Straw and pellet bedding – dry

More enrichment for better welfare

Due to societal changes, animal welfare is receiving more and more public attention nowadays. For a long time now, TEWE has been working on fully integrated feeding solutions that not only focus on animal welfare, but also on costs. For example, TEWE’s elaborate solutions have made the time-consuming manual scattering of straw and pellets a thing of the past.

In summary, there are various ways in which automated dry feeding solutions can be designed to support measures for improved animal welfare, including the provision of straw or other manipulable materials. These solutions can, and are designed to, contribute to improving the wellbeing of the animals while also ensuring the efficiency and automation of the feeding processes.

All in all, the advantages clearly outweigh the disadvantages. As found by several scientific studies, providing roughage not only greatly reduces cannibalism among the animals, but also reduces stress in larger groups, thus improving feed uptake.

To put these findings into practice without increasing the workload or costs for the farmer, the TEWE team has created several ways to incorporate the provision of roughage and manipulable materials such as straw, straw pellets and maize silage into automated dry feeding.

In conclusion

Automated scattering systems for straw and pellets offer a comprehensive solution for improving animal welfare. Integrating straw and manipulable materials into automated dry feeding not only promotes the wellbeing of the animals, but also optimises efficiency and workload on the farm. TEWE’s elaborate solutions enable species-appropriate, needs-based nutrition, reduce behavioural disorders and improve the health of the animals. Overall, these measures help bring about greater societal acceptance and make the farm successful.

Benefits

Species-appropriate nutrition: Consideration of natural feeding habits and fulfilment of the animals’ needs.
Improved welfare: Reduction of stress and behavioural disorders such as cannibalism, resulting in calmer behaviour and greater wellbeing.
Reduction in behavioural disorders: In particular, sufficient enrichment reduces cannibalism and aggression.
Improved health: Improved gut health and general improvement of immunity and disease resistance.

Greater societal acceptance: Meets the growing societal expectations in terms of animal welfare.
Better feed conversion: Optimised feed uptake and better weight gain.
Increased efficiency: Automation saves time and reduces workload, thus increasing efficiency.

Features

Automatic dispensing of straw or pellets:

The systems are designed to automatically dispense and distribute straw and other materials in the pen.

Integrated conveying mechanisms:

Dry feeding systems with integrated conveying mechanisms transport straw straight to the feed troughs.

Combined feeding and enrichment solutions:

Systems combine feed provision with provision of manipulable materials.

Program-controlled dispensing:

The TEWE computer enables time-controlled, needs-based dispensing of straw.

How the straw reaches the animals

Automatic dispensing of straw or pellets: The dry feeding system can be designed to automatically dispense straw and other materials in the pen. This can be carried out using special devices or mechanisms which transport the material to the feed troughs or the pen and distribute it.

Combined feeding and enrichment solutions: The TEWE dry feeding system can also be set to combine the provision of feed with the provision of manipulable materials such as straw and pellets. For example, the feed troughs could be set up to automatically provide straw or pellets as well as feed.

Program-controlled dispensing: Dispensing of straw and other materials can be program-controlled via the TEWE computer according to set time intervals or conditions in the pen. This enables regular provision of manipulable materials to boost animal welfare.