The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Pigs => Topic started by: banbh on April 27, 2011, 11:57:15 pm
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I'm on my second pair of pigs and I'm using the same feeding routine that worked very well last time.
I mix pellets with straights (rolled barley, oats usually) and scraps. 2@ 15 minute meals a day.
The pellets we get here are Red Mills (Kilkenny) weaner pellets and finisher pellets. They've gone
up in price to €15 for a 25kg bag, which is a lot dearer than straight feed which is why I mix it.
I looked at the small print on the weaner pellet bag the other week and saw..
"PRODUCED FROM GM SOYA BEANS" - I've no problem with that personally
but also...
'IE (SIC) TIME OF MANUFACTURE THE FOLLOWING WAS/WERE ADDED:-
IS G200 (GROWTH PROMOTER) CONTRIBUTING 20MG/KG AVIL AMYCIN"
Now I'm not sure what THAT means exactly so I googled AVIL AMYCIN and was
rather shocked to find that it is an antibiotic.
The line above does not appear on the finisher pellets.
No wonder my pigs look clear-eyed and healthy!
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I for one will be checking the small print in the morning...
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Organic feed may cost a lot more but you know that it is, at least, G.M. free and doesn't include anti-biotics! You can always charge more for your pork if you have fed organic feed and kept them on artificial free land!
You can also eat the meat with an easy mind.
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Hi banbh have you considered making your own mix and completely cutting out the pellets. Thats what we have done and saved a lot of money. We were buying in rolled barley from the feed merchant for 270 euro a tonne. We are now hoping to get wheat off the combine and get it rolled here ourselves. This should work out cheaper again. We then add roughly 20 percent soya to the weaners and lactating sows feed. We add beat pulp pellets soaked to the finishers and dry sows feed. This helps to keep the costs down and we know exactly whats going into the feed. You can even cut out the soya by replacing them with beans if you know of a farmer around you who would sell you some.
Regards Patrick
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Are you talking about a standard sow roll/nut/pellet or a grower or finisher? You shouldn't find antibiotics in a sow feed (I never have).
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Just re-read the post and I see you're talking about weaner feed.
Get them gradually on to sow pellets. I start off with a bit of creep feed to get them interested at a few weeks old, then they go onto sow nuts and stay on them all the way through. I've seen no difference in the end product compared to rearing on grower, and it also works out a lot cheaper, too.
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done that thanks TT
pat mci - very little tillage this side of galway, i'm cranking up on the rolled barley, oats and bran as a cheap enough filler.
The fishing has started so they'll be getting microwaved mackeral and pollack heads and tails for the next while.