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For various meat concepts, we see that there are end dates in sight by which various farrowing pen requirements must be met. For the Better Life label, for example, by 2025 the slatted floor of weaned piglets must be 40% closed.
Various solutions for your open slatted floor
Converting piglet pens can be approached in a variety of ways. For example, you can choose to create larger groups of piglets and convert the department for that purpose and use the feed alley as a closed area. Another solution is to replace the open grates with closed floor elements. These are both constructionally drastic measures and you will also have to keep a close eye on the barn climate. Floor elements cost between €60 and €100 per square meter.
The most economical solution, which you can also easily do yourself, is to seal your existing slatted floor in the piglet pen with plastic PE sheets over the existing piglet slats. This is much more economical than replacing part of the slatted floor with closed floor elements.
VERBA has several plastic sheets in its range for sealing with PE sheets. First a 9 or 11.5mm thick plastic tear-off plate. Then a studded PE plastic plate of 9mm or 12mm thick. Also available in addition to this bubble structure is a sheet with a very fine waffle structure. This plastic plate also offers good grip and has a finer structure. Finally, there are also plates with a 2mm rubber layer over the studded plate, our so-called Ekogrip plate. This plate has excellent grip even when the plate is damp. The lifespan of these plates, like grid floors, is long but not infinite. The wear ultimately depends on the occupancy of your pens and the weight of the pigs. The thicker the sheet the longer this PE plastic sheet will last. An added benefit is that plastic is naturally warmer to the touch than concrete or steel, so plastic is also a good choice for your piglets’ comfort.
Pad for under pig feeder or troughs
The plastic sheets with motifs for extra grip such as checker plate or studs are also very commonly used to lay under existing feeding systems such as long troughs for pigs or sows or under pig feeders. This is done to protect the slatted floor (especially with concrete) from ingress of feed causing rapid wear. With grid anchors, these sole plates are easy to fix in any floor. In addition, these plastic sole plates are very easy to combine with transport when ordering mangers. The sole plates are placed under the troughs on the pallets, keeping transport costs manageable.
PE Sheets in any shape and size
Plastic stud plates for protecting or sealing your slatted floor to meet the 40% dense floor requirement can basically be made in all shapes and sizes by us. Sheets have a fixed size of 3000x1500mm, so a size we can cut from this is most beneficial. The finish is also important. We can completely bevel the sides for you. This means there are no raised edges that the piglets can injure themselves on. Slabs with beveled edges have less risk of injury. We can also provide the floor slabs with heating, however, the thickness of the slabs will increase.
The PE plastic cover plates can also be cut, drilled and milled yourself if you wish. They are easy to machine and adapt to the situation. These sheets are also excellent for use under your troughs or troughs for pigs to protect the floor of the farrowing pen from ingrained feed. We often supply these plates along with new troughs for this purpose as well. The plastic sheets are self-assembly to your grid floor, which we can also supply stainless steel grid anchors with if needed.
