Dr. Ian Taylor, equipment and environmental design consultant, Animal Environment Specialists, Inc., Bloomingdale, IL, offers this advice in selecting a wean-to-finish feeder:

Pay attention to the details. Look at the head clearance, height, depth and reach into the feeder. The front lip has to be low enough that a little pig can have access to feed. Lip height of about 4.5 inches or less is ideal. Feed spaces should be wide enough to accommodate the shoulder span of the largest pigs — about 14 inches for heavy finishers. If you give large pigs enough head room, there is less need to have lip height to restrict feed waste. The wide space also allows young pigs to group two or three to a space and that facilitates good eating behavior.

Select feeders with solid partitions between feed spaces. Solid dividers keep young pigs from getting their bodies caught in the trough, and they provide a visual barrier so older pigs stand and eat for longer periods.

Realize that your investment in correct equipment will influence overall profitability. In wean-to-finish, you are trying to take advantage of less facility sites, labor savings and less regrouping of pigs. Don't try to save a few dollars in initial equipment costs and lose much of what you are trying to gain.

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