Torsten Lange, who was active in animal welfare as a model and demonstration farm from 2018 to 2020, presented his experiences from the past five to six years at the online meeting of the Impulsbetriebe Schwein (Pig Impulse Farms) on 23 March. His presentation was entitled "Out of necrosis – into performance. More fun and success in the barn with system and animal observation".

The original goal of keeping long-tailed animals on his farm was to combat tail biting in the barn. While investigating possible causes for this problem, Torsten Lange became increasingly involved in the topic of animal health. To this end, he identified the following factors and, where necessary, improved the situation:

• Improvement of water quality, hygienisation of water
• Acidification of feed/water with apple cider vinegar
• Improving water intake, e.g. through open drinking troughs/shell drinking troughs
• Technical improvement of feeding to prevent feed segregation (segregation hose)
• Feed quality: What does the feed company actually deliver? Do the specifications correspond to reality?
• Use of own feed
• Reduction of mycotoxin contamination in feed, monitoring of own feed storage
• Improvement of the stable climate: creation of thermoregulation options for the animals (e.g. through micro-pools or the installation of a cooling tower)
• Boar selection: Are certain genetics better suited for keeping long-tailed animals?

A lively discussion revealed that intensive animal observation and in-depth analysis of weak points make it possible to successfully keep long-tailed animals. The examples presented in detail by Torsten Lange made it clear that every farm manager must examine the operational conditions very closely in order to identify potential weak points. Healthy animals in the barn will reward this effort and certainly make work more enjoyable.