F-station™
Practical Solutions for Alternative Farrowing Methods
 TEAM Electronic Farrowing Management
(EFM) is simply an extension of ESF into
the farrowing room. With RFID, an automated feeder, called an F-station, is
shared by about 12 to 16 lactating sows. Feed is offered on a lactation feed
curve to match requirements of each sow. Sows are kept in free stalls and
piglets are permitted to commingle when they are about 7-10 days old. An EFM
system has been in operation at Osborne's Demonstration Farm since April, 1994.
Although performance is good, critical evaluation of the details of EFM remains
to be completed. The EFM method appears to offer significant advantages over
performance in conventional farrowing crates. EFM is only possible with RFID. A
similar system has been in successful operation in the Netherlands for the past
decade.
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