In Gerd Behnen’s old machine shop in Gehlenberg (district of Cloppenburg, North-Western Germany), you will hear squeaks and grunts nowadays: the farmer has converted the building into a house for piglet rearing. Searching for the ideal equipment for his project, Behnen found Big Dutchman – and after looking at the pig equipment supplier’s product range, decided to offer his weaners not only modern technology but also the atmosphere of a living room: the penning system comes with a cosy wooden look.
“Let’s get cosy!”
Piglet rearing house with a wooden look
The equipment convinced the farmer for more reasons than just the feeling of cosiness, however. The pen profiles, made of PVC, are very robust and have a smooth, closed surface. Behnen can thus clean them easily and thoroughly: an important benefit for good hygiene.
The house is separated into two parts, with the piglets’ weight being the natural divider. Piglets weighing up to 15 kilograms form one group, and the heavier pigs the other one. Upon reaching a weight of 30 kilograms, the pigs leave the nursery and move on to finishing.
Pigs need to be occupied. Farmer Behnen therefore offers his stock chewing sticks, jute bags suspended from ropes and of course roughage. The organic material (straw in this case) is stored outside of the house in a roughage dispenser, transported into the house automatically and dispensed in the pens.
Inside of the house 
Inside of the house 
Inside of the house 
Piglets 
Roughage dispenser. Apart from straw, silage maize, hay, lucerne and more can be dispensed. 
Nipple drinkers and drinking bowls for a constant supply of fresh water 
Special feature: the trough drinker was developed specifically for the Big Dutchman straw bedding concept Xaletto, but is also a great addition to the piglet rearing house of farmer Behnen.
