This window has two main purposes. It is used to make bunk calls for pens while feeding and it is used to actually deliver feed to pens. The Pen Focus window works in conjunction with this window and determines which pen the focus is on. The pen number is shown in red at the top right of this window at all times.
If the focus pen has not had a bunk call made for the day, this window will default to showing the Bunk Call tab. Otherwise, it will show the Feed Delivery tab. You can manually switch tabs if you like.
The top portion of this tab is where you can make a bunk call. Bunk calls should be made every day, even if the pen's bunk call will be the same as yesterday. In that case, just hit the Accept button to make a bunk call with yesterday's values.
A bunk call really has several components. The bunk call itself (how much needs to be fed), the ration assigned the pen, the feeding protocol and step (optional), the bunk score (optional), and a note (also optional).
It is important to note that the bunk call is made on a dry matter per head basis. This makes the bunk call more meaningful and easier to manage since it will not have to be modified when the ration, ingredient moisture, or head count changes. To the right of the bunk call, the dry matter intake as a percent of body weight is shown. This value is especially helpful as you learn to think in a dry matter context. Although we do not recommend it, there is also a preference to have Fusion display the as fed per pen and per head equivalents as the bunk call and ration change. This extra information might be shown during the first few days as the bunk readers transition from as fed to dry matter thinking and then should be turned off or it will make the transition more difficult.
If a feeding protocol is assigned to the pen and no bunk call has yet been made today, Fusion will run the protocol logic to determine if the protocol step, ration, or bunk call value should be changed. If any of them should be changed, Fusion will put the suggested value in the field and change the color of the field label to indicate that the value has been suggested. If you want to modify any of these suggestions, you are free to do so.
Once the bunk call has been made, click the Accept button to save the call. Fusion keeps track of the time of each bunk call, so if multiple bunk calls are made by different people through out the day, only the last one will be current even if syncing gets out of order. In other words, after every full sync, Fusion Truck will know about the latest bunk call the server is aware of for each pen. If the protocol related change is to happen on a later pass, the bunk score, bunk call value, and note will be saved right away but the other values will not take affect until someone sets the feeding pass later in the day. Note that if someone makes a bunk call for this pen after the one you make, it will take precedence and the other changes you requested will not happen when you get to the desired feeding pass. This principle can be used to stop these delayed changes from happening as well.
The bunk call graph shows a history of bunk calls and actual amounts fed to the pen. The Bunk Call section of the Preferences window largely determines what this graph will look like. By default, the background of the graph will show you how long the pen has been on each ration. The bars will show the target call for each day and the white lines will show the actual fed. The blue horizontal line will show the highest bunk call the pen has received. The last time the bunk call value was changed is shown as a red bar for that day. If any of the days had a note, a yellow triangle will be shown for that day.
The graph defaults to showing the most recent days, but you can scroll the graph to see previous days if you like.
A number of other indicators that may be useful when determining the bunk call are shown here. Again, the Preferences window can be used to tell Fusion which of these you want to see and in what order you want to see them.
The Today column does not change and shows current information. The middle column changes as you swipe your finger across the bunk call graph so you can see this information as it was on previous days.
If the day selected in the graph has a note associated with it, the first part of the note will show up in the indicators list (depending on preferences). To see the full note, click on the Note row in the indicators list and the note will be shown in another window.
Normally, after you click the Accept button Fusion will display the Feed Delivery tab expecting a feed delivery. If you would prefer to walk down the list of pens only making bunk calls, check this option and Fusion will stay on this tab and automatically select the next pen instead.
This tab is used to view previous deliveries to the pen and record a new delivery.
Based on the bunk call, what has already been fed, and the current pass, Fusion automatically determines a target amount to deliver each pen. In most circumstances you don't need to worry about this. However, you can manually change this if you want. If you plan to deliver a different amount than Fusion's default for some reason, you should change this to reflect the desired amount.
To change the target, tap the Target Quantity field and enter a new amount. You can also use the buttons underneath the field:
This list shows all the deliveries already made to this pen today including the time, the ration delivered, the user who made the delivery, and the amount delivered.
Based on the target amount, Fusion will adjust the large number on the Scale Indicator window so that the goal is to dump feed until the scale indicator reaches zero. When you are done delivering feed to the pen, click the Record Weight button. At this point, if you discover that you have dropped off feed to the wrong pen you can still click the Undo Delivery button and select the correct pen and hit Record Weight. However, once you click Next Pen (or Previous Pen) or click the Commit button, you can no longer undo the record weight.
After hitting Record Weight, click Next Pen to go to the next pen in the list. Continue doing this until the truck is empty. At this point, click the Mix New Load button to make another load.
If you have the Delivery Guide feature turned on in the GPS Setup window, the guide will appear in the window if you are not moving backwards and if you haven't hit Record Weight for the selected pen yet. The purpose of the guide is to help you deliver feed at a rate that reduces the need to reverse the truck. When the guide is followed perfectly, feed should be delivered evenly along the entire bunk and the target amount fully dispensed just as you reach the end of the bunk.
When the guide is showing, you will see a scale on the left hand side which represents a delivery rate (lb/sec or kg/sec). Over time you will learn to equate different delivery rates with how far the chute on the truck needs to be open. Before you start delivering to a pen, Fusion will calculate the best delivery rate for the pen based on the target amount and the average speed of the truck when it has delivered feed to this pen in the past. This is shown on the guide as a purple arrow and indicates where you will want to open the chute to as you start feeding. Note that it can take Fusion two or three days to learn your average delivery speed at each pen, so the purple arrow may not be as accurate until that learning has taken place.
Once you start delivering feed, two bars will appear on the guide. The green solid bar represents the delivery rate you need to be at for a good delivery and the blue dashed line represents your current delivery rate. The idea is to open or close the chute gate just enough to get the two lines to match up. The more they match up, the better a delivery you will have.
| Don't mistakenly think you need to adjust the speed of the truck to get the lines to match up. The speed of the truck should be fairly constant while delivering feed. It is how open the delivery chute is that matters. |
Please note that there may be situations where the truck simply can't do what the guide is suggesting. For example, you may have set a target amount that is simply higher than the truck can drop off within the bunk's length, even when the truck is in the lowest gear and the chute is wide open. Another example is that some trucks cannot dispense as much feed when the truck is nearly empty as it can when it is more full, even with the chute wide open. The guide is meant to help where it can, but it should be recognized that there will still be situations where you have to reverse the truck to dispense all the feed.
This button is seldom used, but sometimes you want to save the feed delivery and see the Pen Focus window's information update without selecting another pen. In this case, use the Commit button.
Manual entry is no longer recommended except in rare cases. Normally you should use the Manual Feed Entry window to manually enter feed when Fusion isn't working in a truck. However, if you need to use it, click the Manual Entry button and a Quantity field will appear where you can enter the amount. You must have the correct permissions before this will be allowed.
Feed Guard is a feature that can be turned on in the GPS Setup window. When it is on, Fusion constantly evaluates whether the truck is physically beside the selected pen. If it is not, a large warning will appear on both the Bunk Call and Feed Delivery tabs. Underneath the warning will be a large red rectangle which covers access to the information and controls that allow you to make bunk calls and deliver feed. Once the truck comes near the selected pen, these guards will disappear, making it possible to make bunk calls and deliver feed as normal.
When the feed guard is showing, you can temporarily override the guard by clicking the Override Feed Guard button. The fact that this button is used is recorded in the truck audit information. You must have the correct permissions to click the button.
| Please note that both Feed Guard and Delivery Guide will only work properly when a location has been accurately mapped and the GPS device is sufficiently accurate and consistent. If these features are not working as intended, especially only for certain pens, you may need to remap those pens. You may also need to reconsider the placement of the GPS device itself. It works best with a clear view of the entire sky (down to the horizon where possible) in every direction. |
Fusion has the idea of a global note for a day that is independent of pens, bunk calls, etc. Use this tab to add information to this note. Any information entered here is part of what counts toward a note in the bunk call graph.
You can open this window by going to Fusion Feed → Feeding → Bunk Call and Feed Deliveries in an office computer or by clicking the Bunk Calls/Deliver Feed button in the Fusion Truck Main Menu window in Fusion Truck.
