Tube Feeders for Piglet Rearing : A comparison of two tube feeders with regard to biological performance and behaviour of piglets

Abstract

Two types of tube feeders were compared. The first tube feeder (Lean- Machine, Big Dutchman, Vechta) featured a round trough. The feed was metered out through the movement of horizontally arranged bars above the trough. The second machine (PigNic, Big Dutchman, Vechta), how- ever, was equipped with a rectangular, three-bowl trough with a cen- trally arranged metering ring. The feed was significantly drier than in the variant used for comparison. At the LeanMachine tube feeder, more piglets were observed eating than in the other pens. However, this difference was not reflected by produc- tivity. At the LeanMachine, the piglets needed to eat more frequently in order to achieve the same body mass increase as in the other system. With regard to aggressive behaviour and intersucking, however, no sig- nificant differences could be determined.