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 pick the right feeder from our product list. We usually have several feeder types that are suitable multiple combinations. 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 feeding troughs or piglet covers online. Of course you can always contact us by phone or email if you want advice on feeding troughs, piglet covers or floor heating systems.

We sell our products through stable fitters, who can also install the products for you and provide aftercare. If you have a designated barn cleaner, please let us know. In case you have never had contact with a stable furnisher before, we will look for the stable furnisher closest to you.

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

This is a choice that you may have to make yourself 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 to the feeder as possible or in the feeder with a separate drinking trough is our preference. We can also provide every trough with a drinking nipple (except for dry feeders) or even leave it out. For the dry feeders we supply we also have matching single or multiple drinkers from our own production. In particular, the duo drinkers we offer in our program are sold very widely and are also very inexpensive in price. The fact that the pigs from 2 different pens see each other during drinking brings great advantages. After more than 50 years of experience, we can say that we are convinced of the saying: seeing food, means eating; but seeing drink, means drinking. And drinking is often underestimated.

Will you help me with the right choice of feeder?

Very much so. We advise everyone to take advantage of this without obligation. We have been making feeders for the pig industry for over 50 years so we think we know what we are talking about. We have over 200 variations of troughs so we can offer several alternatives for every stage of the animal's life or the type of feed it has. Therefore, we have no interest in selling 1 type of feeder with 1 mechanism because we have nothing else, so to speak. We just want you to make the right choice for your situation and to 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 in our request for advice and we will gladly advise you without further obligation.

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

A square trough, we are clear on that after 50 years.

We have had round troughs under feeders in our program for the last 50 years and we have taken them out of our program because we were dissatisfied with the results and the comments we received about them. So unfortunately sometimes we have to sell no when people necessarily want a round trough, but we want to stand 100% behind the product we produce and sell. In practice, it rarely or never happens that people insist on a round trough, especially if they consider the points below once more or after they have carried out a test.

There are some practical disadvantages to a round trough. A round trough feeder cannot be placed on the aisle side. However, this is our preference. After all, the pigs cannot stand lengthwise between the trough and the corridor if the feed trough is too close to the corridor wall. If the feed trough is placed further into the pen, the employee cannot easily reach the adjustment of the feed trough and the control of the trough and the feed level in the hopper is also much more difficult. In short, with a round trough, the pigs need much more space to eat from it. In addition, a round trough tapers. There is plenty of pen at the front near the edge but if the pig has to nose into the middle, there is often a lack of pen because the trough is too narrow there. A square trough is much better to have anti spillage edges at the front and on the sides. So a round trough spills more. With an uneven number of pens, you cannot build the round trough feeder into the wall and it must be placed standalone. Standalone placement is certainly not our preference.

What is the best position for a feeder?

In or against the partition wall and against the aisle wall. All our troughs are made to the width of a pig's withers so they can stand right in front of the feeder. Single the speedfeeder 50 must be placed about ten centimeters from the aisle wall for fattening pigs.

By placing the feed trough on aisle wall you create a quiet place for the pigs to eat. This position also gives you easy access to the adjustment of the feed trough and allows you to properly assess the contents of the feed bunker and trough during your inspection round.

Can I trade in my old feeders?

We do not trade in old mangers ourselves but we do have good contacts with a company that deals in used mangers. We can have them contact 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 mangers. 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?

Tightly secured! If a trough is loose, a pig does not eat properly from it and the trough wears out more easily. Make sure that a single trough is attached to the floor with 2 mounting angles and that it is also attached to the back wall. For double feeders we recommend 4 mounting angles and 2 stainless steel U-profiles to fix the wall. We can supply you with the right 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 it is almost the most important investment for your barn. The highest cost of keeping pigs on a daily basis is the feed cost. The more feed that doesn't end up in the pigs, but in the manure pit, for example, the higher your feed conversion becomes and the more money you lose unnecessarily on a daily basis. And this comes back to haunt you daily. We advise you to make a good choice once. You will be amazed at what a trough costs per delivered pig. For example, if a trough is to last 15 years and 40 pigs can eat from it permanently, it will cost around 27 cents per pig delivered (not per day). If you save 1% feed spillage, which is easily achievable with a better trough, then you will earn this back very quickly. If you are in doubt, call or email us and we will be happy to supply you with a test trough.

How should I adjust a feeder?

Preferably not too coarse. In practice, we see far too often that feed troughs are set far too coarsely, so that the feed becomes old and dirty and is spilled. In contrast to long troughs, pigs can eat from our troughs 24/7. They therefore have the entire day to eat their required portion and this also keeps the pigs calm. Let the pigs be busy eating, just as they should be in nature. This is much better for the pig but also for the feed conversion and your wallet. Don't make sure that bins are empty. Pigs are creatures of habit and they want to have access to their food according to their expectations. If the troughs become empty, you are breaking the habit and the pig can become stressed, with all the consequences this entails.

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 do custom work. If you want the manger to be higher, lower or wider because it wouldn't fit otherwise we can make that too. If you are used to a different adjustment than our standard adjustment we can also make that for you. We can actually make everything in our own factory, that 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 mangers 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.