Pig producer Ronnie Berendsen, working at farm sites in the Netherlands and Germany, has found that using the so-called “Pulsfeeder” has reduced the tendency of piglets to embark on tail biting activities. He tested the device and contributed to its design.
Weaner pigs have a steep learning curve. So much has become evident at the weaner pig farm of the multi-site pig farm De Lichtenberg, where farm manager Ronnie Berendsen is overseeing production. The animals got weaned just over a week ago. Still, they notice it straightaway when the Pulsfeeder starts rotating and scraps of rooting mix fall onto the floor. In no time, all the piglets are up and running, busy entertaining themselves with the fresh forage.
How the device works
The Pulsfeeder is an automatic forage dispenser mounted on top of the partition between 2 pens. Drop pipes are located above both pens. Controlled by a timer, the dispenser rotates every hour. With each rotation of the dispenser, 3g of forage are dropped. Berendsen configured the Pulsfeeder to rotate 7 times, distributing 21g of roughage into each pen. That way, the pigs receive a fresh handful of roughage each time.
Suppressing biting behaviour in pigs
The roughage dispenser was developed to suppress biting behaviour in pigs. The farm, with production sites in the Netherlands and Germany, has been gaining experience with keeping animals with intact tails. Moving away from tail docking is a hot topic on both sides of the border, with the Netherlands even having a nationwide aim to be totally free from tail docking by 2030.
You can’t sit back until December 31, 2029. Something has to happen before the tail docking ban takes effect.” – Ronnie Berendsen, pig producer
Therefore, Berendsen opted to cooperate with Herbert Dimmendaal and Ben Voetdijk from Dutch-based pig house design company AHC Cawi on the development of the Pulsfeeder. The development process of the device took about 1.5 years. They started with a kind of barrel for storing the roughage. Ultimately, the developers settled on a 25 litre bucket with a lid. As the bucket is sealable, the straw stays fresher. Berendsen nevertheless does also add fresh roughage to the bucket every week. He says, “That is not necessary. In principle, there is enough in there for the entire rearing period. Still I prefer to provide fresh roughage every week.”
Fourth production group with the Pulsfeeder
At the time of the visit, the fourth production group of piglets is in the process of receiving roughage using the Pulsfeeder. Berendsen is pleased with the device’s effects so far. He says: “There’s no tail biting. Except in the case of one-off silly pigs that like to bite. I then remove that particular animal – and it’s being placed in a leftover pen. That’s a maximum of 2 weaners per production round.”
Berendsen understands that it isn’t a miracle device. He stresses that weaner pigs simply need a lot of “vitamin A,” i.e. the A of “attention.” He says, “Things like the barn climate, feed and drinking water simply have to be good. If they aren’t, the risk of biting behaviour increases significantly.” Animal health on this farm also undoubtedly contributes to the successful rearing of piglets with long tails.
Just over a week after weaning, the piglets have largely recovered from the effects of the stress that phase brings. The animals are uniform, have shining coats and look vital. The initial successes with long tails on this farm appear to be a combination of good starting material, good animal care, and, as an added bonus, roughage provided by the Pulsfeeder every hour of the day.
It is a simple machine and requires little work. – Ronnie Berendsen.
Feed intake and growth
The Pulsfeeder is being tested in a half department, with room for 120 piglets. Unlike the other animals, the piglets with intact tails receive feed including animal protein. According to pig product specialist Hubert van den Hoven of Dutch animal nutrition company Coops, the amino acid profile of the animal protein matches the weaners’ needs very well, which leads to calmer animals. Animal protein and hourly roughage ensure that piglets get that feeling of satiety.
Using the Pulsfeeder, the piglets are encouraged to be active at daytime hours, explains Van den Hoven says. The device is running between 7am and 7pm, leading to a regular and pleasant hustle and bustle amongst the animals. When the device stops its activity for the night, the animals tend to go into a sleeping mode as well. Bottom line is that the introduction of the Pulsfeeder has led to minimal chaos in the pig house, an average higher feed intake and a high feed conversion rate (FCR). Van den Hoven calculated that the FCR is 1.4 for weaner pigs in the range of 7.5 to 25 kg. The average growth in this range is 497 g/day. Those figures are based on data from 3 production rounds.
Usage and practical insights
The concept won a prestigious award in the Netherlands’ swine industry in 2025. A contest, called Het Beste Idee van Varkensland is awarding novel practical ideas that originate from within the swine industry. The award has brought their innovation considerable attention. The developers now aim to develop general guidelines for using the device.
Camera technology is being used for this purpose. The images will show, amongst others, how the pigs interact with the roughage and how long they spend on it. The goal is to find that right balance and release as little roughage as possible whilst at the same time keep the piglets occupied throughout the day. The Pulsfeeder runs for at least one minute at a time, and the minimum feed output is 20g of roughage. The higher the feed output, the greater the chance of some of it falling into the manure pit. Therefore, it is a matter of finding a balance between minimal waste and satisfied piglets that do not tend to bite each other.
The roughage dispenser costs just over €100 per pen. For that amount, the animals receive a small amount of roughage 10 times a day – something that doesn’t require manual labour. After all, no producer would step into pig houses that often. If desired, the storage buckets can be filled automatically by installing a conveyor chain. A so-called smart plug is also an option. The dispensers can then be controlled remotely by phone. Berendsen is pleased with the device, saying: “It is a simple machine and requires little work. If the piglets are a bit restless 3 weeks after being placed, I temporarily replace the rooting mix with alfalfa. That calms them down quickly.”
