New products at the pig and poultry fair
The British Pig & Poultry Fair is where manufacturers launch their latest products and innovations to the UK market. Here, we profile the most interesting new developments.
Rotech Ranger
The Rotech Ranger, which won top honours at the British Pest Control Awards last year, debuted at the Pig and Poultry Fair. The Ranger is the only trapping unit capable of holding 2 mice traps side by side offering mice a straight run through/line of site. Retailing at £3.99, the Ranger has been designed with a slope leading to the trap treadle, eliminating the possibility of mice going underneath the trap needle.
Manufactured in Southend, Essex, the Ranger comes with spikes to hold wax blocks/pasta sachets in place securely. It comes with a secure dual lockable, tamper resistant lid.
Magfan/MagDoor
Danish ventilation company DACS has launched the MagDoor, a fast operating roller door providing an airtight seal on wall fans and large inlets such as tunnel doors.
On a wall fan, the MagDoor substitutes conventional shutter or damper systems and ensures completely unrestricted airflow and unsurpassed efficiency, ensuring excellent temperature control.
Launched in January in Atlanta and shown for the first time in Europe at the Pig and Poultry Fair, the MagDoor is built from aluminium, stainless steel and high grade polymer plastics. With its insulated segment seals, the MagDoor works well even against high static pressures.
It can be used on different fans, but is designed for the MagFan, which is around 3 times as efficient as conventional wall fans on a year average. The direct drive and the in-built loss free speed control features bring about exact air exchange and the advanced impeller delivers plenty of thrust and airflow at high RPM as well as gentle air exchange at lower speed settings.
Both are distributed in the UK by BPS Equipment.
Vencomatic Pecking Pan
Vencomatic Group UK has launched a pecking pan for chicks/pullets that can provide long-lasting environment enrichment, which may reduce injurious pecking, reduce plumage damage and enhance bird welfare.
Working with welfare experts at the University of Bristol and the RSPCA, the Pecking Pan has been launched following three years of trials and a 2 year MSC study.
It can be hung or placed anywhere in the poultry house regardless of the system, but results have shown they are best placed in the scratch areas, including verandas and outside under shelters.
Hanging the pan rather than standing it upright keeps the birds interested and farmers are urged to hang the pan by its hook at a height where the pecking material (a mix of oyster shell, limestone, grit with cement mix) is roughly in line with the bird’s crop. The pan retails at £15.85 and a pack of 4 refills costs £28.
Big Dutchman MaleChain
MaleChain is Big Dutchman’s first chain feeding system developed exclusively for males.
Separate male feeding is an important pre-requisite for high fertility rates and good chick quality in broiler breeder management. Males must be fed separately from the females so the correct quantity of a specially-mixed feed can be provided.
MaleChain consists of one entire chain circuit but does not require much space. In the barn, it can be regarded as just one feed line thanks to specially designed corners and a new trough.
The new feeding system can be mounted very flexibly, such as to the wall or in a standing or suspended position.
Among the advantages are:
- The chain promotes natural wearing of the male’s beak
- Ideal bird inspection during feeding
- Feed is distributed quickly throughout the entire house at 36m/min to reduce stress for the males
- The system can be height adjusted so the females cannot reach the feed
- It is well-suited for any house length because the hopper can be installed at the beginning or in the middle of the feed liner
Manitou TMT 27P Camera
Poultry farmers facing concerns about visibility in poultry houses are receiving a helping hand thanks to Manitou’s new cameras on its TMT 27P vehicle. The cameras – installed on both front and back and linked to the ignition system – can help ensure farmers have a clear sight of poultry in the unit. They are fitted with an infra-red facility to enable safe work to take place at night. The TMT 27P has a capacity of 2700kg and has a maximum lift height of 3400mm.
Big Dutchman Automatic Manure Belt Adjustment
Big Dutchman and its UK distributor Newquip have launched the Automatic Manure Belt Adjustment (AMBA) 90VAC-277VAC.
The automatic multi-range peer unit for worldwide use can be retrofitted for all Big Dutchman manure belt drives.
It is able to ensure that the manure belt drive does not lose its direction and make corrections automatically, saving time and labour. It’s prototype was successfully launched by Swiss-based Gallipool Frasses, and owner Daniel Wurgler said he was very happy with the product, adding that as a result of the installation his birds were healthier and living in a better climate.
ForFarmers Apollo broiler diet
Feed compounder ForFarmers has launched a new range of broiler diets that it says will improve both production and profitability. The diet, named Apollo, has been trialled across Western Europe and comprises of: a prestarter, starter, grower and two types of finisher rations, one of which is a premium product aimed at farmers chasing the best performance.
Tom Welham, UK marketing manager at ForFarmers, said the new range was targeted at both conventional 36-day bird programmes and those who grew birds to heavier weights, and in Europe it had been tested on slower-growing breeds.
ForFarmers has also formulated diets with key vaccination periods in mind, avoiding ration changes at the most stressful times. He added the ration had been in development since last October, and trialled by farmers in the UK, Netherlands, Germany and Belgium. Part of the portfolio of products is a new prestarter diet for chicks’ first 100 hours. It contains easily digestible energy and proteins, as well as a balance of phosphorus and calcium.
Collinson Cyclone dust collection
Feed silo manufacturer Collinson has refreshed its Cyclone dust collection unit’s design. Available from September this year, the new device is more compact in size, and mounts directly to the silo, where the previous incarnation stood on the floor adjacent. This, according to the firm, makes it more accessible and easy to use. Farm workers can now simply roll a wheelbarrow under the device to collect the dust displaced when filling feed bins. The new model also uses the pressure release valve of the silo its connected to, where the older version needed its own, helping to keep costs down.
Xylem Hydroinfinity
Xylem’s new Hydroinfinity system offers poultry producers a chemical-free way to keep water lines clean, using a combination of ultraviolet light, ozone and filtration. Currently being trialled on a British poultry farm, once in place the system can deliver a treated water with a pressure of up to 4.6 bar with a 50l/minute capacity.
ABN Total Farm Performance
Feed compounder ABN launched its new software platform, entitled Total Farm Performance, which promises to offer poultry farmers detailed data insights. The company said it was designed as an independent paid-for service that would support farmers across the supply chain. It is billed as a hub for all the data that a farm produces, but is not necessarily utilised. It offers not only the option to analyse an individual farm, but to anonymously benchmark against other users, and share – with permission – flock data with customers or vets, for example. Pricing is on a case-by-case basis, and the software is backed up by a technical support team at ABN.
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