We select drinkers and feeders for pigs
Correctly selected pig feeders are not only a guarantee of animal satiety. The design and size of this equipment determines how clean and high-quality the feed will be, as well as its economical use. Drinking bowls installed on the farm are equally important.
What are the requirements for pig feeders and drinkers? What design solutions are the most effective and affordable in a private backyard?
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Varieties and device of pig feeders
The simplest feeders used to feed all types of pets and poultry are open containers of suitable size and depth. An example would be a plastic or metal pig trough.
The advantage of such feeders is their low cost and simplicity, but the feed mixtures in them are easily contaminated, and it is impossible to dose them.
- from the bunker, where the feed mixture is initially poured;
- from the tray into which food then falls;
- from the limiting strips, which do not allow excess feed from the bunker to immediately fall on the pallet;
- from the pallet where the feed is eaten by pigs;
- from the side barriers that prevent the mixture from spilling out onto the limits of the feeder.
From the hopper filled at the top, feed for the pigs through the gap at the bottom falls into the pallet, where the animals eat it with pleasure. As soon as the hog trough is empty and a slot opens into the hopper, a new portion of food is poured down and the trough is refilled. As a result:
- food stays clean and fresh longer;
- even the weakest and latecomers do not starve;
- food does not scatter on the floor, which allows you to save money and not be afraid of infection of animals with helminths or other infections;
- the breeder spends less time on livestock maintenance and feeding.
Nipple drinkers for pigs
Likewise, nipple drinkers for pigs, although more expensive than conventional troughs, are more reliable, more convenient and safer.
Unlike open drinkers, where water is always available to pigs, nipple structures only work when the animal presses on the nipple and these open the supply of moisture. As a result, the liquid is not contaminated for a long time, does not fall on the litter and is consumed much more economically.
Such drinkers can be bought or made by hand. In the latter case, it must be remembered that the water pressure should be less than 2 atmospheres for piglets and 4 if the equipment is installed in a pigsty for adult animals.
Whichever design of a pig feeder or drinker is chosen by the livestock breeder, its dimensions should be such that it would be convenient for all the inhabitants of the pigsty to approach the trough.
Requirements for feeders and drinkers for pigs
The sizes of containers for feeding and watering animals depend on the age and sex of the pigs, as well as on their number. The less piglets, the smaller and narrower troughs they are offered, the more animals can simultaneously fit next to a hopper feeder for pigs or an ordinary trough.
The same criteria are used when arranging long open drinkers, as well as when calculating the number of places if nipple drinkers for pigs are to be installed in a pigsty.
The height at which the drinkers are best mounted also depends on the parameters of the flock. It is convenient to determine it based on the weight of the animals. Long troughs are often bridged to force animals to feed from a specific area of the pan. In addition to size and depth requirements, pig feeders and drinkers must:
- easy to clean and wash;
- have a structure that is protected from the ingress of urine, droppings, litter fragments or other debris;
- be sufficiently capacious and stable so that the food does not spill out and the water does not splash;
- be located in an area convenient for access.
Pig troughs designed for liquid feed and drinkers should not leak.
DIY pig feeder
Buying ready-made drinkers and feeders is not a problem. But in order to save money, you can make convenient and inexpensive equipment for a pigsty with your own hands.
For the manufacture of a simple design, plastic or metal barrels, asbestos-cement and plastic pipes of large diameter, and even obsolete gas cylinders are suitable.
Depending on the diameter of the existing barrel, the vessel is cut along the long side into two or three parts. The resulting gutters are thoroughly washed, dried and fixed on heavy, stable supports or bars. Sharp cuts must be sanded or bent to pigs not hurt.
Similarly, pig feeders are made from old cylinders:
- Preliminarily, the remaining gas is vented from the equipment, checking the emptyness of the container with soap foam.
- Then the valve is very carefully cut off from the lying cylinder, regularly moistening the incision site.
- When the valve is removed, the container is thoroughly washed, and the used water is poured away from residential buildings.
- Ripping the cylinder into two troughs for pigs.
- The containers are fired.
- A metal grid can be attached to the top of the troughs, which can be lowered to easily prevent piglets from entering the trough.
A similar technology is used in the case when a pipe made of asbestos cement or plastic is chosen for the manufacture of a feeder or drinker. Hand-made pig feeders made from these materials do not corrode, they are quite easy to maintain and can be carried, for example, for installation on a walk.