From Science to the Barn: What We Know About Feed Gaps
Whether you’re managing a 2,400-head finishing barn or a 6,000-sow farrow-to-wean, the assumption is that if the bin has feed, the pigs are eating. But what if they’re not?
Feed outages—defined as either full-blown empty feeders or subtle inconsistencies in delivery—remain one of the most under-diagnosed performance problems in swine production.
Two decades ago, Brumm et al. (2005) showed that out-of-feed (OOF) events in grow-finish (GF) pigs could delay market weight by a full day or more. At the time, feed interruptions were usually obvious and tied to major mechanical failures or power issues. But today’s barns, with automated systems and fewer people walking pens, face a new kind of OOF event: the hidden kind.
“Just because the last switch turns off the auger doesn’t mean the first five feeders got filled,” explains Chris Elvidge, Pig-Tek’s COO and Lead Engineer. “That’s the issue with dead-end systems—you’re trusting a single sensor to tell you the whole barn’s been fed.”
Grow-Finish: Hidden Feed Gaps, Hidden Costs
In modern GF systems, pigs are often grouped by body weight or flow stage, making it challenging to identify variability in feed intake. Add in variable bin moisture, fines, and feeder design—and you’ve got the perfect storm for inconsistent intake.
The 2007 study by Linneen et al. revealed that a single out-of-feed event in nursery pigs had a significant impact on average daily gain (ADG) during the affected period. That effect, while more subtle in heavier pigs, still leads to skewed closeouts, poor uniformity, and economic loss, especially when marketing under tight packer specs.
Chris Elvidge points out:
“You might not see a feeder go empty, but if drop #3 fails to open and only the last drop triggers the shutoff, those pigs are losing feed time. And in GF, even 30–60 minutes matters when feed intake drives margin.”
Moreover, as pigs become heavier, their feed demand increases—but so does the risk of bridging, shear pin failure, or auger wear, especially in single-run setups.
Farrowing & Lactation: A Systemic Blind Spot
Out-of-feed events during lactation are even more damaging.
Sows that miss meals show faster body condition loss, reduced milk output, and delayed weaning weights. You may not realize the sow missed a drop until you’re wondering why she weaned 2.5 lbs lighter litters—or why the same sow is always the one needing extra bodyweight recovery before rebreeding.
“These problems repeat because we’re not always connecting them to feed outages,” says Chris Elvidge. “If we tracked every feed event like we track litter weights, we’d make the connection faster.”
This becomes especially true in larger sow farms, where feed delivery is often scheduled or automated. One small electrical glitch, improperly wired sensor, or dead-end feeder system could cascade into widespread performance losses across farrowing rows.
Why Traditional Systems Don’t Cut It Anymore
Many systems in use today are “good enough”—until they’re not. Common limitations include:
- Dead-end auger runs that shut off once a final switch is triggered
- Feed bridging in bins leading to false full/empty readings
- Drop boxes that miss delivery due to poor design or unmonitored malfunction
Chris Elvidge notes,
“We’ve seen barns where the team thought pigs were fed because the controller said the system ran—but the auger skipped three sections due to a bad boot or wrong wiring. You’d only know if you’re out there checking every feeder.”
Modern Systems with Redundancy and Flow Feedback
To combat feed delivery gaps, recirculating systems like flex augers or chain discs offer significant advantages. Instead of terminating at a final feeder, the system loops—giving each drop box multiple opportunities to fill before the system shuts off.
But the key isn’t just physical system design, it’s smart automation.
Pig-Tek’s Automatic Bin Slider, when paired with bin level sensors, provides producers with complete control over bin usage, eliminating the need for on-site labor. From a smartphone, you can:
- Open or close tandem bin sliders remotely
- Monitor bin fill levels in real time
- Avoid bin switching delays that cause pigs to run out of feed
“We’ve seen barns where the only issue was someone forgetting to switch bins,” says Chris Elvidge. “With the Automatic Bin Slider and a sensor, that mistake doesn’t have to happen anymore.”
This simple upgrade prevents one of the most common and costly feed outages, tandem bins running empty over the weekend or overnight, simply because no one was there to flip the gate.
Producers using these tools report fewer emergencies, less guesswork, and better peace of mind.
When Nutrition Plans Meet the Floor
As a swine nutritionist, I can create the most scientifically precise diet formulation possible—but that effort is worthless if the feed doesn’t reach the pig consistently. Feed outages aren’t just system failures; they’re failures in execution, and they directly undermine nutritional strategy, animal health, and profitability.
Whether it’s a few sows in lactation or a GF pen not hitting target weights, if feed isn’t consistently available, we’re compromising performance from the floor up.
The Producer’s Action Plan: Prevent, Monitor, Upgrade
- Reassess feed system wiring and switch placement—especially in older barns
- Monitor drop performance across all feeders, not just endpoints
- Upgrade to looped, recirculating systems where practical
- Choose feed delivery systems that offer redundancy and data feedback
- Implement preventative maintenance protocols to avoid hidden failures
“Feed is your biggest input,” says Chris Elvidge. “If you’re not ensuring every pig gets it, when they need it, you’re leaving money on the floor.”
Final Thought: Consistency Over Convenience
Feed delivery systems must match the complexity and scale of today’s swine operations. “Out-of-feed” can no longer mean “totally empty”—it must include missed drops, partial fills, and untracked shutdowns.
Producers who act now to assess, modernize, and monitor feed flow will be more competitive, more efficient, and more profitable than those relying on aging, underperforming systems.
To learn more about feed system innovations from Pig-Tek, visit www.pigtek.net.
References:
Brumm, Mike; Richert, Brian; Marchant-Forde, Jeremy; and Marchant-Forde, Ruth, “Out-of-Feed Events in
Grow-Finish Pigs: Causes and Consequences” (2005). Nebraska Swine Reports. 24. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/coopext_swine/24
Linneen, S K.; Goodband, Robert D.; Tokach, Michael D.; DeRouchey, Joel M.; Nelssen, Jim L.; and Dritz,
Steven S. (2006) “The effects of frequent out-of-feed events on growth performance of nursery, growing,
and finishing pigs,” Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports: Vol. 0: Iss. 10. https://doi.org/10.4148/2378-5977.6945
