PHOTOS: BERT JANSEN
FARM VISIT ▶▶▶
Capacity problems vanish with better weaner care
Pig producer Roy Hannen, based in the south of the Netherlands, likes to think differently. He created additional space inside the pig house simply by increasing the pig flow. Working consistently is an absolute necessity.
BY KEES VAN DOOREN, SENIOR REPORTER, BOERDERIJ W Profile
Name: Roy Hannen Location: Heibloem, Limburg province, the Netherlands Farm: The farm “Kraamhotel Hannen Mevissen” is a mixed farm- ing operation with pigs, broilers and arable land. The pig facility houses 1,000 TN70 sows, has a 4,000 weaner pig capacity and 8,000 finisher pigs. In addition, the farm also houses 25,000 broiler chickens and has 40ha of arable land. The farm employs two permanent staff.
hen a grower pig house reaches the limits of its capacity, there are two main ways this can be overcome. One is to create additional plac- es; the other is to make sure the animals grow
faster. Pig producer Roy Hannen, located in Heibloem, Lim- burg province, the Netherlands, decided to go for the second option. For both visitors as well as himself he has raised the bar considerably and continues to strive for better results with his pigs. To achieve higher performance levels in his grower pig hous- es, early in 2020 he decided to go for the TOP strategy, which
is a joint approach by animal nutrition company Agrifirm and MS Schippers. The concept revolves around maximum farm hygiene, matching nutrition and monitoring the results to en- sure that targeted improvement is constantly possible. In the grower house Hannen has been working with MS Schippers’ HyCare method, which translates to a very organ- ised appearance inside the farm. The floor and the lower part of the central aisle have been coated, as have the stone walls inside the pig house. In each section there’s a hand disinfection gel dispenser plus baskets for plastic gloves. Each section has Birkenstock foot- wear that can only be worn in that specific section. That way, germ spreading between sections is reduced to a minimum – at least, that is the philosophy. The central aisle and the different sections are extremely tidy and neatly organised. HyCare demands a consistent way of working from the pig producers, their staff and the visitors who enter the farm. Hannen says, “I’m convinced that the Hy- Care system can be successfully implemented. But it’s some- thing that should appeal to you. Once the entire manage- ment is up and running and interdependent, you’ve got to continue to work consistently. Colleagues often think that this approach requires a lot of work. But that’s not the case. I can look after 4,000 piglets in one hour. And pleasure in work also increases when the animals thrive and are healthy.”
Small adjustment To make the pig house fit for HyCare, a couple of adjust- ments were necessary. The only thing Hannen had to pay for was the floor and wall coating – and that’s an invest- ment he would immediately make again. Apart from the fact that the floors are easy to clean, the animals now have a lot more grip on the coated floors. Slippery surfaces have ceased to exist for both sows and piglets, which is why Hannen is content. The dispensers, shoes, coveralls, acid pump, etc., all form part of the concept costs. Rodent and fly control and mobile scales to monitor piglet growth are also included. Another important step was to change the waterworks. Each section received its own set of pipes which are connected directly to the technical room. The new pipes are much narrower than the ones installed previously, which causes the water to flow faster. If the water does not flow fast, it creates a potential harbour for pathogens in the normally
24 ▶ PIG PROGRESS | Volume 37, No. 3, 2021
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