex-flo) is installed over all TEAM stations to ensure hoppers are always full. Feed hoppers hold about 45 kg which is enough feed for about 15 sows. An optional feature of TEAM stations is dual feed hoppers that allow blending of feeds on an individual sow basis, or administering medicated feed.
Gilt and sow training Gilt and sow training is very important with ESF, not only at startup with a new ESF system, but for any new gilts added to the herd. The success of the system relies on you training females for at least 6 weeks prior to their first introduction to ESF. Training a sow or gilt is not difficult because the process rewards the animal with feed, but it does take time each day to rotate them through the system. Once a gilt has been trained properly, it will never have to be retrained on subsequent parities. We recommend gilt development and ESF training be initiated between 20 and 24 weeks of age. Assuming gilts will be mated at 32 weeks of age, the gilt training will range between 8 and 12 weeks. The recommended maximum number of gilts is 60 to 65 per TEAM station, and allow at least 1.5 square metres per gilt and 2.2 square metres per sow. Rarely will you find a sow or gilt that cannot be trained to feed from a TEAM station. The station provides protection and an easy place to access feed that sows and gilts adapt to quickly. For larger herd sizes a dedicated TEAM station is recommended for gilt training, ideally located in the mating shed near the breeding stalls / DMA. For smaller herd sizes, removable training gates on one ofthe main TEAM stations can be used for gilt training. DELIVERING EFFICIENT SOLUTIONS aestrous detection: Gilt breeding development can be managed with ESF training by using TEAM estrous detection stations (E-Stations) incorporated into the gilt training pen. This can be an excellent management tool for gilt pools. The TEAM E-station provides gilts with nose-to-nose contact to a boar, and the TEAM software records the frequency and duration of visits by individual gilts. The TEAM software calculates a Heat Reference Value (HRV) which accurately indicates estrous, and the E-station can spraymark gilts on heat.
TEAM ESF sow management When the TEAM ESF system is established, labour input should be similar and in some cases less compared to using stalls or other group housing systems. This will depend on many factors, but suffice to say that after initial sow herd training, the labour requirements of ESF are not high. Staff should walk the pens each day looking for animals needing attention. NIPS or injured sows should be stalled for treatment or culled. Walk-throughs built into the penning allow staff to walk between the pens without climbing fences or opening gates and makes the job much easier. The hand-held ID logger lets you scan an RFID eartag in the pen and make adjustments to that sow s feed on-thespot. You can also read the sow s breeding information. When you re back at the computer the ID logger is docked and all information synchronised. Having some stalls or small pens allows you to be discerning regarding the health and soundness of sows housed in groups. Sows not sound on their feet should be isolated in a stall and carried full term then culled. The TEAM software is easy to follow once you re familiar with it. After the feed curves are established initially there should be very little computer input except for weekly rituals of sow movements. The automatic daily printed report shows sows with feed remaining from the previous day. These sows are either sick or lost their eartag, and will need attention. For more information and help Visit www.osborne-ind.com for more details and You-Tube films of some US hog farm installations. For production figures comparing stalls vs. ESF on some US farms, contact me directly. For advice on how to renovate and/or incorporate ESF into your farm, contact me to arrange a site visit and quote. Mike Andersen - November 2010
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