WEDA EuroTier novelty 2024: ProBar - The larvae snack bar for pigs

The issue of curly tails in pig farming is becoming increasingly important: it is now generally recognised that commercially available activity and play materials such as wood or balls are not sufficient to distract the animals in the long term. For this reason, pig farming specialist WEDA Dammann & Westerkamp has developed the ProBar to provide pigs with a tasty snack of live larvae on a regular basis while they are rooting around. The snack encourages the animals to keep searching and to spend less time on the curly tails of their fellow pigs. With the newly developed ‘Pro-Bar’, WEDA offers livestock farmers an innovative solution to positively influence pigs in three ways: they are kept busy, receive a tasty portion of feed and also consume valuable animal protein.

Challenges of the previous housing materials

Traditional enrichment materials often do not fulfil all of the pigs’ needs. It can keep the animals occupied, but usually not for long enough. Furthermore, it offers no additional nutritional value. Furthermore, many materials are not sustainable and require regular replacement, which involves additional costs and effort.

Reward and nutritional promotion in one

The new ProBar from Lower Saxony specialist WEDA Dammann & Westerkamp combines the aspects of occupation, reward and nutritional promotion in a single system. The larvae are treated gently and dosed safely. The dosing quantity is around 4 to 6 larvae at freely adjustable time intervals, so that a pig cannot eat its fill. The quantity is dosed into a trough on the floor.

Supply of valuable proteins

The way the insect snack bar works is as simple as it is efficient: the pig is kept busy by searching the snack bar. It touches the pendular sensor, and the doser automatically dispenses a small number of insect larvae into the trough. The reward for the animal is that the insect larvae end up in the trough, from which the pig happily eats the tasty snack. The nutritional benefits are obvious, as eating the insect larvae provides the pig with valuable animal proteins. At the same time, conspecifics are protected, as the distraction effectively prevents tail biting.

Can also be used in poultry farming

The conclusion: With the ProBar, WEDA Dammann & Westerkamp is setting standards in species-appropriate pig farming. The combination of activity, reward and added nutritional value makes the insect snack bar an indispensable part of modern pig houses. It improves animal welfare and also contributes to more efficient and sustainable pig farming. The highlight is that the ProBar can also be used very well in poultry farming thanks to a slight modification of the pendular sensor.

The advantages of the Pro-Bar at a glance:

• Promotes animal welfare: By satisfying natural instincts, pigs are kept busy and mentally stimulated.
• Animal protein intake: The insect larvae provide a valuable source of protein that contributes to the healthy nutrition of the pigs.
• Automatic dosing: The innovative dosing technology ensures that the snacks are dosed evenly and as required, which provides the pigs with continuous stimulation.
• Sustainability: The use of insect larvae as a feed source is environmentally friendly and contributes to sustainable pig farming.
• Easy integration: The snack bar can be easily integrated into existing housing systems.