Out-of-feed events are not just minor setbacks—they increase production costs, severely impact pig health, and delay time to market. In this post, we delve into the importance of an uninterrupted feed supply, how feed shortages can cripple your operation, and the benefits of proactive feed management. 

The Financial Impact of Out-of-Feed Events  

Out-of-feed events significantly increase production costs in multiple ways. When pigs are left without feed, the most immediate effect is a delay in reaching market weight, which can extend the time to market by up to a day for each event. This delay costs approximately $1.85 per pig each outage, which quickly adds up. 

Moreover, out-of-feed events can lead to higher mortality rates and decreased Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR), meaning that pigs require more feed to gain the same amount of weight. For example, a 24-hour outage for 2,500 pigs will cost over $4,000, making these events incredibly costly. 

FeedFlo customers have saved $3-$5 per pig by eliminating out-of-feed events.

Health and Welfare Consequences  

Running out of feed affects more than just your bottom line. It puts pigs at risk for conditions like ulcers and hemorrhagic bowel syndrome, which means higher vet costs and slower growth. Plus, the stress can trigger dormant illnesses, complicating their health and adding unexpected cost to your farm management.

Stress from these events also increases aggression among pigs, leading to injuries and further health complications. These health issues not only reduce the overall efficiency of the operation but can also have long-term effects on the animals' well-being. 

Case Studies

‍A recent FeedFlo case study showed the most common causes of out-of-feed events are Closed Shutters (65% of alerts) and Feed Bridging (15% of alerts). Over 80% of issues were fixable within a few minutes, highlighting the effectiveness of immediate intervention.

Contrary to common belief, only 10% of out-of-feed problems are due to ordering issues, as revealed by the case study. This highlights the need for comprehensive systems like FeedFlo that detect and manage a broader spectrum of feeding issues beyond just ordering.

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Real-World Examples  

Despite managing more than 30,000 sows, emergency feed orders were once commonplace in this operation. Now, with FeedFlo's forecasting technology, these emergencies are systematically eliminated. This improvement is welcomed by mills for the advanced notice, growers who no longer need to place last-minute orders, and management who benefit from reduced on-site feed at close-out and better feed conversion rates (FCR), reducing overall costs.

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This 4,000-sow operation prioritizes quality and leverages a data-driven approach to continuously enhance performance. Integrating FeedFlo Sensors has illuminated the true financial impact of out-of-feed events at their finishing barns. After just a few months of utilizing FeedFlo, the financial team is projecting savings of $3 to $5 per pig due to improved feed management efficiency.

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