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Author Topic: what can I feed to help bulk them up a bit?  (Read 5786 times)

Bekka

  • Joined Jan 2014
what can I feed to help bulk them up a bit?
« on: November 28, 2014, 12:20:43 pm »
I have 4 pigs which we are taking to bacon weight. They are on exactly the right amount of feed per day each of pig nuts and are growing length-ways, but not outwards! Their pen is pretty huge and is quite steep in parts to they are really fit.... but I need to get them fat! Is there anything I can feed during these colder months to help them gain further condition? Thank you!

Fowgill Farm

  • Joined Feb 2009
Re: what can I feed to help bulk them up a bit?
« Reply #1 on: November 28, 2014, 02:24:53 pm »
Sugar/fodder beet or up their nut ration or switch to a grower type feed
Measurecthem arond the chest they should be making at least an inch a week growth
Hth
Mandy :pig:

happyharry

  • Joined Jun 2014
Re: what can I feed to help bulk them up a bit?
« Reply #2 on: November 28, 2014, 03:36:59 pm »
Are these modern or traditional breeds ?

I'm guessing modern because most traditional breeds run to fat on "fresh air"

Just like human nutrition, if you want to get fat then eat plenty of carbs. A reduction in protein intake will also assist.

Mandy's suggestions may well help but grower feed is quite high in protein so may not work. The flip side is that a lower protein nut 14/15%) will normally have a lower energy (carb) level so won't always do the job.

If beet or maybe potatoes aren't available then bread waste, biscuit meal, milled barley (or wheat or maize) could be used to supplement your existing nuts
Have they been wormed ?

HappyHippy

  • Guest
Re: what can I feed to help bulk them up a bit?
« Reply #3 on: November 28, 2014, 04:53:21 pm »
You DON'T need to make them fat! If you do you're wasting money to produce lard (twice over if your butcher works on a £ per kilo to process) Not that it's a bad thing if you make lard soap like me  ;)
They'll fill out once they stop growing lengthways, I'd be tempted to stick with what you're doing now unless their condition is visibly dropping or until temperatures drop to sub-zero THEN give them a bit extra.

Jon_Marriagefeeds

  • Joined Oct 2014
Re: what can I feed to help bulk them up a bit?
« Reply #4 on: December 05, 2014, 03:09:10 pm »
Bekka, just curious; how old are the pigs and how much are you feeding them per day?

Breed type will have an affect on fat/lean tissue growth but at this time of year with little grazing and the drop in temperature my opinion would be to feed the pigs ad lib whatever breed type you keep, especially if they are kept outdoors. Its always worth bearing in mind that increasing energy levels at any time of year will only increase the deposition of fat which is not what you want if you are looking for good quality bacon, any good pig grower diet made today will have sufficient protein and energy levels to help not only maintain the animal but allow it to grow all year round.


hughesy

  • Joined Feb 2010
  • Anglesey
Re: what can I feed to help bulk them up a bit?
« Reply #5 on: December 05, 2014, 06:03:33 pm »
Hmmmm. Ad lib feeding. Potentially very expensive and guaranteed to give the lads in the cutting room a good laugh at your expense. Most of the traditional breeds will have a good covering of fat even when they don't look overweight. Careful feeding according to their body condition is what's required.

Marches Farmer

  • Joined Dec 2012
  • Herefordshire
Re: what can I feed to help bulk them up a bit?
« Reply #6 on: December 06, 2014, 10:35:30 am »
Age, breed, housing conditions, weather conditions, quality of feed, level of physical activity - this is why rearing pigs is both an art and a science!

P6te

  • Joined Jan 2012
  • South Derbyshire
Re: what can I feed to help bulk them up a bit?
« Reply #7 on: December 06, 2014, 09:46:59 pm »
I'm 100% in agreement with HappyHippy, its the easiest thing to keep overweight pigs that run to fat.  Its an art to to get the feed just right such that they have enough to eat without getting overweight.  Even pigs that look as if they will be 'ok' can be overweight.  Make sure you know EXACTLY how much you are feeding them ... if they turn out right you know to carry on with that feeding regime in the future, if they carry too much fat you know to cut them back next time.
Live for today
Plan for tomorrow

shygirl

  • Joined May 2013
Re: what can I feed to help bulk them up a bit?
« Reply #8 on: December 06, 2014, 10:32:11 pm »
have you condition scored them? can you feel the spine/ribs? plenty of bedding will save them wasting energy on keeping warm. how long do you have til slaughter?

why do you want them fat??

Bekka

  • Joined Jan 2014
Re: what can I feed to help bulk them up a bit?
« Reply #9 on: December 07, 2014, 05:57:14 pm »
HI all,

Thank you for all your comments and thoughts. They are British lops - so traditional. No spine or ribs, but they just dont look as good as the ones we had the summer. In a thick deep bed of warm straw, have taken them off the steep ground onto flatter, drier ground - as they were probably having to work harder.
Thank you for your thoughts!

BenBhoy

  • Joined Aug 2011
  • Nottinghamshire
Re: what can I feed to help bulk them up a bit?
« Reply #10 on: December 23, 2014, 08:26:36 pm »
You say they are on exactly right amount of feed - how much are you actually feeding in kg per pig?

shygirl

  • Joined May 2013
Re: what can I feed to help bulk them up a bit?
« Reply #11 on: December 23, 2014, 09:07:18 pm »
you should be able to feel the ribs with a good prod, if not they are too fat.

hughesy

  • Joined Feb 2010
  • Anglesey
Re: what can I feed to help bulk them up a bit?
« Reply #12 on: December 23, 2014, 09:54:42 pm »
If you can't feel the spins quite easily with the flat of your hand they're going to be fat.

Waterside

  • Joined Dec 2014
Re: what can I feed to help bulk them up a bit?
« Reply #13 on: December 28, 2014, 11:48:12 am »
We use barley sprouts which we produce on site and require no supplementation to increase weight.

We add bran, salt and diatomous earth to raise mineral input and assist in eliminating worms, this is given as a supplementary wet feed in the evening. 

This costs about 70p per adult pig per week, an adults requirements are met with 2k spouted barley a day supplied in two feeds.  Halve the amounts if the pigs are grazing/foraging clover rich grass.  Farrowing/weaning sows receive (up to) 4kg barley sprouts daily.  Weaners 1/2kilo twice a day.

Barley spouts at four to six days provide 14% protein, 5%roughage and 10%fibre.

We soak barley seeds for 12 to 24 hours, spread them out on damp cloth in trays and expose to light when they have sprouted.  In winter we spread the seeds in trays in a shed and expose to a 10watt diode UV/IR light system overnight, this illuminated 6 square meters of trays.

1kg barley seed yields 7kg barley sprouts, we pay £85 a ton for barley seeds locally so this is a very low cost system.

Marches Farmer

  • Joined Dec 2012
  • Herefordshire
Re: what can I feed to help bulk them up a bit?
« Reply #14 on: December 29, 2014, 05:32:45 pm »
I introduce soaked, milled barley and wheat four weeks before slaughter, working up to 1kg per day the week before slaughter.  This puts on enough fat for bacon and good crackling.  It's worked with GOS, Saddlebacks and OSB, but haven't kept Lops.

 

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