The only constant in life is change! A farm in Surwold in the Emsland district in North-Western Germany proves that this quote is true: Noreen and Michael Kröger converted their farm entirely to organic production and now follow Bioland standards. This change not only affected the cultivation of their land, but also their pig finishing business. The couple purchased the equipment for its two welfare pig houses from Big Dutchman.
Straw, open air – and a special feeder
Germany: Big Dutchman equips two houses for organic pig production
A new house with 598 animal places is already in operation. The second open-air pig house, which was renovated, leaving only the building envelope standing for some time, was recently completed; it offers room for 400 pigs. The pens as well as the open-air runs of both finishing houses have a straw bedding.
The piglets are born on another organic farm. They reach a slaughter weight of approx. 125 kilograms on the Kröger’s farm, i.e. 15 kilograms more than is common with conventional finishing. The Kröger couple produces the organic clover grass feed for their pigs directly on their farm.
The feeding system comes with a very special feature. Upon the Kröger’s request, Big Dutchman installed a dry feeder called PigNic Dry in the couple’s finishing houses instead of the standard wet feeders. This dry feeder was designed specifically for the Xaletto straw bedding concept: moist bedding is not hygienic and thus detrimental to animal welfare.
- Pig house lighting: Zeus ceiling lamp
- Feeding system: DryRapid 1500 dry feeding system
- Feed storage: outdoor silos
- Housing equipment: height-adjustable partition grids in the open-air runs | pen profiles
