The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Pigs => Topic started by: Paul and Caroline on May 10, 2017, 05:32:12 pm
-
Hi
I have 4 13 week old Saddleback/large white weaners and would like to feed them on finishers however I am finding it nigh on impossible to get them where we are. Last year I fed them on Sow rolls, mainly because that is what the breeder had them on when he sold them to me and I did get them to around about 100kg live weight but had to take them to 32 weeks to get there.
Ideally I would like to send them away at around 24 weeks - what is the best option from the above feeds to achieve a good weight at that age without laying down too much fat?
-
I'd feed them sow and weaner nuts or rolls. In this area its all that the feed suppliers stock. They can get finisher or grower but it costs more and they need to order it in specially and it was more trouble than it was worth as I kept running out.
As for them not putting down too much fat, its down to the amount your feeding IMO, rather than what your feeding. A few years back I was horrified at how fat my pigs were when they came back. So the next batch/year I halved the amount I'd normally feed them and then increased each it calender month by 1/2.
-
I'd feed them sow and weaner nuts or rolls. In this area its all that the feed suppliers stock. They can get finisher or grower but it costs more and they need to order it in specially and it was more trouble than it was worth as I kept running out.
As for them not putting down too much fat, its down to the amount your feeding IMO, rather than what your feeding. A few years back I was horrified at how fat my pigs were when they came back. So the next batch/year I halved the amount I'd normally feed them and then increased each it calender month by 1/2.
Last year (my first) I did overfeed them in my eagerness to get them to a good weight and by the time they were 6 months old they were on 6lb of feed daily. That said I cut back for the last 4 weeks and the fat wasn't all that bad. This year I am sticking fairly rigidly to the 1lb of feed (daily) per month of age up to a maximum of 4lb
-
Rare breed pigs have a tendency to put on fat. Finisher pellets are more designed for quick growing modern pigs. I feed my large blacks on sow rolls at 16% protein. They do fine on that and don't put on the fat.
Regards, David
-
I feed 16% protein sow & weaner nuts to everything. By 20 weeks finishers are on what they can polish off completely in 10 minutes.
-
You will find lots of different answers to what people feed to finish their pigs. I doubt they will all grade the same on the hook when finished but that is different breeds and different ideas on what is a good finished carcase.
Pigs convert food at the best rate the younger they are. Buying pigs that have been creep fed will give you a head start over non creep fed pigs. Ad lib feeding will push your pigs on. Feeding the right food for the stage your pigs are at will also give you a better finish in a better time.
You have a good cross there and I would expect them to finish well before 32 weeks. Worming can also be a factor.
My friend finished saddlebacks for several butchers on ad lib feed. He was reaching the weights in good time but the pigs had more fat cover than the butcher wanted. He changed from grower to finisher and achieved a finished pig in the same time but a better carcase.
-
Native breeds aren't going to finish in 16 weeks like commercial pigs fed a finishing ration. We generally reckon on around 22 weeks for boars and 24 for gilts (that's worked in the past for Saddlebacks, OSB and many, many GOS). Depends on the weather, the age of the sow and other factors which emphasises why feeding livestock is an art as well as a science.
-
Absolutely right MF "feeding livestock is an art as well as a science".
I wouldn't see a problem getting SBXLW to finished weight at 24 weeks.
I have finished Lops before 20 when I had a specific order but I would say that "taste = time = cost"
-
On 8 acres we produce 90% of the pigs feed ourselves. We buy in Soya to lift protein content. Their primary feedstuff is high protein grass which they strip graze, barley shoots, fodder peas and apple pomace silage from our orchards, cider lees and cellar ullage diluted 1:5 with water. Rolls are not always available and are expensive.