PigEasy MealMeter Feed Dispenser logo

9220236-

Patent No. 9,220,236B2

Fresh feed, all the time.  Every time.

Caring for a sow herd is a 365 day a year job and capturing the full genetic potential of today’s prolific sows requires maximum feed intake at critical times in their reproductive cycle. Achieving this without wasting feed has been a near-impossible task for even the most experienced pork producers, until now.

The MealMeter was developed by an intuitive producer who was frustrated by wasted feed and limited feed intake in the breeding area of his sow farm. This sow feeding device is instrumental in increasing feed consumption with every sow at this critical time in her reproductive cycle while at the same time greatly reducing feed waste. In areas that is either labor intensive or full of feed and water waste, the MealMeter takes the human element out of feeding and meets the demands of each sow’s varied eating times.

The MealMeter is an ad lib feed dispenser that is inserted into a drop feed tube in the breeding area or via a transition boot in lactation. It allows the sow/gilt to eat at will, which is proven to achieve maximum feed intake for pre breed gilts, weaned sows, under conditioned sows and lactating sows. Made from stainless steel and injection molded plastic, the MealMeter is easily installed and removable. This low cost addition to the feed system has high paybacks for your operation.

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Sow ad lib feed dispenser

MealMeter with Incoming Gilts

You’ve invested in new gilts for your sow farm. You take the time to acclimate the incoming gilts in the GDU. You spend money to vaccinate, build immunity, feed. You spend time training, choosing, building trust. Genetics prove they are the right gilt to be successful in the sow herd. Yet, when it comes to their P1 production, you’re scratching your head why they didn’t perform as well as you expected. And you get nervous because you recently read that how a gilt performs on her first litter affects her lifetime production.

Then you remember the transition to the breeding barn.

We’re told gilts need time to get used to the new environment of the breeding barn and their individual stall. But what we’ve learned is it’s not the environment; it’s how they are fed.

Gilts have been eating like a finishing hog their entire lives up until that point, ad-lib throughout the day. Then we move them to their own stall and drop a large amount of feed once or twice a day and expecting them to eat their ration in a short amount of time before the water is turned on or the feed turns stale. Naturally, these gilts go off feed right around the time we plan to breed her. And we get frustrated when later she’s not performing as well as we had hoped.

The problem is we are expecting these gilts to eat like sows.

The MealMeter feed dispenser converts a drop feed tube setting into an ad-lib feeder and is used as a transition tool to avoid limited feed intake days. Incoming gilts quickly learn how to work the MealMeter because it is operated with her intuitive rooting movement. With the MealMeter, gilts are back to full feed Day 1-3 and stay in good condition, ready to be bred.

Not only will the MealMeter increase your P1 performance, but because gilts start with a productive litter, they have an increase likelihood to have a long, productive life on the sow farm.

See Feeding Sows in Breeding

MealMeter with Weaned Sows

Newly weaned sows returning to the breeding barn are dealing with major environmental, physical and hormonal changes. They are transitioning from lactation diets and eating ad lib throughout the day back to the individual stall where they are again expected to consume all their feed in a short amount of time before water washes it to their neighbor. Unsurprisingly, this is an area typically with a lot of feed waste.

The MealMeter transitions the weaned sow back to gestation diets and gives her the freedom to consume fresh feed when she’s ready to, whether it’s at 6:00am or 10:00pm. By avoiding intake loss, sows will perform better on their next parity and continue to be productive in the sow farm. With the MealMeter and its accompanying products, feed disappearance is eliminated so you know the feed that is offered to her is consumed and not wasted.

See Feeding Sows in Breeding

MealMeter with Under Conditioned Sows

Maybe she dealt with an illness in lactation or she simply milked a large litter. Whatever the reason may be, she was productive on her last litter but is entering into breeding under conditioned. You hope she’ll gain back some condition in gestation, but you know that likely won’t happen. So it’s just a matter of time before she’s culled although she performed well on her last litter.

Under conditioned sows are often high performing animals and it’s frustrating when her productivity can’t continue simply because of her body condition. That’s where the MealMeter comes in.

Often, under conditioned sows simply need extra time and feed to gain back condition. The MealMeter gives her both of those without the feed waste. By putting her in front of a MealMeter, she has all day and evening to consume the fresh feed and water she needs to get her ready to be productive in the next parity.

The MealMeter allows conditioning to be done by 35 day pregnancy check. At this point, what was an under conditioned sow is now rehabilitated and ready to go into pens with the rest of the sows or can be moved to gestation stalls where feed boxes are much easier to manage.

Lower your replacement rates and improve sow longevity by utilizing the MealMeter at this key time in a sow’s reproductive cycle.

See Feeding Sows in Breeding

MealMeter with Lactating Sows

Feeding sows ad-lib in farrowing is critical to maintain condition and successfully milk large litters. The MealMeter feed dispenser accomplishes this for sow farms while at the same time eliminating feed waste. With the MealMeter “self-regulating” system, there is no need to adjust feed flow or monitor each sow’s feeding curve. The MealMeter System in Lactation saves staff time because it involves minimal management and “self-cleans” with its cutting-edge design. By allowing her freedom to eat when she wants with a clean bowl, sows are able to reach their full milk production potential and head back into the breed barn prepared for their next cycle. The MealMeter system transforms the way we feed our sows in lactation.

This low-tech option is easy to install and very simple to manage. Click the link below to learn more.

See Feeding Sows in Lactation

Features

  • Simple installation
  • Durable, Injection Molded Plastic and Stainless Steel
  • Removable
  • Versatility benefitting multiple sow stages

Benefits

  • Achieves maximum feed intake for
    –   Pre-Breed Gilts
    –   Weaned Sows
    –   Under conditioned Sows
    –   Lactating Sows
  • Brings under conditioned sows into metabolic mode, helps to recover more quickly
    –   Reduces replacement rate
    –   Increases sow longevity
  • Increases Parity 1 performance
  • Increases lifetime production
  • Brings incoming gilts back to full feed by Day 1-3
  • Maintains or gains condition for optimal production
  • Meets the demands of varied eating times
  • Saves labor costs – gives sows time to consume without taking it away from the staff
  • Allows conditioning to be done by 35 Day Preg Check – ready for pen gestation
  • Easy to manage and monitor intake
Product Overview

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Product Reviews

Brian Aitcheson, H-9 Farms, Ontario

“I tried two MealMeters for about 6 months prior to my decision and those crates consistently had more feed intake. We are now averaging 1 kg more at a minimum for the same lactation length. We are happy!”

Chet Mogler, Pig Hill Co.

“The feed is fresh in the trough, so you don’t have to scrape out uneaten feed,” Chet says. “(The MealMeter) has cut our feed waste by at least 5 percent.”

Ben Wikner, Wikner Farms

“The ideas Dave comes up with are amazing,” says Ben, referring to PigEasy’s founder, Dave Klocke, a pork producer from Templeton, Iowa. “I love the fact that PigEasy’s products work as promised. I look forward to seeing what they come up with next.” 

Steve Hennen, Ghent, MN

“I’m happy with the PigEasy feeders. You don’t have to worry about bad feed in the bottom. We’ve seen better feed intake compared to the other feeders we have used. They’re really a good deal.”

Ted Frank
Frank Family Farms, LLC

“The PigEasy products are innovative and have provided practical solutions to some management challenges on our farm. The products are well constructed and work the way they were described.”

Tony Eickman
Eickman Family Farms

“We use the MealMeter in lactation with the feed hopper and like that the sow can eat at her own pleasure and don’t feel rushed when eating compared to regular hand feeding. We’re really pleased with the system.”

See Our Case Studies

MealMeter User Instructions

Download our full instructions on how to use the PigEasy MealMeter by clicking the link below.

Download MealMeter Instructions

Ready To Order?

Learn more about feeding sows in breeding or feeding sows in lactation, or call us today to order.

(888)-354-0112
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