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Author Topic: Feeding pigs distillery mash  (Read 5533 times)

bridget

  • Joined May 2013
  • Highlands of Scotland
Feeding pigs distillery mash
« on: July 01, 2014, 08:11:24 am »
Has anyone fed their pigs with the left over grain from a distillery.  We have a small private distillery across the road from us and I wondered if pigs would thrive on that.  It's barley of course.  Any input would be great
Thanks

HappyHippy

  • Guest
Re: Feeding pigs distillery mash
« Reply #1 on: July 01, 2014, 08:56:44 pm »
You couldn't feed the mash exclusively, they'll need a proprietary pig food to ensure they get all the essential vitamins and trace elements needed for healthy growth.
Grain can be inclined to make them run to fat (especially true with traditional breeds and Kunekune) but as an extra or part ration there's no reason not to. Just be careful that it doesn't go off or begin to ferment, that will cause you all sorts of problems  :(

bridget

  • Joined May 2013
  • Highlands of Scotland
Re: Feeding pigs distillery mash
« Reply #2 on: July 02, 2014, 12:10:19 am »
Thanks - they have plenty of forage and roots and also Weaner nuts I just wanted to replace some of the pellets.

momstudy@execulink.com

  • Joined Jul 2014
Re: Feeding pigs distillery mash
« Reply #3 on: July 02, 2014, 01:08:06 pm »
We have 6 free range pigs on two small pastures; 2 Tamworth's (one sow and one boar) and two Berkshire sows and also two Large Black gilts that currently occupy what was previously our vegetable garden, on our small hobby farm in SW Ontario (Canada) that we feed a combination of “Free Real Foods” we pick up from a re-use network we created and nurture.  The most recent food group we are trying is fresh spent grains (from a small local beer brewer) to add to our fresh fruits and vegetables (end of sale day from a large local market, a high end restaurant vegetable/fruit and bread kitchen scraps and whole milk from our neighbours' dairy farm, mixed in with their fresh water daily.  (Both these practices are not technically legal, but well monitored and doable on such a small scale). We also buy a mineral/vitamin mix and whole corn feed for supplements as needed (colder weather, lactation + in-between real food pickups) and supplement with various types of fresh seasonal nuts and garlic (which are also natural de wormers) .  We never feed any type of meats.  Making sure our pigs have the right nutrition intake is always on my mind as this unconventional feeding is more difficult to monitor than store bought feeds.  I wish I fully understood the ratios and value of each separate food group (pasture throughout the seasons and everything else in this mixture, but its not an exact science) We have free range laying hens out there too so the odd egg and their droppings must get into the mix too!   
The spent grain addition to our feeding regime offers extra eating time/quantity over quality to satiate their never ending desire to eat as well as the added value of proteins / fiber in grains.  As we are utilizing a small brewing operation, their efficiency is lower, thus there is more value in their grains and they brew a variety of beers, thus a variety of types of spent grains.  Our pigs like the wet grains.  Our boar will roll in it, but he also does this with the vegetable kitchen scrapes too, although I have no idea why.  The buckets of grains are heavy, wet + warm, fragrant and break down quickly in the hot weather (as do the fresh fruit and vegetables) so our farm can have strong compost like odors, at times.  We (my husband and I) spend a fair amount of time each week picking up these items locally, so our fuel + truck expenses could be equal to the costs of purchasing processed feeds but the whole process seems to be working as we have healthy, happy pigs?   

bridget

  • Joined May 2013
  • Highlands of Scotland
Re: Feeding pigs distillery mash
« Reply #4 on: July 02, 2014, 05:07:25 pm »
Thanks Momstudy - thats really interesting.  This is just our second year with weavers - last year we had Berkshires which were great but our supplier couldn't provide them this year.  We now have Oxford Sandy and Blacks (OSB) .  I really want to find another option to weaner pellets.  Up here in the highlands of Scotland they cost £12 for a 25 kg bag and we will go through about 27 bags ( thats about $20.50 US for a 55 lb bag).  This is just standard feed, not GM or organic. We have a local distillery and a local brewery so will ask them both.

HappyHippy

  • Guest
Re: Feeding pigs distillery mash
« Reply #5 on: July 02, 2014, 11:16:19 pm »
Sorry, but I have to just mention that feeding nay kind of kitchen waste in the UK is illegal, whether you agree with it or not (that's another story!) if you choose to keep pigs you MUST comply with that legislation.

The other point that I need to make is that garlic, while a great natural remedy, is not an effective treatment for ridding your pigs of worms. Please don't think I'm some kind of drug mad, profit seeking pig farmer  ;) I'm very much for all natural feeding and rearing of pigs in a high welfare, natural environment - but if your pigs have a parasite burden you need to treat it effectively (unless you want to run the risk of having your carcass/offal condemned at the abattoir)

This document will give you lots of information about mixing feed for pigs and what essential trace elements you need to include for good growth (it can sometimes be a false economy to feed lower quantities of pig nuts as it can take longer to get them to size) but if you want to mix your own feed at home in the UK you're supposed to be licenced for that (wouldn't be like the UK to have lots of useless red tape would it?  ::))
http://www.britishpigs.org.uk/Newcastle_handbook_of_raw_materials.pdf

If there are any other pig keepers near you ask them if they want to split a tonne pallet (40 x 25Kg bags) of pig feed with you and order from East Coast Viners in Stonehaven  :thumbsup: (they deliver all the way to me in Lesmahagow so anywhere int he Highlands shouldn't be a problem!) It's less than £10 a bag......still waiting for my last invoice to arrive for an exact price but it works out around £9 per bag I'm sure. Their minimum order is a tonne and it only tends to be dated for 3 months, hence the need to feed share  ;)
Where in the Highlands are you and I can maybe point you in the direction of a nearby keeper  ;)
Karen

farmvet

  • Joined Feb 2014
Re: Feeding pigs distillery mash
« Reply #6 on: July 03, 2014, 11:49:32 pm »
Thanks for sharing that link happyhippy.  That looks a really useful quick reference for feeding pigs.

Tatties may be a cheap option at the moment. They seem to be available for not much more than delivery cost just now.  Again it may depend if you can get a small enough quanity.  Larger farms are ensiling them with draff, or layered in grass silage pits as well as feeding fresh

Clive

  • Joined Sep 2012
    • Precious Porkers
    • Facebook
Re: Feeding pigs distillery mash
« Reply #7 on: July 22, 2014, 07:48:28 pm »
Don't potatoes have to be cooked to feed to pigs? I was told that they can't get the nutrition from them when raw?

bridget

  • Joined May 2013
  • Highlands of Scotland
Re: Feeding pigs distillery mash
« Reply #8 on: July 23, 2014, 12:06:13 am »
I think there is more nutritional value in potatoes if they are cooked but you can feed them raw.
Thanks for all the other interesting answers especially happy hippy for the link which answers all my questions.

bridget

  • Joined May 2013
  • Highlands of Scotland
Re: Feeding pigs distillery mash
« Reply #9 on: August 28, 2014, 04:34:13 pm »
A quick update on this and thanks to Rosemary for her contact at the Mill in Barry.  I will be feeding the pigs  about 20% of their daily rations in oats which is milled and I will soak to a mash before giving it to them.  Apparently pigs love oat mash though its not as nutritional as other corns but it is good for their digestion.  Thanks all for the input. 

 

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