ISSUE FOCUS 48 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE May 2024 “Are the animals healthy? How much feed and water are being consumed? Are the animals growing as expected or should I change my delivery schedules? Automatic systems save time and provide you with valuable information about the growth and health of your animals.” Feed costs account for a major part of the total production costs in livestock farming. On poultry farms, this amounts to approximately 6065% of the total production costs, while for pig finishers this figure can be as high as 70%. With the currently spiraling feed prices, your farm’s profit margins are under considerable pressure. As a livestock farmer, you cannot exert much influence on feed prices because they are determined by the market. Unless you have your own feed kitchen and lots of your own raw materials, but only a small proportion of livestock farmers have that. What you can do is take a critical look at feed consumption and feed composition on your farm. It is crucial to use feed efficiently and focus on achieving the highest growth per kilo of feed. INSIGHT INTO FEED COSTS There are gains to be made by cutting feed costs on almost all pig and poultry farms. Without compromising on the technical results. Quite the opposite in fact, as a balanced feed strategy ensures optimal production from your animals. There are certain points to consider when using a smart strategy to cut feed costs on your farm. Insight into the feed costs is the first step in making improvements, so it is sensible to start registering feed and water consumption. Producers still often think that the best way to get a grip on the feeding process is to feed manually. But this is a misconception. An automated feeding process includes extensive registration options to keep track of stocks and monitor daily consumption. Even a simple feeding system has feed clocks that register the running times of the system. Clear feed data registration enables you to calculate precise index numbers, compare data and make informed decisions. This also saves time and helps to accurately control how much feed is given, as well as ensuring that each animal is automatically fed its feed ration. And you can notice any abnormal patterns at once. This helps you control feed costs, while abnormalities are a good indicator of any infections or diseases. FEED ACCORDING TO NEED IN THE CORRECT FEED COMPOSITION Production animals need extra feed in addition to the ration needed for maintenance. The energy requirement for maintenance is the amount of REDUCE FEED COSTS WITH FARM AUTOMATION Patrick Gloudemans Product Manager Fancom BV
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