[Bullseye]

As I'm sure everyone is, we are trying out different ways of making keeping all our pigs more economical- has anyone supplemented theirs with hay? 

[MAK]

I inherited some hay and my last 2 loved it. They seem to eat their bedding of straw - or at least I think they do. The 2 little ones we now have are not big enough to break up straw with their body weight so I think that they have had a munch.
Currently the little pigs are stripping the seeds of long grasses (flattened by the rain) in their field. I collected hay from the lanes after the council cut it a few weeks back and since it smells so good and includes lots of grass seeds I'm sure that they will love it if the veg, fruit, nuts and their paddock become exhausted.

[SallyintNorth]

Mine get hay in winter.  As I understand it, all but Kune Kune pigs can only make use of a relatively small amount of grass / forage, but many do like it and will use some albeit perhaps not very efficiently.  KKs are supposedly more able to utilise cellulose-y inputs.

Someone who can be more specific will no doubt be along soon!

MAK - yes, mine chew their straw too.  They certainly rootle and find any seeds / grains, but I think they do eat - as well as chew - some stems too.

[HappyHippy]

We suppliment both Kunekunes and 'big' pigs with hayledge - mainly in winter 
The Kunekunes love it, we can keep them on 1lb of hard feed each per day as long as they have a constant supply of grassy stuff    but it's more of a boredom breaker for the big ones rather than a replacement feed source. Have a think about sugar beet or foddar beet instead    This would convert more efficiently into a food source I think (but don't quote me on it cos I'm not 100% sure on the actual protien values)
HTH
Karen 

[Bullseye]

Ah brilliant, a massive help as ever 
We are always looking for boredom breakers- a horse treat hung from a tree didn't last long- I'm sure they formed a pyramid to get to it! The little fatteners have plenty of grass etc in their pen but the big girl's is more of a mud bath at the min! I'll look into that Karen- anything to save money as even with a bulk buy discount our cheapest supplier has put their price up by £1.50 per 25kg bag 
 
 
 

[robert waddell]

back to this old chestnut  once again
i do wish that some eminent animal nutritionist  would come along and put  this one to rest one way or the other
all pigs eat grass hay silage or straw pea haul ms etc but do they get nutrition from it other than filling a gap
silage and haylage once opened if not used within 3-4 days gets secondary fermentation and can cause listeria and adds to the cost of keeping them        14 pence a pound of feed as opposed to ten or twenty times that and as Karen has said it is the protein content that counts and there is not much out there that can beat proper pig food and hay at 9%protein as opposed to pig nuts at 16% you just have to keep them longer and costs more 

[MAK]

I tend not to think of hay as a component of their daily food but rather an extra or something for them to snuffle about in when they do not go outside. Their hard food is always mixed with waste veg, surplus veg, fruit or the many nuts we collect for them in the autumn - an egg a day ups their protein too.
That said -the nutritional value of dry hay must varey depending upon what grasses or flowers are cut and the time of year it was cut. The seed content of my last hay crop was very high so maybe it has a high value for the pigs.

[oaklandspigs]

 
It is not just a case of protein percentages, but the right kinds of protein. Protein is made up of amino acids, which the food is broken down into by digestion.  These amino acids (AA) are re-formed in different ratios into new protein that builds muscle for what the pig needs.  There are 10 needed in food to allow the pig to grow (called essential amino acids as the pig can't make them).  Pigs being omnivores need "meat Protein" as well as vegetable protein to get the right amino acids.  Apart from worms, bugs etc. pig feed has these proteins in it, principally soya, and from AA's added such as lysine.
 
So yes hay will provide some nutrition, and KK's needing a lower protein level can cope with hay and haylage as HH states , but for most pigs it will provide great interest (which is why we feed it) but not to the extent that you can drop off pig feed.   
 
So use as a supplement, not a replacement or cost saver - otherwise you'll find that your pigs grow slower so take longer to finish giving a false economy.
 
 

[Berkshire Boy]

Agree with Oaklands, the horses have a large bale of hayledge and are messy eaters so the pigs get what is thrown on the ground but I never cut down on their hard feed.

[sabrina]

Mine got hay and sugar beet over the winter plus their nuts and fruit and veg. They turned out fine.

[MAK]

Do you need to cook the sugar beet or other root crops for winter feed ? I do cook the spuds I give them but have planted lots of pumpkins, swede and parsnips in expectation of little autumn fruit.

[Ladygrey]

I only have kunekunes so not sure about other pigs, but kks need only very low amounts of protein.

Once stopped growing a the adult kks can live entirely off grass/good grazing (only during the months when grass is good). During the months when grass is not so good I supplement with sugar beet (soaked) and apples/veg. They dont have any commercial pig nuts at all.
Little piglets as well as older pigs will eat large amounts of hay when the grazing is not good or when they are in the stable and can get fat/put on weight form just hay and grass.

It costs me 15 pounds to feed one pig for one year feeding them on good grazing/hay/sugar/windfall apples

[Fowgill Farm]

Do you need to cook the sugar beet or other root crops for winter feed ? I do cook the spuds I give them but have planted lots of pumpkins, swede and parsnips in expectation of little autumn fruit.

No we feed all winter roots shredded thro our turnip chopper so long as they're not frozen! Be careful of parsnips & sugar beet tops with pregnant stock would be my only adage as i was advised too many can be detrimental to their well being.
HTH
mandy 

[HappyHippy]

Do you need to cook the sugar beet or other root crops for winter feed ? I do cook the spuds I give them but have planted lots of pumpkins, swede and parsnips in expectation of little autumn fruit.

No we feed all winter roots shredded thro our turnip chopper so long as they're not frozen! Be careful of parsnips & sugar beet tops with pregnant stock would be my only adage as i was advised too many can be detrimental to their well being.
HTH
mandy 

Yup, I don't cook them either. Just chop small enough for the delicate Kunekune mouths    and half them for the big ones   
Having had a nibble at some sugar beet myself I understand why the pigs love 'em    but you do have to watch as they'll pile on the weight if they get too much of it. We fed 3lbs of pig nuts and about 8lbs of sugar beet per (big) pig per day and they were starting to get porky on that 
HTH
Karen 

[Factotum]

If you do choose to cook food for your pigs, it must not be done in your domestic kitchen as this would contravene the regulations concerning feeding swill to pigs. You would need a cooking stove or microwave set up somewhere in an outbuilding and use pots & dishes for that purpose alone.

If you grow veg or fruit, you can feed your pigs with the produce provided they go straight from soil/plant/tree to pig. Any knives used to process the veg should be kept as 'outside' knives and never used in the kitchen.