You have reached your limit of 5 free stories. A story preview is shown instead.
To view more stories
(If your subscription is current,
click here to Login or Register.)
Hydraulic Crate Keep Pigs Alive
A new European-designed hydraulic far-rowing crate prevents the crushing of baby pigs to increase litter survival rates without the drawbacks of conventional pig-saving devices, according to the distributor, Hog Slat, Inc., Newton Grove, N. C.
The Proctor farrowing crate is equipped with a hydraulic compression
..........
You must sign in, subscribe or renew to see the page.
You must sign in, subscribe or renew to see the flip-book
Hydraulic crate keep pigs alive HOG EQUIPMENT & IDEAS Hog Equipment & Ideas (351) 14-2-3 A new European-designed hydraulic far-rowing crate prevents the crushing of baby pigs to increase litter survival rates without the drawbacks of conventional pig-saving devices, according to the distributor, Hog Slat, Inc., Newton Grove, N. C.
The Proctor farrowing crate is equipped with a hydraulic compression cylinder which allows both sides of the crate to expand outward as the sow lies down, lowering her slowly and gently to the floor and giving baby pigs time to move away. When the sow stands back up again, the cylinder retracts, pulling the sides of the crate in close to her sides.
"This crate reduces mortalities by one-quarter to one-half pig per sow," says Shelton Johnson, sales manager. "It works better than crates equipped with fixed-position bars because it gives baby pigs better Access to the sow's udder. The crate works especially well for large sows because the expandable sides allow the sow to ease down gently instead of falling down. Since there are no bar obstructions, even the largest sows can nurse in comfort and the smallest pigs can get a full feed. When the sow stands back up again, the crate's sides press in close to the sow (a 17-in. width), creating a safe area for the pigs. This safety area is further expanded with an easily adjustable rump guard, which also protects pigs during birth. An adjustable chain is used to set expansion width of the crate from 25 to 36 in. depending on the size of the sow."
The crate is equipped with nipple waterers for the sow and pigs as well as a stainless steel feeder which can be removed for ease of cleaning. The 7-ft. long crate can be set up with 41/2- or 5-ft. wide stalls.
Galvanized crates complete with feeder and nipple waterers sells for $320; painted crates sell for $290.
For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Hog Slat Inc., P.O. Box 308, Newton Grove, N. Car. 28366 (ph toll-free 800 334-6465; in N. Car. 800 682-1103, or 919 594-0219).
To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click
here to register with your account number.
