Fattening pigs at home: rules for fattening, rationing, nutritional features. How to organize feeding piglets without a sow at home

Feed and sugar beets are used to feed pigs of any age.

The cost of concentrated feed in the diet of meat-fed pigs can be significantly reduced if root crops are used, including a large amount of sugar beets.
Interestingly, according to numerous studies, pigs fed sugar beet (with normal levels of total and protein nutrition) throughout the fattening period until the age of 7-8 months did not differ at all from those fed only concentrates without sugar beet. Parameters such as average daily weight gain, slaughter weight, yield of meat products and payment for feed were taken into account.
The results of the experiments showed that it is advisable to use raw crushed sugar beet, feeding it within 30% of the nutritional value of the diet. If more than 30% of sugar beet is introduced into the diet of fattening pigs, then it is given in a steamed form. After steaming, the beetroot decreases in volume, but on the other hand it gives sweetness to other components of the feed, which significantly improves the palatability of the feed mixture and palatability.

Often sugar beet is specially grown for livestock feed. For this purpose, part of the crop is silaged along with other feeds. This technology allows you to get juicy nutritious food throughout the year.
In such a combined silage, sugar beets can make up 65-70%, green grass or legume hay - 15-10%, milky-waxy corn or carrots - 20%. Silos of this composition can be introduced into the diet up to 30% nutritional value. Half the daily value of such silage can be steamed along with other feeds. This reduces the acidity of the product and provides better palatability.

In terms of dry matter content, fodder beet is significantly inferior to sugar beet. On average, it contains about 12% dry matter. The dry matter of the roots consists mainly of carbohydrates, among which sugar and pectin substances predominate. The fiber content barely reaches 1% of the weight of the roots. Few also in the fodder beet and protein - an average of 1.2% and minerals, especially calcium and phosphorus.

The dry matter of fodder beet is well digested by animals. So, pigs digest organic matter up to 87%, protein up to 70%, and nitrogen-free extractive substances - up to 90-95%.

Pigs willingly eat fodder beets. A small amount of beetroot is given to pigs in raw crushed form, large roots are best boiled or steamed. Boiled fodder beet, like sugar beet, must be fed carefully.

Fodder beet tops are also used as feed for pigs. In terms of dry matter content, fodder beet tops are somewhat inferior to sugar beet tops. It contains 10-11% dry matter. The dry matter of the tops is rich in protein (up to 20-25%), soluble carbohydrates and is characterized by a small amount of fiber (10-20%). The digestibility of tops is high - 80-90%.

In the practice of pig breeding, severe poisoning of pigs (table and fodder varieties) with steamed or boiled beets is often observed. Fresh beets, raw or steamed, fed immediately after cooling, do no harm. Beet poisoning is explained by the fact that denitrifying bacteria develop in steamed or boiled beets, which convert the nitric acid salts (HNO3) contained in the beet into very toxic nitrous acid salts. Steamed or boiled beets become poisonous after 5-6 hours. Its poisonousness gradually increases and reaches its greatest strength after 12 hours.

The toxic effect of salts of nitrous acid (nitrites) is that they convert blood oxyhemoglobin into methemoglobin, which leads to oxygen starvation of tissues and often to the death of the animal. When poisoned with beets, pigs die mostly very quickly, 20-30 minutes after feeding. In mild cases, poisoned pigs recover within a day.

Clinical signs of poisoning: depression, salivation, vomiting or urge to it, pallor of the skin and mucous membranes, blue patch and ears. Sick animals lie on their side, cannot rise, shortness of breath and convulsions are noted before death.

This poisoning is prevented by the fact that beets should be given to pigs immediately after steaming and cooling it or in its raw form. You can not leave steamed or boiled beets in water for several hours, and even more so for several days. It is absolutely unacceptable to feed animals with fermented or moldy beet tops. When using benign beet tops in feed to bind oxalic acid and prevent digestive disorders, it is recommended to feed animals with chalk and roughage.

Sugar beet contains a lot of easily digestible carbohydrates (up to 20% sugar) necessary for the normal activity of the rumen microflora of ruminants. Sugar beet is of particular importance when feeding animals with ensiled fodder; it increases the use of organic acids and prevents the effects of acidosis.

It has been established that moderate feeding of beets in balanced diets ensures the normal use of all other feeds and improves the productivity of animals.

Can pigs eat raw potatoes?

In conventional feeding, potatoes are the most staple diet for pigs.

Potatoes are good food for pigs. The composition of potatoes depends on the variety and growing conditions. On average, it contains about 25% dry matter, of which 20% is starch; the content of fiber and, especially, fat is very low; Not enough potatoes contain ash and crude protein (1-2%), with more than half of the latter containing non-protein nitrogenous compounds. Tuberin is the main protein of potatoes, it has a high biological value. Potatoes contain very little carotene, a little vitamin B1 B2 and vitamin C. The total nutritional value of potatoes is 0.3 feed units and 12 g of digestible protein per 1 kg of feed. Potato nutrients are well digested by animals. So, for example, dry matter is digested by pigs by 97%.

Raw root crops can be given to pigs only as a vitamin supplement in small quantities. And yet, you should not use one potato, it is better to mix it with beets, rutabaga. And in large quantities, such products are given only in cooked form.

Boiled or steamed potatoes are mashed and fed warm, but not hot. Potatoes are boiled and steamed for piglets only for one dacha, as it quickly turns sour. It should also be borne in mind that potatoes contain the alkaloid solanine, the largest amount of it occurs in young and germinated tubers (in sprouts). A significant amount of solanine can cause severe poisoning in animals. Therefore, sprouted potatoes should be steamed or boiled, and the water in which the potatoes were boiled must be drained, since a lot of solanine passes into it during cooking.

When fattening a pig, it should be borne in mind that different foods affect the quality of meat in different ways. So friable and tasteless pork will become when animals are given a lot of potatoes, wheat bran, corn and buckwheat.

Potato ensiling is of great importance for pig breeding. This is the best way to preserve potato nutrients. Features of potato ensiling are that it is ensiled for pigs in steamed, boiled or raw form. Steamed or boiled potatoes are ensiled both in pure form and mixed with finely chopped or legume hay flour. It is also good to add about 20% by weight of red carrots, pumpkins or beets to this mixture.

Ensiled potatoes with the addition of hay or herbs, legumes, gourds, root crops and others are of high quality, pigs readily eat them.

Can pigs be given salt?

Piglets need to add table salt to the feed.

It stimulates the appetite of the animal and improves feed intake, enhances metabolism. However, remember that a large dose of table salt can cause poisoning.

• From the 5th-10th day, suckling pigs should be given 2 g of table salt, but gradually increase the rate by the age of 60 days to 10 g.
• Piglets at 2-3 months are fed table salt 15-16 g, at 3-4 18-20 g, at 4-5 20-22 g, at 5-6 25-27 g, at 6-7 30-32 g, at 7-8 35
• Adult animals - up to 40-50 g per day per head.

In some cases, table salt is enriched with a mixture of trace elements. Per 10 kg of sodium chloride, 30 g of manganese sulfate, 10 g of copper sulfate, 7 g of zinc sulfate, 3 g of cobalt chloride and 0.25 g of potassium iodide are added. The mixture is thoroughly mixed with salt and stored in a dry place.

Is it possible to give pigs pumpkin

Pumpkin, especially yellow varieties, is a valuable source of carotene and B vitamins.

Its quantity of 1-2 kg per day provides animals with vitamins, improves appetite.

Pumpkin is fed in crushed form mixed with grain feed. Fattening pigs and sows can be given pumpkin unground and without restrictions.

Is it possible to give piglets mushrooms

Most mushrooms that are unsuitable for human consumption are well eaten by pigs (leftovers from food mushrooms, overgrown and worm mushrooms).

Mushrooms should be fed to fattening pigs after they have been boiled in a mixture with other feeds. Mushrooms contain up to 10% of digestible protein and have a good effect on digestion.

Mushrooms are very useful for pigs because they contain a lot of protein, especially in the lower part of the cap of young tubular mushrooms. This part of the mushroom contains the highest amount of protein.

Is it possible to give piglets zucchini

Zucchini can be fed to pigs both green and ripe, but in most cases they are used green.

They are harvested 10 days after fruit set. At this time, each fruit weighs from 0.5 to 1 kg. The green fruits are well-made, tender, very readily eaten by pigs and are a valuable dietary food. Overripe fruits are hard and worse eaten by piglets. The overall nutritional value of zucchini approaches the nutritional value of watermelons: 100 kg of zucchini contains 7 feed units and 0.6 kg of digestible protein.

Zucchini is also fed to piglets in crushed form mixed with green grass and concentrated feed. Adult pigs eat an average of up to 15 kg of zucchini per day. Zucchini are very valuable because they provide fresh juicy food all the time from mid-summer until late autumn. Due to the fact that zucchini is fed green, they begin to be used earlier than other succulent foods.

Is it possible to give piglets cabbage

Pigs love cabbage, but you need to give them a little of it.

Especially if they are not accustomed to this vegetable. You need to start with small doses - 300-500 g per pig a day. Gradually increase the amount to 1-3 kg (depending on the weight of the pigs). If a pig is planned to be slaughtered, one month before that, you need to stop feeding cabbage, otherwise the meat will be with a sour taste. And it is impossible to give cabbage to pregnant women, so that indigestion does not happen.

Can pigs be fed corn?

For a pig, corn grain is a highly nutritious and valuable feed.

Corn is a high yielding crop. It gives the highest yield of feed units and easily digestible carbohydrates per unit area. Corn stands out among cereals with a high content of carbohydrates, mainly starch (up to 70%) and a high percentage of fat (up to 8%); the protein content is on average about 9-10%, it is poor in minerals, especially calcium, which contains only 0.04%.
The protein of corn grain as a whole, in comparison with other cereals, is poorer in amino acids: arginine, lysine, tryptophan; corn germ protein is of high value. Yellow varieties of corn contain more carotene than white ones.

The digestibility of organic nutrients in corn is high and reaches 90%. The question of the correct use of such high-value feed for pigs as corn is of particular importance.
In order to increase the biological usefulness of corn, it is fed to pigs along with other feeds: peas, bagasse, green grass and legume hay, as well as feeds of animal origin.

With rational use, corn is a good feed for all groups of pigs, especially for young animals in meat fattening.
Scientific and industrial experience has shown that meat-fed pigs can be introduced into the diet up to 70% of the nutritional value of corn, while adding various protein, vitamin and mineral feeds.
Pigs are fed corn in the form of grain mash, and cobs are also used in milky-wax ripeness, both fresh and ensiled. Corn cob silage is given to fattening pigs in the amount of 35-40% of the nutritional ration.

When feeding a whole grain, a significant part of it comes out undigested in the feces and is lost. Whole grains have a hard shell, consisting mainly of fiber, and are much less saturated with digestive juices. Digestibility is also affected by the size of the ground grain particles. Small feed particles are quickly and well wetted by saliva, gastric and intestinal juices, are well digested and absorbed by the body.
It is necessary to grind corn at its normal humidity (12-15%). Due to the high fat content, ground corn will quickly become bitter, so stocks of corn grist should not be made for more than 10 days.

Numerous experiments have established that feeding pigs with turf from pure corn grain (without cores) during fattening provided better palatability of the feed included in the diet and obtaining higher average daily gains than when feeding turf from a whole corn cob (corn grain, ground with rods) .

Therefore, the efficiency of feed utilization and the intensity of fattening of pigs depend primarily on the amount of fiber in the diets, all other things being equal. This explains the decrease in weight gain in pigs that received maize seed along with rods, which increased the fiber content in the diet.

Can pigs eat carrots?

Red carrots are high in carotene.

Therefore, in conditions where a lot of sugar beets, peas and corn feed are included in the diets of pigs, the harvesting of red carrots in each farm is of particular importance. It contains 13.5-15.5% of highly nutritious substances, including: nitrogenous 1.05-1.90%, soluble sugars 5.98-6%, fiber 1.1-2% and ash 0.6- 1.0%.

The best varieties of red carrots contain up to 250 mg of carotene per 1 kg of feed of natural moisture, but yellow and white varieties do not have a high carotene value. Carrots also contain B vitamins: thiamine 0.6 mg, riboflavin 0.3 mg, niacin 7 mg, pantothenic acid 2 mg, choline 50 mg.

Raw carrots are fed to pigs. Carrots are especially valuable for young animals, pregnant and lactating sows and boars. For better eating of carrots by suckling pigs, it is crushed to a mushy mass.

During winter storage of carrots, the amount of carotene in it is almost halved. Therefore, the storage of carrots must be given great attention.

One of the most affordable methods for storing carrots is ensiling in combination with other succulent feeds (combined silos). Carrots in silos are readily eaten by animals. In addition, carotene is preserved in carrots during ensiling.

Thus, fresh carrots, silage from them and dry carrot flour are valuable vitamin feed to ensure the carotene value of pigs' winter diets.

For example, piglets in the milk period (from about two weeks of age) should be fed with red carrots, rubbing it with about 15 grams per day.

During the period of growing piglets (occurs until the weight of the pig is about 60 kg), nettles, young greens and other herbs, which are very rich in juice, can be added to the diet. Feeding options:

1. Up to 20 kg per day, a pig should be given concentrates - 0.8 kg, grass - 2.5 kg, boiled potatoes - up to 1.5 kg, carrots - up to 1 kg.
2. From 20 kg to 30 kg - concentrates - 1 kg, grass - 3 kg, potatoes - up to 1.5 kg, carrots - up to 2 kg.
3. From 30 kg to 40 kg - concentrates - 1 kg, grass - 5 kg, potatoes - up to 2 kg, carrots - up to 3 kg.
4. From 40 kg to 50 kg - concentrates - 1.3 kg, grass - 7 kg, potatoes - up to 2.5 kg, carrots - up to 3 kg.
5. From 50 kg to 60 kg - concentrates - 1.5 kg, grass - 8 kg, potatoes - up to 2.5 kg, carrots - up to 3.5 kg.

Can you give pigs apples?

The fruits of apples for pigs are a source of vitamins, minerals and organic substances that play an important physiological role in the metabolism of piglets.

Pigs should receive vitamins and not only as part of premixes and additives. It can be ordinary vegetables and fruits, as well as biofeed based on them.

It should be noted that the calorie content of apples is low, in the range of 40-60 calories per 100 g of the edible part. It is 2 times less than in potatoes and 5 times less than in grain. However, taste advantages far outweigh their calorie content, contributing to better feed absorption and improved metabolism of piglets.

Apples contain 6.4-11.8% fructose, 2.5-5.5% glucose and 1.5-5.3% sucrose. Fruit sugar is easily absorbed by the body and is an excellent nutrient.

Only when feeding apples to ruminants, it must be remembered that their greedy eating can lead to blockage of the esophagus. When eating a large number of apples (25-30 kg with a lack of dry matter in the diet), an upset of the gastrointestinal tract may occur.

Is it possible to give peas to pigs

Peas in the diet of pigs significantly increases the taste of pork and lard. It belongs to the protein feed and contains all the necessary amino acids, such as methionine, cysteine, lysine and others.

Very often in pig farms, peas are used in the diet of pigs, it contains a fairly high amount of protein. Compared to cereals, peas contain 2-3 times more vegetable protein. In addition, it contains a fairly high amount of starch and sugar, as well as quite a lot of vitamins and essential amino acids.

Peas are perfectly digested by pigs, and significantly increase the taste of pork and lard. Peas are given to pigs only after pre-treatment. It is steamed, soaked or boiled, because pre-treatment not only increases its taste, but also affects digestibility.

It is worth noting that it is not recommended to give piglets a large amount of peas, their diet should include no more than 10% of peas from the total diet, since an excessive amount can lead to an excess of starch.

Peas must be present in the diet of pigs, since it contains all the necessary amino acids, such as methionine, cysteine ​​and others. It is very important to follow all the rules of a rational and balanced diet, this is the only way to achieve high productivity in raising pigs, and naturally increase the profit from the farm.

Is it possible to give barley to pigs

Of the cereal feeds, barley, corn and oats are most often used, barley is the best. 1 kg of which contains 1.2 feed units, 90 g of protein.

Is it possible to give pigs oats

Oats are slightly inferior in nutritional value to barley. Oats are usually fed to suckling queens of sucklings, young animals.

It should be given to fattening pigs in limited quantities: it degrades the quality of the pork.

Is it possible to give pigs cake and meal

They should be used as an additive to potatoes, beets and corn in an amount of 10-15%. A month before slaughter, cakes and meals are excluded from the diet of pigs.

Cakes and meal are industrial waste in the production of oil. Farmers usually use soybean, flaxseed and sunflower cakes and meals, steaming them before feeding. They must be steamed for at least 4 hours. Immediately before feeding, the remaining water must be drained.

A month before slaughter, cakes and meals are excluded from the diet. Such feed degrades the quality of pork.

Is it possible to give pigs beet pulp

Consumption of large amounts of beet pulp can lead to caprostasis (constipation) and although the animals will continue to gain mass, this growth will not be the growth of muscle tissue.

fresh pulp contains 94% water, and therefore is rarely used as feed for pigs.

Usually, the pulp is first fermented - ensiled, and in this form it is a good feed for dairy cattle and fattening oxen. The pulp can be fed to single and pregnant queens, as well as to fatteners. Daily giving it in the diet of fattening pigs should not exceed 4-6 kg per day per head. It is not recommended to feed fresh pulp to young animals younger than four months.

Dried pulp in terms of its nutritional value, it is not inferior to wheat bran and even surpasses them. Pigs are at first very reluctant to eat dry pulp, and then gradually get used to it, eat it more willingly and use it well.

Dry pulp can be given to pigs, depending on age, from 0.5 to 1.5 kg per day per head.

It must be taken into account that the pulp has a high ability to absorb water, and swells strongly. When fed dry, it often causes disruption of the normal course of digestion, causes colic, etc.

Therefore, it is necessary to soak dry pulp 4-6 hours before feeding to pigs in a triple, quadruple amount of water. The soaked swollen pulp should then be mixed to a thick porridge with concentrated feed and fed to pigs in this form. For better palatability, pulp should be soaked in water with molasses. Since the pulp is very poor in protein substances and mineral salts, it must be fed along with protein feed and hay of legumes.

Beet pulp, unfortunately, is underestimated by nutritionists. It contains functional fiber, which is necessary to maintain the health of the piglet's gastrointestinal tract and create optimal microflora in it. Due to its high absorbent properties, beet pulp can be used in diets that promote secretory (non-pathogenic) diarrhea instead of bentonite or refined absorbent fibers.

Be aware that consuming large amounts of pulp can lead to caprostasis (constipation) and although the animals will continue to gain mass, this growth will not be muscle tissue growth.

The decision to breed pigs has been made, the premises for them have been prepared, you are already studying offers where you can profitably buy a sow or a piglet ... Have you considered one of the main questions: what to feed pigs and how to do it right? After all, any pig breeder wants to avoid high feed costs as much as possible, while achieving a good increase in animal weight and excellent pork quality.

Before you start buying food, you need to decide:

• What age of pigs are you going to buy? The diet of pigs is very different from the diet of piglets, and sows do need different feeds in different months of pregnancy.
• Do you have enough money to constantly buy factory-made feed, or do you intend to prepare feed yourself?
• Will you be buying grain, or do you want to make do with grass, root vegetables from your garden, and food scraps from your kitchen?
• Can you provide pigs with quality premixes and mineral supplements?

With dry feeding, it is imperative to give the animals plenty to drink, otherwise constipation will begin, and weight gain will slow down.

Of course, on a balanced feed, flavored with vitamin supplements, you will be able to achieve the desired result faster and get high-quality tasty meat than when feeding on food waste and root crops.

Pig feed video

Features of feeding, diet and diet: what can and cannot be given to an animal

Since pigs have a single-chamber stomach, it is more difficult for them than for cattle to digest diets containing fiber. In this regard, the diet of pigs should consist mostly of extruded, concentrated feeds, and succulent greens and roughage should be less.

You can opt for traditional wet feeding, which includes a mash of food scraps, vegetables, boiled potatoes, grass, and grains, or you can choose to feed your pigs with dry feed: crushed grain mixtures with pea flour, cake, and vitamin and mineral supplements. With dry feeding, it is imperative to give enough water to the animals, otherwise constipation will begin, and weight gain will slow down.

The dry type of feeding requires less labor - you do not have to boil vegetables twice a day and carry heavy buckets with a stirrer, you just need to crush the grain in advance, mix it with other components and give each pig its own rate. The manure of dry-fed pigs does not have a strong odor and after a year is suitable for use in the garden (on wet food - after a couple of years). Pigs grow better on dry feed, so if you perceive pigs not as a container of waste from the kitchen, but as a profitable investment, choose dry feed for pigs.

Grains should be fed to pigs in a ground form, as this way they are better digested.

Important subtleties:

• Grains should be fed to pigs in a ground form, as this way they are better digested. It is simply uneconomical to give whole grains to pigs - animals do not chew them well, as a result, most of the grains in an undigested form are excreted along with feces.
• Potatoes are given boiled, after washing the tubers from dirt. It is not recommended to give water from under boiled potatoes.
• As a vitamin supplement, a small amount of root crops are fed raw, and as a main food in large quantities - boiled.
• Feed should be given exactly as much as the pig eats at one time, especially for mash, which quickly turn sour. Uneaten food remains are not used during the next feeding.
• Grains are high in carbohydrates but low in protein. To provide pigs with protein, it is necessary to give leguminous crops, fodder yeast, cake, fishmeal (fish is not worth it), reverse, meat and bone meal, skim milk.

How and what to feed domestic pigs of different ages

The diet and diet of pigs depends on many factors: livestock breed, sex and age of animals.

Feeding during the milk period

Suckling piglets are accustomed to feed from the fifth day of life, when their teeth erupt. Feeding roasted corn kernels (on the cob is still too rough food), barley, peas, wheat, helps piglets develop the salivary glands and dental system. They also begin to give acidophilic yogurt to prevent gastrointestinal diseases. Then, suckling pigs are included in the diet of special compound feeds with premixes, or they are given chalk, charcoal, bone meal. From succulent feed, starting from 10 days of age, they feed pureed raw carrots, and later - finely chopped. Growing piglets are given beets, pumpkins, combined silage in small quantities, they begin to feed them with boiled potatoes for three weeks.

Suckling piglets are accustomed to feed from the fifth day of life, when their teeth erupt

Piglets are weaned from the uterus by one and a half months, gradually accustoming to a certain feeding - dry or wet. By the time of weaning, the proportion of concentrates in the diet of the queens is reduced, succulent feed is removed and transferred to dry feed, which leads to the cessation of lactation. At the same time, piglets are allowed to approach the uterus less and less frequently, increasing feeding. After 10 days, the piglets are left in a separate room from the mother and completely transferred to the usual feed three times a day.

Weaned piglets are given a mixture of concentrates, fishmeal, skimmed milk, succulent feed, vitamin feed (carrots, hay, combined silage) and minerals. At the same time, in winter, concentrates should make up 70% of the diet, succulent feed - 10%, legume flour - 5%, animal supplements - 5%.

Growing pigs at home

During the growing period of gilts from 20 kg to 50 kg, they form a skeleton and muscle tissue, on which fat is then deposited. If this period is in the summer, gilts can be fattened cheaply and quickly by grazing on young grass with the addition of kitchen waste and concentrates.

Part of the cut grass is given fresh, and part is finely chopped and steamed with hot water under a lid two hours before feeding. Before feeding, crumpled warm potatoes and concentrates are added to the herbal mass, you can add a little bread (leftovers from the table or stale), as a result, the mixture looks like a thick soup in appearance.

Feeding diet to gain weight faster

Video about feeding pigs

Feeding boars and sows: how to do it right?

Boars should be fed easily digestible feed that does not cause obesity. It is desirable that their diet consists of 75% concentrates, 10% animal supplements and succulent feeds, 5% grass legumes. Suitable wheat bran, oats, barley turd, beets, carrots, skim milk. To balance the diet, boars are fed with vitamin and mineral supplements.

The nutrition of pigs in the first period of gestation should include a variety of high-quality feeds: green grass, concentrates, silage, potatoes (not raw), root crops, grass meal, meat and bone meal and mineral supplements. So that the sow does not lack calcium, you need to add chalk or limestone to her diet. Abundant feeding in the first months of pregnancy must be avoided, otherwise the risk of embryo mortality will increase. In the second half of pregnancy, the proportion of succulent feed is reduced, and three days before farrowing, the entire diet is reduced by 30-40%. A pregnant pig should not be given soy for the entire period. After farrowing, it is very important to always have fresh water and the predominance of fresh feed and greens in the diet.

So, the question of what to feed pigs and how to do it right does not seem so scary anymore? So, feel free to get down to business, and let your farm in the future be able to compete with local pig farms.

Owners of household plots are often engaged in raising pigs. They receive meat and lard to feed their families or to sell. In order to obtain the required amount of meat products, attention must be paid to ensuring that the feeding of pigs at home is benign and complete at the start and during fattening.

The table provides information on feed groups used in domestic pig production.

Group	Type of feed
Vegetable feed	Cereal crops, beans and oilseeds, by-products from the production of flour and oil (cake, meal, bran), root and tuber crops, green fodder (freshly cut, dried greens, pellets and cutting from hay)
Feed of animal origin	Dried and shredded waste from meat processing and fish farms, dairy products
Food waste	Cleaning, trimming and leftover food
Vitamin and mineral supplements	Salt, chalk, tricalcium phosphate, monocalcium phosphate, ash, coal, vitamins
Synthetic and bioactive additives	Growth stimulants, medications, yeast
Compound feed	Specially developed complete feed mixtures
Premixes, BMW	Balanced blends of mineral, synthetic and bioactive supplements

Pig concentrates

Concentrates are the main suppliers of energy, and soy and peas are also protein.

The basis of most feed for pigs is barley.

It is given to piglets in a purified form in order to reduce the mass fraction of fiber.

Note! The single-chamber stomach of suckling pigs does not digest fiber well. After weaning them from the sow, the proportion of unpeeled barley is increased. This stimulates the development of the gastrointestinal tract.

Corn - energy feed for pigs, contains fats and carbohydrates. The grain contains a sufficient amount of protein, which is not balanced in amino acid composition, it has little lysine. Its deficiency is compensated by fodder wheat.

Oats are given to young animals. The grain is nutritious, but the quality of pork worsens, therefore, it is not included in the diet of the fattening stock at all, or is added to mixed feed in small quantities.

Rye is inferior to barley and corn in all nutritional indicators, but it is actively used in the diet of fattening livestock. For fattening pigs, rye is included in an amount of up to 50% of the total volume of concentrates.

Thermally processed soy is digested by 87%. The seeds are roasted, steamed, infrared irradiated, or extruded. Full-fat extruded soy is the most valuable feed for pigs. Pig farmers also use soybean meal and meal (by-products of seed processing after pressing soybean oil).

Soybean and its processing product - extruded soybean

Peas are poured with boiling water and given to pigs after cooling. It contains two times less protein than in soy and its processed products. This type of feed is valuable due to the high content of starch and the good amino acid composition of the protein. In the diet of fattening pigs, peas include up to 25% of the daily supply of concentrates.

Feeding buckwheat in its pure form is not economically profitable. If there is such an opportunity, then 5-10% of buckwheat waste is added to the grain mixture.

Sorghum grain is made as a component of animal feed. Its nutritional value is comparable to that of barley. Sorghum gives high yields in dry areas, so in some farms it is the main feed crop for pigs.

Lupine is a substitute for soybeans in the regions where it is grown. Beans have a much lower amino acid content than soy.

Vetch and lentil grains are similar to peas in terms of the ratio of chemicals and are used identically.

Greens and succulent food

The stems and leaves of legumes are rich in protein, carotene and vitamins. Pigs are fed clover, alfalfa, vetch and other plants. Pig breeders note good digestion of greens.

Alfalfa is a valuable source of vitamins for pigs

Succulent feed is represented by the following crops:

• beet;
• carrot;
• potato;
• fodder and dining pumpkin;
• turnip;
• swede;
• turnip;
• Jerusalem artichoke.

Their main value is carbohydrates. There is little protein and trace elements in vegetables. Contains vitamins and sugar.

Beets are of the highest value. In feeding, you can use both sugar and fodder. Beets are given in raw chopped form.

Carrots are fed as a vitamin supplement. Vegetables are crushed. Carrots are an important source of carotene.

Potatoes are given boiled. And fodder pumpkin is fed boiled, table varieties - raw.

Juicy feed and greens are an additive to the grain diet.

Food waste

Waste food from the human table is an important component in domestic pig production. On average, one villager can produce 100 kg of food waste per year. Using them as animal feed saves the pig farmer's family budget.

Waste feeding is an economical option for keeping pigs

The nutritional value of 5 kg of waste corresponds to approximately 1 kg of concentrates.

Leftovers from the table that can be given to pigs:

• soups;
• cereals;
• head, fins and entrails of fish;
• cleaning from vegetables and fruits;
• overripe fruits and vegetables;
• pieces of bread and crackers;
• films and tendons after cutting meat;
• buttermilk and reverse

Fish waste is a valuable source of protein and phosphorus

Important! Waste is perishable food. If stored improperly, it loses its nutritional value and can cause poisoning.

Feed of animal origin

Feed of animal origin is used as an additional source of protein, vitamins and minerals (phosphorus, calcium, sodium). In pig breeding use:

• reverse and whey in dry form;
• meat flour;
• fishmeal;
• meat and bone meal;
• feather flour.

In the composition of the feed mixture, flour from the waste of meat processing and fish farms is included in the amount of 2 - 4%.

Dairy products in dry form are added to the diet of weaned piglets and young animals.

The use of fishmeal has a positive effect on the appetite, immunity and growth energy of pigs. Due to the pungent odor of the feed, they stop adding it to the diet two months before the planned slaughter of the animal.

Vitamin and mineral preparations for pigs

In order for the piglet's diet to contain everything necessary, BVMD and premixes are added to it. They begin to give supplements from the second week of a piglet's life.

Note! Vitamin supplements are used in the amount recommended by the manufacturer. An overdose of components leads to poisoning and abnormal development.

The composition of BVMD in various proportions includes:

• amino acids (tryptophan, lysine, methionine);
• macro- and microelements (phosphorus, calcium, sodium, magnesium, potassium, etc.);
• vitamins (ascorbic acid, vitamins E, K, D, A);
• enzymes;
• antibiotics;
• growth stimulants.

The use of premixes allows you to quickly grow a pig to slaughter weight. The quality of fat and muscle tissue remains high.

There are different types of additives:

• vitamin;
• mineral;
• vitamin and mineral;
• vitamin, mineral and vitamin-mineral with the addition of a complex of amino acids.

The filler for the manufacture of BMVD and premixes is usually wheat bran.

Supplements must be mixed with food, they cannot be used as independent food.

Compound feed

Pig feed is produced in different types, recipes are developed for age and sex groups:

• prestarters for the smallest piglets;
• starter for weaned piglets;
• "Fattening" for young animals aged 60-105 days;
• for sows;
• for boars;
• "Growth" for finishing stock older than 105 days;
• "Finish" for feeding pigs before slaughter.

Compound feed is made in the form

• granules of various sizes;
• placers without granules;
• grains.

They produce complete and compound feed concentrates. Complete and complete factory mixtures are used as the basis of the diet, adding juicy, green food and food waste. Compound feed concentrates are used to enrich grain mixtures of home production.

The compound feed contains a grain part, feed of animal origin, BMVD and a premix.

Approximate mixture "Start" for feeding piglets-weaners

Component name	Quantity, %
Barley without membranes	57
alfalfa flour	12
wheat bran	11
Dry reverse	10
soybean meal	9
Monocalcium phosphate	1
Premix KS-3	1
Chalk	0.6
Salt	0.4

Compound feed recipe for adult fattening pigs

Component name	Quantity, %
	40
Corn	30
wheat bran	9.5
Flour from animal waste	6
Soy or sunflower meal	3
herbal flour	5
Peas	5
Chalk	1
Salt	0.5

A pig farmer can purchase a feed preparation plant and produce it himself. With knowledge of the needs of the pig body, the owner can independently develop recipes or use standard ones.

Pig feeding regimes

There are several modes of feeding:

1. Enough, when given unlimited access to the feeder. The mode is suitable for young fattening stock.
2. Normalized. Food is given twice a day. Make sure that the feeders become empty before the next feeding time. The schedule is suitable for sows with piglets and weaners.
3. Limited. Give an amount of feed that is slightly less than what the animal can eat. The second variant of the limited mode is the addition of a portion of the mixture to the required amount with a low-nutrient feed. Used for pigs that do not go to slaughter, such as sows. With this mode of feeding the fattening stock, lean pork is obtained with a minimum bacon size.

Phase feeding

At home, one-, two- and three-phase feeding is used.

With single-phase feeding, the diet is changed gradually without a sharp change in feed. The method does not take into account all the features of the development of the animal organism.

With two-phase feeding, the diet is changed when the piglet reaches a body weight of 70 kg.

With three-phase feeding, the following groups are distinguished by body weight:

• 30-60 kg;
• 60-90 kg;
• Over 90 kg.

Three-phase feeding is the most beneficial, animals gain weight faster, they receive nutrients on time and in the right amount.

Types of pig feeding

There are three types of feeding for fattening pigs:

1. Dry type of feeding.
2. Wet type of feeding.
3. Liquid.

The choice of the type of feeding depends on the capacity of the pig breeder and the breed that is chosen for fattening. The basis of the diet of meat-greasy breeds (Ukrainian steppe, Mirgorod, large white) are juicy, green food and food waste. Meat and bacon breeds (Wales, Duroc, Landrace) grow on concentrates.

Dry feeding pigs

With dry feeding, animals are given only compound feed and grain mixtures. Not soaked feed does not spoil in the feeders, so it is not removed until it is completely eaten by pigs. On such a diet, young animals grow rapidly. Pig manure does not have a strong odor, it is suitable for fertilizing the soil the next year after receiving it.

Sample ration for dry-fed finishers

Feed component	from 30 kg	from 60 kg	from 90 kg
barley grain	30	40	40
grain of wheat	36	35	25
Soybean meal (rapeseed, sunflower)	15	11	2
Vegetable oil	1	1	0.5
Pea beans	15	16	30
Mineral Supplements	3	3	2.5

wet feeding

Wet type is most common in the home. For feeding, nutritious mashes are prepared using green, succulent feed, concentrates and food waste. Dairy products are also added. As a result, nutrition is balanced, it contributes to obtaining high quality meat and lard.

liquid feeding

The diet is based on liquid swill from the leftovers from the master's table with the addition of a small amount of dairy products and grains. Chowders are difficult to balance nutritionally. With a liquid type of feeding, it is necessary to remove the remnants of feed from the feeders, as it quickly deteriorates.

Features of growing young animals

Pigs of the first month of life are with the sow on natural feeding with mother's milk. At the age of 5-7 days, they begin to show interest in the feeder. At this time, a cup with special pre-starter compound feed is placed in the place of detention.

Important!From the 2nd month, cereals, dairy and sour-milk products are included in the diet of piglets. The sow's milk is no longer enough for them. At the same age, young animals begin to accustom themselves to grass and vegetables.

Weaning is usually carried out at the age of two months, by which time the young should already weigh 20 kg. The stomach of young animals is already ready to eat combined feeds, greens, vegetables and pumpkins. Intensive growth and development last up to four months.

From 4 months, the fattening period begins, when it is necessary to determine the diet for growing pork of a certain quality:

• bacon;
• sebaceous;
• meat.

Pig fattening technologies

The choice of fattening technology, in addition to the desire to get a certain product, is influenced by the breed characteristics of pigs.

meat fattening

Any breed of pigs is suitable for fattening for meat. At the end of the fattening period, you can get a carcass weighing 100-120 kg. The lard is obtained with a thickness of 3-4 cm.

Feeding is carried out in two stages:

1. Preparatory (average daily weight gain 500 g)
2. Final (average daily weight gain 750 g)

During the preparatory phase, at least 30% of succulent feed and green grass should be present in the diet. Piglets are fed vegetables and green mass of alfalfa.

The diet must have a sufficient amount of protein (about 14%). If protein feed is not provided at this age, then fatty pork will be obtained. They are fed with compound feeds intended for this age group in order to provide the animal's body with vitamins, minerals and amino acids.

For the final period, complete feeds are selected, which do not contain fishmeal, fish waste, millet, bran, soybeans and products of its processing. These types of feed affect the taste and quality of products.

During the fattening period, animals need free access to the drinker.

Fattening for bacon

On bacon, you can fatten a large white breed and Danish landrace. As a result, the farmer receives tender meat with thin layers of fat. Fattening begins at 2.5 months. The mass of piglets at the initial stage should be at least 25 kg.

An approximate diet for getting bacon at home:

• green mass of legumes - 2.5-3 kg;
• dry reverse - 1-1.5 kg;
• concentrates - 1.5-2 kg
• vegetables, root crops or gourds - 2-3 kg;
• BVMD or premix according to the age group in the amount recommended by the manufacturer.

Feeding provides an increase in live weight of 450 grams per day in the early stages and 600 grams before slaughter.

At the final stage, salt, fishmeal and waste, as well as bran, are excluded from the diet. Barley is included in the diet.

For good development of muscle mass, pigs are provided with free range. Choose a normalized type of feeding twice a day.

Fattening for fat

To fatty conditions, I start fattening young animals weighing at least 100 kg and 8-10 months old. The slaughter weight of such pigs is 260-270 kg.

An approximate list of feeds for fattening for fat:

• ground barley - 2 kg;
• boiled potatoes - 4 kg;
• chopped beets - 3 kg;
• hay flour - 0.9 kg;
• salt - 30 g;
• chalk - 10 g.

Upon reaching a live weight of 150 kg, the amount of each of the components of the diet is increased by 200 - 400 grams. Salts give 60 grams, chalk - 25 grams.

Forbidden feed

Pigs are not fed:

• low-quality food with mold and the presence of rot;
• raw potatoes, which may contain corned beef poison;
• water after boiling potatoes;
• spurge;
• chalk not intended for lump purposes.

Video "How to feed pigs at home?"

The success of breeding pigs directly depends on how the piglets ate in the first month of life. A healthy sow can feed the offspring herself, but only on the condition that there are not too many piglets and everything is in order with lactation. If there is little or no mother's milk, you will have to urgently look for a replacement. The farmer needs to know how to feed monthly piglets both without the participation of a sow and with her.

Features of feeding in the first month

The stomach of a newborn piglet can only digest milk. How to feed small piglets in the first 30 days of life in the absence of milk from the mother? Piglets are given cow's or goat's milk, it can be whole or skimmed, but always warm. It is possible to use powdered milk for piglets both as the main and in the form of an additive. It must be a product specially made in accordance with GOST, marked on the package: “fodder for piglets”.

How to breed milk powder for piglets? The specific method is indicated on the package, but there are standard dilution rates. For piglets that are breastfed and receive milk as an additive, it is diluted in a reduced concentration, and a more concentrated meal is prepared for artificial ones. Milk should be diluted only with boiled water at a temperature of 45 degrees, then the mixture is cooled to 38 - 40 degrees.

Attention! Do not give milk prepared without observing the proportions indicated in the instructions. The prepared mixture should not be cold or hot. It is forbidden to leave the mixture for the next feeding.

What to feed monthly piglets

Even if the uterus fed the piglets, by the end of the first month, mother's milk is no longer enough. Among the piglets, there is a division into leaders, who take their milk, and weaker cubs, whom they eat. If you start feeding in time, the war for leadership stops.

Whole milk replacer (WMS) for piglets is used for painless weaning of piglets from the uterus. And in the absence of natural feeding with this product, suckers are fed from a bottle for up to three weeks. When purchasing ZTSK, you should pay attention to the expiration date so as not to buy an expired mixture. At the same time, you can gradually add green grass. Newborn piglets eat 8 times a day.

Feeding piglets in the first month

Feeding is done 6-7 times a day, milk porridge, sour milk, boiled potatoes, mashed carrots are gradually added to the diet (no more than 15 g per day). The diet should include vitamins and trace elements, but fiber should not be contained yet, they cannot absorb it. Porridge at the beginning of complementary foods can be prepared according to this homemade recipe:

• 46% barley groats;
• 30% crushed oats;
• 9% sunflower meal;
• 6% fishmeal;
• 5% peas;
• 3% feed yeast
• 0.8% chalk;
• 0.2% salt.

This complementary food is given from the age of twenty. Even before the onset of the age of one month, the pigs are fed pre-starter feed. This is a complete product, its use does not require any additives.

For piglets under the age of one month, industrial biofeeds are produced. Such feeds are prepared on their own from greens, fruits, vegetables with the addition of premixes.

For piglets under the age of one month, industrial biofeeds are produced

The menu of pigs of the first month of life must include additives. On private farms they are prepared from milk, meat, fish. To saturate food with minerals, salt, chalk, eggshells, red clay, and charcoal are included in small amounts. Little piglets must drink water, it must be boiled until the age of two weeks. A week-old cub drinks up to 0.5 liters of water per day, if water is not given, intestinal upset may begin. The water trough must always be clean, the water is changed three times a day.

Attention! Monthly piglets should not overeat. It is immediately necessary to remove from the feeders what the animals have not eaten, and wash the container and treat it with boiling water.

If the piglet is fed properly, it will grow and its weight will increase 5 times in the first month!

What to feed a monthly pig

At this age, piglets are weaned from the uterus. If the purpose of the offspring is meat, castration of males is carried out. Piglets are weaned from the uterus gradually, reducing the number of feedings. Then the sow is removed from the premises, and the babies are kept for some time in their usual surroundings.

At this age, piglets are purchased for fattening. They are already able to eat on their own and have gained weight. Young animals for fattening are selected according to the following criteria:

• nimble, not suffering from shortness of breath when running;
• elongated body shape, wide back, straight legs;
• the piglet must be weaned from the uterus and have an excellent appetite.

It is not necessary to take a lop-bellied pig for fattening, with coarse bristles, flabby skin, drooping tail, X-shaped legs. The weight of pigs at 2 months should be 20-25 kg.

What to feed a small pig of meat breed? He needs food containing protein (legumes, cereals). An approximate daily menu for a one and a half month old pig looks like this:

• vegetables (pumpkin, beets, carrots) chopped 250 g;
• crushed grain 150 g;
• skimmed milk 600 g;
• boiled potatoes 400 g;
• herbal flour 100 g;
• tear 500 g;
• chalk 15 g;
• salt 10 g.

Legumes and cereals are good piglet food

You can keep piglets on compound feed, it will cost more, but require less labor.

To adjust the metabolism for rapid weight gain, aminosubtilin GZH is added to the food of monthly piglets. Sodium gluconate will help improve the appetite of pigs.

Feeding piglets older than 2 months

You can understand how successfully the feeding of piglets from 1 to 6 months is going on by weight gain. Pigs aged 2 to 4 months should add 400-700 grams per day. What to feed piglets at the age of 2 months? During this period, there is a rapid weight gain, so food should be rich in proteins, these are pea, barley, oatmeal, vegetable peels, and dairy products. Young people are fed with potatoes (by no means raw), beet and carrot tops, pumpkin, and zucchini. You need to remember about minerals, daily young pigs should consume up to 20 g of chalk and salt. You should find out not only what to feed two-month-old piglets, but also what rules to follow.

When fattening for meat, 50% of the diet is food waste, bone and fish meal, silage. Concentrated feed is recommended to be diluted with hot water and kept for four hours. To improve the feed, you can dilute it with oat milk. It is prepared simply: 1 kg of oatmeal is poured with boiling water and insisted for 3 hours.

Feeding piglets older than 2 months

Bioadditives, premixes for feeding piglets. Vaccinations.

Useful active substances that are not found in the normal diet of pigs should come in the form of bioadditives - premixes. Supplements have been developed for each age of pigs. The introduction of such additives can significantly reduce feed consumption.

• Bioadditive "Borka" for piglets increases immunity, increases weight gain. It contains vitamins, macro and microelements, this premix does not contain antibiotics, growth stimulants and hormones.
• "Good Peasant" not only increases weight gain, but also removes worms, heals pigs. Pigs fattened with the use of such an additive improve the taste of meat.
• "Gift of Veles" - an additive created specifically for piglets. Promotes better absorption of feed.
• "Borka champion" - created for accelerated feeding. Weight gain is increased by 20% and fattening time is reduced by a month. It also serves as a means of preventing rickets, anemia.

Premixes are given to animals only as additives according to the instructions, they cannot be used as a substitute for food.

Pig breeding is impossible without preventive vaccinations. The piglet receives the first injection on the third day of life, it is an iron preparation to prevent anemia. At the age of ten days, the pig is vaccinated against rickets, on the twentieth day it is vaccinated against salmonella, at the same time the anti-plague vaccine is introduced. A month later, this vaccination is repeated. The introduction of the vaccine against erysipelas is recommended at 2 months, and against swine foot-and-mouth disease, piglets are vaccinated at 2.5 months.

What not to give piglets

There are products that are strictly forbidden to give to small piglets. Frozen and spoiled food can cause poisoning and death from E. coli infection. There are herbs that are poisonous for piglets: spurge, buttercup. Green potatoes, potato sprouts and tops, as well as a decoction of potatoes are dangerous for babies. It is forbidden to use overcooked beets.

Breeding piglets is a difficult and hectic business, but it will definitely pay off if all the rules and regulations are followed.

The profitability of pig breeding is directly dependent on the correct nutrition of animals and the speed of their weight gain. In order to effectively improve the farm, it is important to know what and how to feed piglets to accelerate growth. Rapid weight gain feeds are at the heart of the household feeding strategy, as they are considered to be the main condition in increasing the weight of the pig population.

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Selection of piglets for fattening

The choice of piglet depends on whether it will be fattened or left to the tribe, however, it is preferable to give preference to individuals of early spring or winter farrowing at each approach. In this case, their cultivation at home is possible on ordinary cheap feed in the form of garden waste and fresh grass.

When choosing a piglet for fattening, it is important to take into account its age: monthly children are easier to get used to eating different foods. In industrial complexes, many farmers tend to acquire piglets in one and a half to two months, since by this time they feed on their own and do not bring much trouble in the process of keeping.

High-quality and fast fattening piglet:

• has a large torso, broad back and strong legs;
• during the run does not suffocate, there are no wheezing;
• does not suck, has a great appetite.

It is not necessary to purchase piglets that have stiff bristles, decrepit or folded skin, a dense or drooping tail, indistinctly defined ribs, a drooping belly or sunken sides, X-shaped, elephant, saber-shaped legs.



The right diet for fast weight gain

Properly chosen diet of pigs is a guarantee of active weight gain at home. There are cases when in the first two weeks the piglets eat only mother's milk. This happens when the number of piglets is not very large and the sow has good milk production. In other cases, from a week of age, babies are supported by additional feeding for intensive growth and formation.

Rapid growth can only be guaranteed by a high quality and balanced menu.



milk period

In piglets, on the fifth or seventh day after birth, teeth begin to erupt, and fried grains of wheat, corn, and peas can be added to their diet. To prevent intestinal diseases, curdled milk is suitable. Then extruded feed is added to the menu in the form of compound feed with impurities, only in small quantities. Upon reaching 10 days, piglets can be pampered with ground carrots (10-15 g per day), dust, bean hay. From the third week, boiled potatoes, pumpkin and fodder beet are connected.

It is beneficial for pigs to feed fodder yeast to increase their reproduction. By adding as little as 7% yeast to the mix, it is possible to achieve the result of an extra piglet for every 11 piglets in the litter. Sows at the time of lactation also need feed yeast: this activates the production of milk, it becomes more, the piglets eat up faster, grow better and gain weight. In this case, it is possible to save on milk replacer for newborns: the mother will be able to provide food for absolutely all her children.

Starting from the age of 10 days, yeast is already given to the piglets themselves, eventually bringing their content in the feed to 10%. Due to this, the rate of weight gain in animals increases, depending on the breed and other conditions, by 8-17%. Piglets grow strong, almost do not get sick. The risk of metabolic problems is reduced to a minimum amount. Introduce an additive of 10-15 g per day per piglet.

In summer, young piglets can eat plenty of fresh grass and greens, which will favorably affect their growth. Animals perceive various grasses, in addition to toxic and tops of potatoes and tomatoes, they especially love nettles, biting midges.

From the first weeks of existence in the feeder, piglets should have mineral supplements: chalk, red clay, turf, charcoal. When the cubs learn to drink water and gnaw minerals, food can be supplemented with porridge cooked in milk and skim milk. Piglets in the first months after birth will need approximately 5-6 liters of skim milk, 6-8 liters of whole milk.

At a month and a half, piglets are weaned from the sow and taught to eat dry and wet food on their own. An integral part of the daily menu should be the presence of fish and meat and bone meal, not very fatty milk, vitamin and mineral supplements. Over time, piglets are taught to feed.

In the second month of life, it is not necessary to feed piglets with buckwheat, corn, flax, wheat, rye, barley bran, since the proportion of meat decreases and fat increases. As for oats, soybeans, oilcake, a large amount of them can be a factor in the sudden cessation of growth, as well as the yellowness of fat and friability of meat.



At 2 months of age, a piglet must eat approximately 150 g of grain, 250 g of root crops, 600 g of skim milk, 500 g of turf and boiled potatoes, 100 g of herbal flour, 15 g of chalk and 10 g of salt per day. If you follow all the rules of nutrition, he will receive the required amount of necessary substances, and by the end of the milk period, the weight of the young will be about 25 kilograms.



Growing piglets

At the moment from 2.5 to 4 months there is an intensive growth of muscle mass, which requires a carefully selected menu and suitable conditions. For a quick increase, piglets are fed with thick cereals (pea, oatmeal, barley), vegetable waste, vegetable cleanings, and dairy products.

Young growth still has a need for rich food - potatoes, carrots, grass, garden tops. On the day they should receive at least 15-20 g of chalk and salt. In the winter season, hay dust, silage, chaff, vegetables in a double portion are used as top dressing.

pig fattening

At the end of the rearing stage, the fattening period begins if the piglet has reached a weight of 50 kilograms or more. For active growth, extremely high-calorie foods and concentrated feeds are introduced into the daily menu.

Grown up piglets are fed with bran, vegetable waste. The diet of growing pigs consists of flour, cereals, meat, vegetables, fruit, vegetable peelings, egg shells. It is allowed to feed animals and bread, mixing it with vegetables or bran. It is harmful to give pigs citrus fruits, bananas, tea leaves, coffee grounds.

How much and how to feed piglets for weight gain

The key to rapid growth and weight gain is the exact implementation of a diet that involves eating at the same time.

Determine how many times a day to feed the piglets, perhaps based on their condition:

• suckling piglets (up to 3 weeks) - up to 10 times a day in small doses;
• weaning and growing piglets - three times a day.

There are a number of important aspects to be aware of when feeding growing pigs. Due to the single-chamber stomach, pigs digest food that includes fiber for quite a long time. Because of this, the diet of animals to a greater extent should consist of concentrated feeds, and saturated and hard feeds are left with a less important role.

When feeding dry food, it is important to provide piglets with the necessary amount of water in order to prevent constipation and growth inhibition. Drinking water should always be freely available, and its temperature should be at least 15 degrees.



In order to achieve optimal weight gain when feeding pigs, it is necessary to provide as much food as they can eat at one time. The rest of the mash must be discarded without waiting for it to soured.

Grains should be given in a crushed form - as a result, they will be digested and absorbed faster. For the first time, piglets are released for free grazing for no more than an hour, over time, the walking period increases to six to eight hours a day.

Feeding technologies

The menu of piglets should be based on vegetables and grain feed. In pig breeding, there are two fattening technologies: meat and fat. The first is divided into meat and bacon, the second includes greasy fattening.

Meat method of fattening pigs

Meat fattening makes it possible to obtain soft and appetizing meat. At the same time, a greasy layer up to 4 cm wide should be visible on the ridge. Often this type of fattening is used in the menu of pigs of an elderly group - from 3 to 8 months. It continues until the weight of the animal reaches 100 kilograms. The weight gained as a result should not exceed 120 kilograms.

The diet is chosen in such a way that every day the animal gains approximately 400-500 grams. At the end of the immediate fattening process, daily weight gain can be 600-700 grams. Pigs are fed with silage, meat waste, sugar beets, potatoes, food waste. Their part should be approximately 50% of the general menu. The second half gets saturated green fodder and hay.

At the end of meat fattening, animals must be provided with grain waste, bone, fish meal, and mash. For fast fattening, it is necessary to strictly adhere to nutritional norms. With meat fattening, a large number of food residues are introduced into the diet of pigs.

Bacon fattening at home

The most difficult type of food, with very harsh conditions. Bacon fattening begins at 2-3 months of age, the piglet must weigh at least 25 kilograms. Apply this method in order to obtain flawless bacon. Since the best bacon comes out of the meat in the middle part of the carcass, it is rational to choose large breeds of pigs for such fattening: Duroc, Landrace.

Fattening ends by 7 months if the young pig gains approximately 90-100 kilograms of live weight. The daily gain is 500 grams, by the end of the process - 70 grams.

An important factor is the receipt of the required amount of protein: initially - 130 g per day, by the end of fattening - 100 g. Root crops, legumes, herbal feed and whey are used for such nutrition. It is important to correctly balance components such as saturated feed, pasture nutrition, silage.

As a rule, boars castrated at three to four months, completely uncastrated males, pregnant wombs and sucking wombs are not suitable for bacon fattening.



greasy fattening

The main task of lard fattening is to acquire as much high-quality lard as possible in a short time, internal fat. Usually, old queens and boars culled from the main herd, unproductive checked queens, unsuitable for breeding use, are taken for fattening to fat conditions.

Fattening continues for 3 months. During this period, the initial weight of pigs should increase by 50-60%. The layer of fat in fattening pigs in the central part (in the region of the 6-7th rib) should be at least 7 cm. The result of such fattening depends on the skillful organization of keeping and feeding pigs.

At the start of fattening, animals are categorized according to weight and body condition. Exhausted pigs are isolated into single categories and in the first month of fattening they are fed more protein feed (cake, legumes). In the first half of fattening (1-1.5 months), bulk feeds (root crops, silage, hay) and concentrates (up to 60% of calories) are introduced into the menu. Feed in the form of cake, oats and bran is fed in not very large proportions. The need for feed is calculated based on the weight of the animals and the planned daily weight gain.

1-1.5 months before the end of fattening, the number of succulent and roughage in the menu is reduced, increasing the degree of concentrated feed to 80% of calories. Feeds are introduced into the diet that improve the quality properties of products (barley, peas).

With proper care and a varied and abundant diet, pigs are well fattened, the volume of fat in the carcass is 60%. According to the practical experience of pig breeding, good results are obtained when feeding potatoes, as well as corn in the form of grain mash, cobs. It is preferable to give corn grain crap in combination with green fodder, hay and root crops in the amount of 20-30% of the calorie content of the diet.

Maintaining the Appetite of Pigs

To increase the appetite of animals, food is pre-prepared - similar measures are needed for sebaceous fattening.

Mixers for feeding piglets are pre-soaked. Before feeding, food is subjected to a malting procedure, which consists in pre-soaking concentrated feed with water at a temperature of 85-90 degrees. The duration of the operation is about four hours. For a kilogram of grain crops, 1.5-2 liters of water will be needed.

If the pigs do not finish the mash, it can be poured with pre-made oat milk. Improved food is more to the taste of animals than ordinary food.

To prepare oat milk, a kilogram of oatmeal is poured with boiled and cooled to room temperature water, stirred and stored in a warm place for three hours.

The process of determining the weight

If it is not possible to weigh animals from time to time to understand how much they are gaining weight, pig farmers use measurements of body length and chest girth using a centimeter tape. This can help to figure out the approximate weight gain for a specific period of time.



When measuring chest girth, a centimeter is placed vertically, passing through the corners of the shoulder blades. To measure the length of the body, the tape is pulled from the middle of the back of the head along the upper horizontal of the neck, and then the back and sacrum to the tail.

Having determined the measurements, a special table is used, from which, according to the data obtained, you can find out the weight of the pig.