Energy Efficient Angle Crate Farrowing Stall

Energy efficient angle crate farrowing stall HOG EQUIPMENT & IDEAS Hog Equipment & Ideas (351) 12-3-27 Heated hovers for piglets are the wave of the future, according to Iowa hog farmer Roger Lennox, but he couldn't find a good way to add them to conventional crates without adding room in front or back or squeezing them in on either side. Then he saw an article about a stall design that's been used in-Europe for several years and decided to build his own. "I've built 36 angle crates for my own use and they work great. By setting the sow at an angle, more room is created on one side of the stall at front. That's where I put the hover," says Lennox, who farms near Coggon. The pig hover, made out of plywood, has a hinged lid that makes it easy to check pigs. A small slide-in gate lets you lock them in for vaccinating, tail docking, and other chores. But the best thing about the hover is that it lets you save on electricity. "I use a 60-watt bulb to warm each hover instead of the 250-watt bulb we need in an open stall. That saves me $75 per stall per year," Lennox told FARM SHOW. He also outfits his angle crate, which he has begun to manufacture for sale, with tough concrete feeder-waterers. "The most wear in any farrowing crate is always around the feeder-waterer because of corrosion and sow abuse. Steel doesn't last more than 3 to 5 years. I needed an inexpensive material that would last and settled on concrete. The feeder, which is virtually indestructible, has a V-shaped hopper that's deep enough so that the only way a sow can remove feed is by eating it. That cuts feed waste dramatically. A 1/2-in. fitting for a nipple waterer is cast into the concrete at a level that both sows and piglets can reach. The feeder attaches to the stall with bolts," says Lennox. The angle crate and feeder sell for $229. Piglet hovers sell for $30 each or he includes do-it-yourself plans with each crate. Lennox also plans to offer the cement feeder. as a replacement front for other stalls at about $39 apiece, depending on stall type. For more information, contact FARM SHOW Followup, Roger Lennox, Rt. 2, Coggon, Iowa 52218 (ph 319 435-2586).

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