Frequently Asked Questions

If you have a question about VERBA and / or pig feeders, first take a look at our frequently asked questions and answers. If your question is not there, please contact us directly.

What should I look for when buying a feeder?

Some critical points are:

  • What kind of feed do I have? I have pellet feed, crumb feed, meal feed, meal feed mixed with up to 35% CCM or liquid feed?
  • What life stage of the pig is the feeder for? Farrowing piglets, weaned piglets, fattening pigs or sows?
  • What is the group size per loft?
  • Can I incorporate the feeder into the partition?

Once you have answered these questions, you can basically choose the right pig feeder from our product list. We always have several alternative feeder types that are suitable for your unique situation. This allows you to always make an objective choice from our feeder range and not 1 type is always the best. You can also always email us, call us or fill out a consultation request online, and we can work with you to make the right choice.

Can I order from you online?

In our webshop you can order spare parts for feeders or piglet covers online. Of course, you can always contact us by phone or email if you would like advice on feeders, piglet covers or floor heating systems.

We sell our products through our dealers/stable equipment suppliers, who can also install the products for you and provide aftercare if necessary. If you have a regular installer, please let us know. If you have never had contact with a farrowing pen installer before, we will look for the one closest to you.

Should I get a feeder with or without a drinking nipple?

This is a choice you must make yourself possibly in consultation with your veterinarian or advisor. It is often a personal choice and it also has to do with the space you have in your pen. A nipple as close as possible to the feed trough or in the feed trough with a separate drinking trough is our preference. We can also fit any pig feeder with a drinking nipple (except for dry feeders) or even leave the existing drinking nipple out. For the pig and piglet dry feeders that we supply, we also have matching single or multiple drinking troughs from our own production. Especially the duo drinkers we offer in our program are becoming very popular and are also very advantageous in price. The fact that pigs from 2 different pens see each other while drinking brings great advantages. Seeing them eat makes them eat, but seeing them drink also makes them drink.

Will you help me with the right choice of feeder?

Very gladly. We advise everyone to take advantage of this without obligation. We have been making the feeders for the pig industry all by ourselves for over 50 years so we think we know well what we are talking about. We have over 200 variations of feeders so we can offer several alternatives for each life stage of the animal or the type of feed one has. Therefore, we have no interest in selling 1 type of feeder with 1 mechanism because we don't have anything else, so to speak. We just want you to make the right choice for your situation and be so satisfied with it that you tell your colleagues. And often the best solution is certainly not the most expensive. Call or email us, or fill out our consultation form and we will be happy to advise you without any further obligation.

Which is better a round trough or a square trough under a feeder?

A square trough!

We have had round troughs under feeders in our program and we removed them from our program because we were very dissatisfied with the results and the comments we received about them. So unfortunately sometimes we have to sell no if people necessarily want a round trough, but we want to stand 100% behind our product that we produce and sell so that you are and remain completely satisfied. Why are we not in favor of round troughs? Here are our arguments:

  • A feeder for weaned piglets or fattening pigs with round trough must stand alone in a pen and cannot be built into the partition wall. Since pigs have to stand around this trough so the feeding area takes up a very large amount of space, this greatly disturbs the functional areas in the pig farm. This can have the disadvantage of fattening and pen fouling in undesirable places and pigs that want to rest cannot get rest. For animal welfare and long tails, this is not ideal.
  • A feeder with a round trough cannot be placed on the aisle side. This is because the pigs cannot stand between the trough and aisle if the trough is too close to the aisle wall. As a result, there is no good view of the entire trough whether it is being eaten clean or if there is unnecessary water in it. In addition, you cannot access the adjustment of the trough from the aisle and have to climb into the coop. This costs unnecessary labor time.
  • A round trough tapers toward the middle. At the front near the edge there is plenty of pen but if the pig has to face the center there is often a lack of space because the trough is often too narrow there. As a result, feed accessibility is not ideal and this can cause restlessness. Feed and water should always be very easily accessible.
  • A square trough is much better equipped with anti spillage edges on the front and sides. A round trough spills more because of this.
  • With an odd number of pens, you cannot build the feeder with round trough into the wall and it must be placed standalone.

What is the best position for a feeder?

A pig feeder is best in or against the partition wall near the aisle.

By placing the trough on the aisle wall you create a quiet place for the pigs to eat. In addition, you have a good view of the trough and can see at a glance whether the trough is clean of feed residue and water. This saves you a lot of labor time and water and feed spillage. Moreover, at the front of the aisle you can easily access the adjustment of the pigs' feed trough and you can easily assess the contents of the feed bunker during your inspection round.

Can I trade in my old feeders?

If you want to buy new Verba pig feeders, we can always put you in touch with several used stable equipment dealers who want to buy your existing pig feeders. We are in contact with several parties so that you are in control. Of course, you can also choose to sell your feeders yourself. The profit margin will be higher as a result. Besides social media, there are several national and international websites where you can offer used feeders. Feel free to pass it on to us and we will make sure you can get in touch with several parties who buy used stable equipment. This way you have separated the purchase of new feeders and the sale of used feeders which makes the final price transparent and usually much more favorable than doing it in 1 deal. We are happy to be of service to you.

Can I order a different color container?

Our standard colors are green with white. But we also have plates of blue with white or red with black or all black. In these colors we can make your feeders. If you need a lot of troughs, we can also order pallets of plates in other colors, and basically deliver any color.

How should I assemble a feeder?

Secure! If a trough is loose, a pig will not eat properly from it and the trough may wear out unnecessarily. Make sure a single trough is mounted to the floor with 2 mounting angles and that it is also mounted to the back wall. For double feeders, we recommend 4 mounting corners and 2 stainless steel u-profiles in which you fix the wall. We can provide you with the correct stainless steel mounting angles and also the stainless steel u-profiles if they are not standard with the feeder.

Can I get a lid due to dust restriction on the feeders?

Yes, we can optionally make and supply a lid for almost any type of feeder.

Is a feeder a significant investment?

Yes, we think a good feeder with anti spillage edges (many feeders don't have this, pay attention!) for your pig farm is the most important investment. Just a handful of feed spillage can result in a truckload of feed in the manure pit every year. 50 grams of feed spillage per day is 17 kilograms per fattening pig at 340 days of stocking density. At two thousand places, that's 34,000 kilos of feed in the pit. That then costs you money twice: for the purchase of the feed and for the extra manure removal.

Vakblad varkens has written a very nice Dutch-language article on this along with Sander Palmans of the Proef- en formingscentrum voor de landbouw.

So we advise you to make a good choice feeder with anti spill edges once. You will be amazed what a trough per delivered pig costs at the bottom of the line.

If in doubt, call or email us and we will be happy to provide you with a test feeder.

How should I adjust a feeder?

Preferably not too coarse. In practice, we see far too often that troughs are adjusted far too coarsely, causing feed to become old, dirty and spilled. Unlike long troughs, pigs can eat at our troughs 24/7. So they have all day to eat their required portion and this also keeps the pigs quiet. Feel free to let the pigs spend some time eating, as they should in nature. This is much better for the pig but also for feed conversion and your wallet. Don't make bins empty. Pigs are creatures of habit and they also want to be able to access their food every time according to their expectations. If the feed troughs get empty and the pigs get hungry then you disrupt the habit. A pig then becomes stressed and may become aggressive toward other pigs or materials in the pen.

What does the number of pigs in the tables in the product overview mean?

This is the number of pigs where we know the feeder gives the best results. It is therefore not a must or a legal requirement. Some feeders allow more pigs per feeding area, but we know this does not improve the effectiveness of the feeder. We recommend that you follow the numbers in our tables if this is legally allowed in your country or region, also with other brands of feeders.

Do I get a warranty on VERBA products?

Yes, we provide a unique warranty period on our products. On feeding troughs for piglets and fattening pigs we give a 7 year guarantee on material and production faults. On feeding troughs for sows we give a 3-year warranty on material and production faults. On piglet covers and nipple drinkers we give a 1-year warranty on material and production faults. If drinking nipples are acidified the warranty on drinking nipples will lapse. Drinking nipples are meant for water.

Shipping costs or call-out charges are not covered by the warranty and must always be settled separately.

We deliver according to the metal union conditions where we are affiliated. The metal union conditions can be found in the footer of our website.

Can I get custom work done?

Yes we can provide customization. We have made our pig feeders to best fit most situations. But if you want the feeder to be higher, lower or wider, or you want wider eating compartments, stainless steel slide, a spindle adjustment, etc., of course we can make that for you. No problem. We can actually make everything in our own factory, which is the advantage that we produce everything in the Netherlands and the lines are so short.

Can I test or try out VERBA products?

Yes. We are convinced of our product quality and therefore we advise anyone who is in doubt to purchase a test bucket. You just pay for one test box and test it out. If you do not like the bowl you can return it to us clean and undamaged and we will refund you the full purchase price. In practice, however, we almost always see that people want to keep the trough.

Do you have an outside mechanic?

We do not have an external technician, but we do work with parties that we hire for external work. We can relieve you of this.

Do you have a 24/7 help desk?

No, we are open from 7:30am to 4:30pm on weekdays.

For variomix, we have placed several documents under the heading downloads on our site, which you can use to solve problems yourself. Manuals are also listed there. For variomix malfunctions, it is best to call an electrical installation company. They can easily measure the system. We can then send you the spare parts so that you can replace them.

Is VERBA sold all over the world?

VERBA is sold all over the world. We can deliver our feeders assembled as well as unassembled, so that you can save on transport costs for larger batches. We can arrange transport for you but you are also free to arrange your own transport. If you are looking for a dealer please let us know, we can help you with that.

Can I also buy directly from VERBA?

We do have regular direct contact with end users for advice on types of feeders and technical questions about them, but the final sales are made through our dealers. We have been working with most of our dealers for decades and they know our products inside out. They also know what needs to be taken into account and are usually located close to you, making it easy to schedule a visit. If you are looking for a dealer, please let us know and we will help you find one.

When is VERBA open?

We are open on weekdays from 7.30 am to 4.30 pm. We are closed between 12.00 and 12.30. Suppliers and transporters can contact us until 16.00.

What does VERBA do about the environment?

Quite a lot, we think. We have been processing at least 600,000 kilos of recycled plastic sheets in our feeders every year since the late 1970s. These PE sheets are made from, for example, PE caps from soft drinks; in other words, from consumer waste. In this way we, and thus the pig farming industry, contribute to cleaning up and recycling society's plastic waste mountain.

In addition, we also process a lot of stainless steel. Stainless steel is again largely made from collected and recycled stainless steel.

Moreover, we single have Dutch suppliers and 2 German suppliers. This ensures that transport distances to our company are as small as possible.

We no longer use gas to heat our premises since our new building in 2019. Everything is heated with electricity and we circulate filtered air from machines through our halls.

We single have Led lighting in our company.

The machines we buy are all selected for low energy consumption.

Finally, we have over 1100 solar panels on our company building. These panels generate more energy on an annual basis than we consume ourselves.

Does VERBA make more than just pig feeders?

Yes we also make complete stainless steel troughs, stainless steel U-profiles, floor heating plates, piglet nests, piglet covers, straw troughs and stainless steel drinking troughs for the pig industry.

In addition to pig farming, we also make roughage bins for calves.

We are also active outside the agricultural sector. We do a lot of punching, bending and welding for other companies and, in addition to semi-finished products, we also make plastic tanks and containers for contractors or infrastructure companies, for example. For example, we can also weld plastic whose end products are used in many other sectors.