Big Dutchman is pleased to announce the appointment of Charles F. Strong, Ph.D. as Technical Sales Director in China. He will be based at the recently established Beijing Sales office. Chuck has more than 30 years industry experience and has spent the last 10 years travelling and working throughout the Asian region. His role will be to oversee and offer technical solutions to sales teams, technicians and customers.

“We are pleased and excited to have Chuck joining the team. With his wealth of market experience, his appointment will enhance our business and bring us even closer to our customers,” said Brian McCawley, President of Big Dutchman China.

“With the increasingly successful and growing levels of business activity in China, the establishment of this position is a strong symbol of the ongoing commitment to the Big Dutchman customers and to the China market. It will further strengthen Big Dutchman’s position within the Asia region.”

Charles F. Strong, Ph.D, Technical Sales Director at Big Dutchman China

Big Dutchman’s AVECH system, which is an Enriched Colony Housing System, was installed and is in operation at J.S. West, Livingston, California. “It meets the animal welfare needs in a variety of ways by providing more opportunities for natural behavior,” said Jill Benson, JS West vice president.

An open house at J.S West was held on June 21st, 2010 to announce to the media and public the installation of the leading enriched colony housing system for layer hens in the United States. The AVECH system earned the American Humane® Seal of Approval. American Humane is the largest and oldest third party certification of farm animal welfare. “We recognize that reasoned and science-based evaluation tells us that enriched colony housing, when implemented properly, is a humane way to raise hens and produce safe eggs for the marketplace,” said American Humane Certified vice president, Tim Amlaw, Vice President of American Humane’s farm animal welfare program.

The AVECH housing system provides room for 60 hens per enclosure with a nesting box surrounded by curtains, an area for “free roaming”, eating troughs, nipple drinkers, manure belt, an area for perching, and a scratch pad for the hens to do their normal dust bathing activities. The system installed at J.S. West is just the beginning of a larger project. This first system includes 10 rows and 6 tiers with each row measuring 498 feet long. There will be approximately 150,000 birds with 116 square inches per bird. As a complete and integrated package, everything from automatic egg handling, feeding, watering, and ventilation to manure handling is being managed by a tightly integrated Poultry Management Systems, Inc. computer controlled system.

There will be a live video feed of the system at work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This feed will broadcast one AVECH section over the internet for anyone to see.

Big Dutchman provides equipment to farms around the world and has been the worldwide leader in poultry and egg production systems since 1938. They offer practical, economical and environmentally-friendly solutions geared to your future needs. Big Dutchman stands for long-lasting quality, service, and unsurpassed know-how. As the industry leader, our innovations will continue to positively impact the industries we serve. Big Dutchman’s US headquarters is located in Holland, MI and has offices around the world. www.bigdutchmanusa.com

J S West & Company, a 100 year old family farming business based in Modesto, California cares for 1.8 million hens and provides Northern California consumers with locally produced eggs which are safe, nutritious, and affordable. Third and fourth generations own and operate the family’s three farms in two counties, providing jobs and much needed tax revenues in hard hit rural areas. JS West leads the way in egg-laying hen care with the American Humane Certified endorsed Enriched Colony Barn.
www.jswest.com

On occasion of an open house California-based J.S. West Company recently unveiled new housing for egg-laying hens that aims to meet the space standards approved by state voters in 2008.

AVECH model with Hollywood hens to illustrate room for birds.

The system includes ten rows and six tiers with each row measuring 498 feet long.

The elevator EggCellent from Big Dutchman has a large collection capacity and provides everything that is needed for the safe transportation of eggs.

On time for VIV Europe 2010, Big Dutchman can announce an impressive sales success: The equipment supplier from Vechta in North-West Germany has already equipped 25 million places for laying hens with their aviaries of the NATURA product family. „We are very proud that Natura has become the leading system for floor, free range and ecological bird management and thank our customers who have helped to reach this goal“, said managing director Bernd Kuhlencord on the occasion of a symbolic hand-over of keys in Laar (Emsland).

The incredible milestone for alternative management of laying hens has been passed with the new construction of two state-of-the-art houses for 45,000 birds each. Not far from the Dutch border Roel van Zetten, a well-known and appreciated expert from the Netherlands, has equipped his new houses with the Big Dutchman aviary “Natura Step”. „Thank you very much for your confidence! We wish you a lot of success“; Bernd Kuhlencord congratulated also in the name of the Dutch Big Dutchman agency Frilim b.v.

„I am glad that we were part of this process“, Roel van Zetten was taken with the cooperation and expressively praised the good assembly team: „We are very pleased. Keep on going like this! “

NATURA-Step is the youngest member of the large NATURA product family. This aviary for efficient floor and free range management can also be installed in single rows. This is due to the stepped construction of the system allowing the birds to move between the different levels without leaving the system. This also makes them reach the integrated nests very easily – and the result is a very low share of mislaid eggs.

Stalleinrichtung von Big Dutchman für die moderne Legehennenhaltung: NATURA, das moderne Volierensystem für Legehennen in Bodenhaltung und Freilandhaltung - Prospektdownload

Happy faces on the occasion of the symbolic hand-over of keys (left to right): Big Dutchman managing director Bernd Kuhlencord, Roel and Ans van Zetten, Big Dutchman sales consultant Henk Leeuwis, Seine Snippe from the Dutch Big Dutchman agency Frilim B.V. as well as the farm manager couple Gerrit and Jorita Altena.

Modern technology in the layer house of Roel van Zetten: Natura Step

For many decades poultry farmers all over the world have appreciated the benefits of Big Dutchman feed pans. Now an innovative development has been added to the long series of established classical products: Big Dutchman’s Gladiator turkey feed pan, which is being presented for the first time at VIV Europe, is a pan which can be used for rearing as well as for growing purposes. A particular highlight here: the versatile Big Dutchman newcomer has been conceived specially to suit different pipe diameters. This guarantees optimum conveyance speed, even in very long turkey housing where larger pipe diameters are used.

Two different feed dishes have been developed for the Gladiator. A low dish in the rearing phase ensures that the birds have easy access to their feed. As the pans can be filled completely, the chicks are guaranteed an ideal start. In the growing phase, the rearing dish can be easily exchanged for a dish with an integrated feed saving collar.

A further advantage of the Gladiator is the flooding mechanism: As an alternative to being filled manually, the pans can also be filled automatically by means of a centralised flooding arrangement. This naturally means less work for the turkey farmer. The flooding slide is also fitted with weights to prevent any unintentional adjustment of the feed level by the birds.

The simple arrangement for exchanging the pans also represents a further form of work facilitation: plug-in systems exclusively are used which means the dishes can be removed and re-fitted easily. Utmost importance has also been accorded to ideal cleaning conditions: the open design of the Gladiator guarantees that the pans can be cleaned easily as well as thoroughly after each batch.

Hall 12C.050

The rearing pan enables easy access to feed.

The feed saving collar on the growing pan helps to prevent feed losses.