The WelCon farrowing pen (welfare for animals and convenience for farmers) is a patented farrowing pen designed by researchers at the Institute of Organic Farming and Farm Animal Biodiversity, Agricultural Research and Education Centre Raumberg-Gumpenstein in Wels, Austria and produced by Schauer Agrotronics.
Key features
The sow is given:
- Freedom of movement at all times
- Opportunity to nest-build
- Enclosed nest-site
- Opportunity to contact neighbouring sows
- Opportunity to dung away from nest-site
- Opportunity to lie (rest) away from dunging and feeding areas
The piglets are given:
- Easy udder access
- Protection rail around nest
- Appropriate creep environment
- Reduced spread of infection between pens
- Opportunity to experience an enriched environment
- Opportunity to dung away from resting areas
The staff are assured:
- Fast and safe inspection of piglets
- Easy maintenance of good hygiene in the pens (separate dunging area)
- Easy provision of nest building materials if solid floor
- Ability to separate sow from piglets and staff for husbandry procedures
How to build a WelCon Pen
WelCon has a relatively low area requirement of only 6 to 6.5 m2.
In the organic version (WelCon Bio, 7.5 m2) an outdoor area with an exit door is also incorporated.
For more information please contact:
Werner Hagmueller: Werner.Hagmueller@raumberg-gumpenstein.at
and visit NatureLine.com and Schauer Agrotronics (Christian Auinger – Ch.Auinger@schauer-agrotronic.com)
