What is the best feed for my hogs?

Information for new Red Wattle owners and enthusiasts

What is the best feed for my hogs?

Postby earlyriser62 » Sun Apr 05, 2009 6:45 pm

The following questions were put to the RWHA president and long time hog raiser, Josh Wendland. If you have any questions you would like to see answered in this forum, please, post them here or email: redwattles@hotmail.com.

Do baby pig, feeders, pregnant sows, boars need different feed mixes? Is so why?

A pigs demand for nutrients changes as the pig grows. From almost twenty % to make the transition from milk to solid feed to 14% for a finished hog. Weanling feed needs to be verry rich and palitable this is esential for a smooth transaction from milk to feed this sets the foundation for a healthy productive life. From there the protein is reduced and energy increased all the time providing vitamins and minerals via premix. There are a lot of good premixes but I prefere an all natural premix more geared to heritage/outdoor hogs.

When feeding sows a good gestation ration is essentiol not only for sow health but littersize and sows ability to carry , nurse, and maintain body condition. Remember to limit feed to manage animal size and body condition. Lactation requires a different ration as you are not only feeding the sow but her litter. After a couple weeks the piglets will start eating with her, so make sure she has all she can eat especialy at this point.The lactation ration is almost double in protein and premix is very important.

So if I wanted to mix my own feed. How do I figure out what I should put in and in what proportions?

First it is not necescery for a small producer to mix his own feed when starting out this should be a goal to obtain though as the results are generaly greater than purchased feed and most of the time produced cheaper and on demand. A used grinder mixer can be purchased for a couple thousand at farm sales or trade ins on a dealer lot. There is some veriation in rations from company to company becouse you will be purchasing a vitamin pack/premix. This will contain all the vitamins and minerals needed for healthy growth and production. Next is corn or milo for energy this will make up the majority of the mix, third is a protein source normaly soybean meal. Soybeans MUST be processed to make them usable as a protein in livestock. All this must be ground to proper particle size for consumption as hogs. Hogs do not chew well and they are simple stomach animals so they get one shot at digestion. It is money in your pocket when using a proper ration.
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