Reducing Stress: Agri-Rok Cement Overlay In Hog Abbatoir Facilities

Abbatoir containment pens and livestock walkways have a unique set of conditions requiring multi-faceted solutions to remain in use long term with minimum repair downtime. Because stress reduction on the animals is such a huge consideration in this type of facility, the surfacing material used on the containment pens and walkways is a high priority.

• Concrete is the basic material of choice for both flooring and walls in containment pens and walkways, but untreated concrete is highly challenged in a livestock facility since the surface tends to break down quickly under the combination of acid attack from animal waste and friction from continual hoof (and snout) traffic
• Abbatoir floors have several different requirements that must be maintained, including anti-slip walkway floors where grooving or stamping must resist wear to remain effective; and slatted pen floors that must resist the constant exposure to animal waste and harsh cleaning
• All floors and surfaces must be kept in the best repair possible to prevent stress, falls and bruising to the animals
• Sanitation is a high priority since any diseases or bacteria such as salmonella present in contained animals could make its way into the finished meat products. Since concrete floors typically erode down to exposed aggregate within a year if not protected, maintaining a surface as solid and non-permeable as possible is very important in successfully achieving sanitary conditions
• Any coating on the floors should be easily and quickly field repairable to reduce downtime

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How Does Agri-Rok Cement Overlay Help Meet These Goals?

Agri-Rok is a quick-curing cement overlay which bonds with concrete to produce an extremely dense, strong surface which is both acid and wear resistant, having a tensile strength of 10,000 PSI versus the usual average of 3,000 PSI for normal concrete. It does not require special preparation beyond a basic powerwashing of existing surfaces and does not create fumes or acidic dust that must be mitigated before being put to use. It is sold as a dry mix which is blended with clean water immediately before application and can be poured, troweled or sprayed-in-place depending on the surface being covered.

• Agri-Rok’s super-dense, super-hard nature allows it to withstand considerably more wear than typical concrete, keeping containment pens and walkways comfortable and easy to sanitize (it is extremely resistant to all forms of acid except hydrofluoric acid)
•  Agri-Rok can be applied to slatted or solid floors, curbs and feed troughs by steel trowel; applying it at 3/8” thick creates an excellent surface for anti-slip stamping or grooving on solid floors
• Agri-Rok can be immediately sealed with an antimicrobial micro-pore sealer to further reduce the possibility of harboring dangerous bacteria such as salmonella – we recommend a product called Stamp Shield or another called H-12 (which is more robust but takes longer to cure)
  
• Agri-Rok is easy to apply with little or no experience or training and can be field repaired in just a few hours from start to hooves-on-floor