Farrowing sows

Stall equipment farrowing crates

Good, professional accommodation of farrowing sows and piglets is a key condition for a successful agricultural company. Comfort, animal welfare and ease of use are central to all our solutions.

We distinguish three types of farrowing crates:

  1. Fixed farrowing crates

  2. Movable farrowing crates

  3. Free exit farrowing crates

Fixed farrowing crates

Fixed farrowing crates have a fixed, immovable floor. The sow and the piglets are in the same room, at the same height. Depending on the application, you can choose an American or European model.

American model

This type has a height adjustable bottom tube. Depending on the size of the sow, you can easily adjust the bottom tube, up or down. The width of the farrowing crate is also adjustable. Key features of this American model: a lot of laying comfort and (as a result) a good accessibility of the udder.

European model

The European model of the farrowing crate is wider than the American model. Also in this type of farrowing crate, the width is adjustable. Furthermore, this type of farrowing crate has vertical bars, which ensures that the sow does not roll out of the farrowing crate. As a result, the horizontal tube is positioned somewhat higher than the American model.

Balance farrowing crates

Balance farrowing crates are equipped with a mechanical switch. If the sow gets up, for example to eat, the mechanism will come into operation and the floor on which the sow is located will lift about 25 centimeters. As soon as the sow lies down again, the floor drops to the normal level. As a result, the risk of death by overlaying is low, the piglet loss is minimal and you avoid the risk of a decline in turnover. Of course, we tailor-make your movable farrowing crates.

Check out the operation of the balance farrowing crates..

Free-exit farrowing crates

In pig farming, the demand for free-exit in the farrowing pen is increasing; in many European countries, free-exit is even part of (future) laws and regulations. Besides hygiene and animal welfare, (financial and technical) results are fundamental for the pig farmer.
In a free-exit stall pen, a sow has more room to move than in a fixed pen. Implementing free-exit stall pens has led to positive improvements based on animal welfare resulting in more milk production with higher quality. This leads to higher piglet quality with weaning weights approximately 0.9 kg higher.
What are the potential negative consequences of this housing? A major disadvantage is the higher risk of dead piglets in free-range stall housing. Van Osch Uden responds to this by controlling sow and piglet behaviour with pen design. In the design of the loose housing pen, issues such as safety for the carer, ease of work, lying behaviour of the sow, escape routes for the piglets, drop bars and piglet nests play an important role. Free-exit stall pens are available with both fixed and movable floors.

Feeding troughs and floors

For all types of farrowing crates, we supply different types of feed troughs and various materials and solutions for water pipelines and dry and liquid feed. We can also supply the crate floor in several materials, such as comfortable, low maintenance coated plastic floors for piglets and triangular steel and cast iron floors for sows.

Sow stall Egchel
A new sow farm was built in Egchel (Limburg) in 2021. 

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Sow stall Leende
A completely new sow farm was built in Leende in 2021. The customer chose van Osch stable equipment for his entire company.

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Free range farrowing crate
There is an increasing demand for free-range farrowing pens in pig farming in Europe. Van Osch Uden produces farrowing pens that meet these requirements with a lot of freedom of movement.

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