Seiser family farm in Termitz (Austria).
During the 20-year "pioneering phase", with the FAT-2 farrowing pens that were common at the time, they had also paid a lot of dues. "The animals didn't really fare well in the old pen. There conditions were simply not optimal for births. We had many abortions, especially in the cold season. The basic concept just didn't work and so it was no longer a pleasure.”
"WelCon pens" in the prefabricated stable
A total of 25 new "WelCon" farrowing pens were installed, in which the functional areas of eating, lying and defecating are clearly separated from each other. The sows pass through doors from the eating area via the lying area to the exercise area. Since water is only offered in the outdoor area (the drinkers are installed frost-free), the sows go to the outdoor area for drinking and dunging. The swivel fences facilitate the manure removal work, which is done by farm tractor.
10.9 instead of 8.5 piglets per litter
The new system does not suffer from draughty or cold conditions, which leads to the piglets being much healthier and more energetic - and subsequently also increases the well-being of the mother sow and reduces losses due to crushing. This can be expressed in figures: The average litter per sow was increased from 8.5 to 10.9. "I am highly satisfied with the new system and would build it the same way again in a heartbeat.”
Editing and reporting: Österreichische Bauernzeitung | Issue of 24.05.2022
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