Feeding concept

Article published in Maskinbladet
9. januar 2004
-------------------------------

Researcher surprised by new invention.

Four phase feeding of porker with the ability to distinguish between hogs and young sows.

Senior researcher Sigurd Boisen from the Research Center in Foulum can hardly conceal his enthusiasm for Tabree ApS’s new feeding concept (Just in Time) using robot feeding of pigs.
In principal this is the ideal way of feeding pigs, as you eliminate that all pigs are treated in the same way.

Four phase feeding
Sigurd Boison has suggested that Tabree should try a four phase feeding where the pigs are divided into groups in accordance with their weight: from 30-45 kg, from 45-60 kg, 60-80 kg and from 80-100 kg.
When you start feeding pigs the problem is that the pigs do not have the necessary capacity to digest in order to obtain their optimal growth. 
At final phase there will be an unnecessary surplus of phosphorus and nitrogen, which can be avoided.
At the end you can reduce the energy supply to the Hogs in order to optimize the meat percentages.

Gold mine for researchers
The senior researcher believes that the system will make is possible to achieve an average growth of more than 1000 g per day. But what he is really looking forward to is  haveing registrations on each pig, as he considers this to be a gold mine seen from a researchers perspective. Sigurd Boisen believes that robot feeding will stimulate the pigs to eat more. The frequent feeding takes away the stress factor, and thus the pigs are calmer.
In history we have never had such possibilities to monitor each animal and to adjust the feeding. But it would be odd if we had reached the optimal result in the first test, sounds the optimistic announcement from the Research Center in Foulum.