The Meyer-Hanschen family from Twistringen (district of Diepholz in Northern Germany) can trace back the history of their agricultural holding to the year 1349. This is how long it has been family property. In order to continue this family tradition, farmer Heinrich Meyer-Hanschen has now built a modern pig house for 1,376 animals which was recently inaugurated with an Open House. Approximately 150 guests followed the invitation of the farmer's family and took a close look at the remarkable Big Dutchman project including pig equipment.
The pig house of a size of 46 x 27 m is divided into two compartments of two large group pens each. The outer walls of the house consist of concrete sandwich elements with inside thermal insulation. The roof is a nailed truss construction and has a trapezoidal steel roofing.
Pig equipment: Sorting scale and much more
At the end of finishing, the TriSort sorting scale allows for separating the animals in each pen. After weighing, which takes only a few seconds, the exit door opens automatically. The adjacent selection door determines into which feeding area the pig is guided or whether it is to be selected as "ready-to-slaughter". Due to two different feeding areas, different feed types can be used for the animals in one pen. Pigs can feed from nine double feeders in each large pen. Subsequent finishing takes place in the adjacent house built in the year 2000. All piglets stem from their own farm, the new house is supplied with piglets compartment by compartment.
Comfortable pig house climate
Fresh air reaches the two compartments via the eaves, the roof and the ceiling inlets. To cool down intake air in case of high outside temperatures, farmer Meyer-Hanschen decided to install the Combi Cool high-pressure cooling system. The compartments are heated by means of a ribbed radiator and a hot water heating system. The heat used here is supplied by the on-farm biogas plant which also heats several accommodations and livestock houses in the vicinity. As a slurry pit the Meyer-Hanschen family decided for a so-called slalom system. The duration of storage below the pig house is more than 6 months, this moreover means free storage space in the yard.