Removing dead grower or finisher pigs from a pig house has become a more hygienic and ergonomic job with a novel type of pick-up roller.
German farm equipment company Meier-Brakenberg, developing new products on the basis of own on-farm experience, was rewarded a silver EuroTier medal for its ‘Porky’s Pick Up’, a collecting and transport vehicle for cadavers.
The pick-up roller collects and loads the cadaver onto the vehicle inside the pen at the press of a button without touching the animal. The farmer stands on a footboard and easily leaves the compartment together with the animal, thus improving hygiene, facilitating work and maximising working speed. At the place of disposal the cadaver can be unloaded at the front by backward-turning rollers.
The vehicle has an electric drive and roller system supplied by integrated batteries. Cleaning the device is easy. Porky’s Pick Up is about 60 cm wide and can easily turn around its axis so that it is suitable for use in small pens and narrow passages.
The roller can be used for piglets or even fattened pigs. A larger model for sows is already in preparation.
Meier-Brakenberg can be found in Hall 9, stand G16.