Vehmaan Haikara did change to free farrowing.

When sow can walk around the pen, oxytocin secretion increases in brain  better milk production.

Free farrowing makes the nestmaking possible to the sow. In Vehmaan Haikara animal welfare is important. They changed to free farrowing in January.

VEHMAAN HAIKARA OY

  • four owners
  • 1600 sows
  • weaners per sow per year 34,2
  • BeFree free farrowing pen 7m2

Taras Semchuk from Vehmaa Haikara tells, sows are eating better, milk production is better, and farrowing goes more easily. Sows don’t need help with farrowing as much as before.

The piglets don’t need as much medication. Less heating energy is needed and fewer working hours. That makes moneysaving. These are best about free farrowing.

Oxytocin secretion increases when the sow can walk around the pen and make nest. Owners Mika Adersson and Harri Mäkitalo are telling.

Last summer the owners of Vehmaan Haikara, Andersson, Mäkitalo, Mika Heino and Petri Heino decided to invest to free farrowing. To 1600 sow’s piggery was built 1800m2 more and six new rooms.

Welfare first

The animal welfare in an important thing to the owners.

“We take care of our pigs. We have 15 workers. In this size unit the vet comes every second week. That is based to the law…”

Vehmaan Haikara was found in 2001. The first enlargement was made in 2006. After that the piggery had 12 000m2 and now it is 14 000m2.

KVR Finland built the 2,5 million investment quickly. In September there was just a forest and in the end of the year new building was ready for use. After the new building was ready, they have started to change the old farrowing to free farrowing.

Easy to work

In the new pens the sow and piglets have 7 m2. Schauer BeFree pens are easy to handle and safe for and workers. “When there are a lot of animals, work has to be easy to handle.”

All the technique workers need is next to the corridor. Sow and piglets have free water in the mother-baby -drinker. The piglet nest is easy to close. The trough is easy to clean from the corridor. Worker has always fens between him and the sow.

The men are happy with Schauer equipment.

They choose Spotmix for feeding. Now it’s easy to feed animals with correct feed mixture. The worker can make all the changes for feeding, medication and others to the Cloudfarms system by his cell phone in real-time.

 

Contact
Phone
Newsletter
Service

TOP