Author Topic: Advice needed re feed quantity (Read 5085 times)

welshlass181 · « **on:** March 18, 2011, 11:58:11 am »

Right i am so confused right now

there is so much info on the net and I've read SO much my brain is frying in it's own juices !!! What i want to know is ....... how much would you feed a sow like this one and weeners of the same breed but a lot younger. I have posted pics of both so hopefully some of you can help. They're on nuts (getting pig meal this weekend) and some sugerbeat/barley mix and a fruit and veg. They only have a few spuds but eat carrots/celery/apples/pears/grapes/oranges/bananas/suede/corn on the cob ... pretty much any fresh stuff i can buy cheap. How much weight of the dry food do they need

(i mean without the veg and fruit incase i cannot get it for some reason or another)

Momma

Weeners

Momma and piglets.

Please give me any/all advice as it's driving me nuts!!!!!!!!!! Mum is fully grown and the weaners will get to her size

robert waddell · « **Reply #1 on:** March 18, 2011, 12:28:34 pm »

Hi,
I will leave Happy Hippy to answer this one as she has KKs

Blonde · « **Reply #2 on:** March 18, 2011, 01:11:15 pm »

Quote from: welshlass181 on March 18, 2011, 11:58:11 am

Right i am so confused right now there is so much info on the net and I've read SO much my brain is frying in it's own juices !!! What i want to know is ....... how much would you feed a sow like this one and weeners of the same breed but a lot younger. I have posted pics of both so hopefully some of you can help. They're on nuts (getting pig meal this weekend) and some sugerbeat/barley mix and a fruit and veg. They only have a few spuds but eat carrots/celery/apples/pears/grapes/oranges/bananas/suede/corn on the cob ... pretty much any fresh stuff i can buy cheap. How much weight of the dry food do they need (i mean without the veg and fruit incase i cannot get it for some reason or another)

Momma

Weeners

Momma and piglets.

Please give me any/all advice as it's driving me nuts!!!!!!!!!! Mum is fully grown and the weaners will get to her size

My weaners are on a self feeder once weaned. My sows get around 2 kgs of food per day. I feed twice a week with a tractor bucket. So some will eat more and some will eat less. But the people who give tucker every day feed to dry sows 2 kg and to lactating sows it can be as much as 12 kg per day depending on many piglets she ahs on here and how big and ravenos they are. They also drink more when they are lacttaing up to 50 litres of water per day.

HappyHippy · « **Reply #3 on:** March 18, 2011, 03:12:51 pm »

Hiya,
(FOR PURE KUNE KUNES) I'd feed your sow 3lbs plus half a pound for each of the piglets (I can't remember how many piglets she's got) so if it's 5 piglets, she should get 5.5lbs per day (split into 2 or 3 feeds while she's nursing) for your weaners 1 pound a day should suffice providing they've plenty of grass and fruit and veg. I know they're crosses, so you might need to up it a bit depending on what the cross is.
HTH
Karen

welshlass181 · « **Reply #4 on:** March 18, 2011, 10:40:46 pm »

Hi Karen. Thanks for the reply

The lady i got them from said that was some GOS/welsh (something) and a bit of wild boar thrown in the mix.

I mix up a full bucket of sugarbeat everyday (soaks overnight ready for the following day) and split it between 2 buckets. To this i add rolled barley to make up 2 buckets of the mixture (about 3/4 full) i give the weaners a whole bucket of this and give the mother maybe half - 3/4 of a bucket full. They have another bucket that is filled with chopped veg/fruit and a bit of bread if i have some which is split between them all.

I have a bag of sow nuts that weighs maybe 3lb (need to up this obviously) and i chuck a handfull into the weaners to keep them happy and the momma has the rest. She has 3 piglets with her at the moment and they're starting to munch on the fresh fruit and veg and will nibble and the beat&barley.

They always have access to hay for roughage. The grass situation is a bit crap if i am honest but as soon as we complete the fencing they'll have the whole field to munch on and root through

HappyHippy · « **Reply #5 on:** March 18, 2011, 11:01:20 pm »

Just keep a wee eye on your weaners (and momma once the piglets are weaned) Kune's (which by the look of yours account for 50% of the breeding I reckon

)are so prone to getting fat. Especially if you're giving barley

Just have a feel at them if you're not sure - if you can easily feel ribs then they're too thin (that and the fact they'll probably break out hunting for food

) but if you can't feel the ribs they're too fat.
In theory KK's over a year old should be able to graze exclusivly and get all they need from grass alone in spring, summer and autumn. I say in theory, cos we've always supplimented a wee bit of wheat feed pellets, with the result that we have a boar who's now looking a bit porky

Starvation for him once the grass comes up - with fruit and veg just to give a bit of variation. Your little piglets once they're weaned should get about 1lb of sow and weaner nuts per day, this just makes sure they're getting the right balance of protiens, vitamins and minerals. I'd be tempted to lay off the barley and beet a bit once the weather improves and they're in the big field.

welshlass181 · « **Reply #6 on:** March 21, 2011, 11:45:01 am »

Quote from: HappyHippy on March 18, 2011, 11:01:20 pm

Just keep a wee eye on your weaners (and momma once the piglets are weaned) Kune's (which by the look of yours account for 50% of the breeding I reckon )are so prone to getting fat. Especially if you're giving barley Just have a feel at them if you're not sure - if you can easily feel ribs then they're too thin (that and the fact they'll probably break out hunting for food ) but if you can't feel the ribs they're too fat.
In theory KK's over a year old should be able to graze exclusivly and get all they need from grass alone in spring, summer and autumn. I say in theory, cos we've always supplimented a wee bit of wheat feed pellets, with the result that we have a boar who's now looking a bit porky Starvation for him once the grass comes up - with fruit and veg just to give a bit of variation. Your little piglets once they're weaned should get about 1lb of sow and weaner nuts per day, this just makes sure they're getting the right balance of protiens, vitamins and minerals. I'd be tempted to lay off the barley and beet a bit once the weather improves and they're in the big field.

Brilliant thank you. Going to a local mart this weekend to have a look for more stock fencing to do the perimeter of the field and a gate. They'll have the whole field then.

Another thing i wanted to ask was ... when i wean the piglets can i just take momma out of the pen and leave her with the bigger weaners? Or do it the other way around? By the time the weaning comes the whole field will be on offer to them.

thestephens · « **Reply #7 on:** April 03, 2011, 08:23:14 pm »

a question for happy hippy< when do you start feeding your piglets separate from their mum, mine are two weeks old and getting interested in mums nuts, we crushed a few up and the bigger ones devoured them but mum doesnt give them a chance, should we put some in the creep area so she cant get at it and if so how much??

HappyHippy · « **Reply #8 on:** April 04, 2011, 12:29:27 am »

Hiya

Yes, usually by a fortnight mine are looking interested too

I start by soaking some of the nuts in warm water and turning them into slop for them at this point (not huge amounts, a big handful per piglet) as they'll still be getting most of their nourishment from mum and you don't want to stop that. Just gradually increase it as time goes on, but remember to keep giving mum the extra rations too, so she can make plenty of milk. Oh and once they get to about 3-4 weeks get a big bunch of grapes and go sit with them, that's a sure fire way to make friends

I wouldn't put it in the creep area, just feed them when you feed her (put mum's down first as she'll be super fast at eating the piglet's 'slop') once she's eating put theirs down and they'll be finished before her. Of course at this point they may well decide to go back to mum's bowl for more.........................ever seen a flying piglet ?