[Klb]

 Just wanted some opinions on grains, I am able to get some rather cheap, I'm wondering if it is worth it to get some and store ready for this years 2 pigs ( coming soon, for our table, not for sale etc).
It's only my second year in pig keeping, and am sorry for the rather silly questions, I have never fed them grain along side their diet before, just free range with apples/acorns and normal growers pellets, and the tip bits.

What grain would be suitable, safe to eat and what amount would be safe, i.e. very little, handful with meals?.
Some grains I know for sure I can get sugar beet, wheat, maize.

 

[Eve]

We feed ours for a large part on wheat and beans on a 2:1 ratio, and our pigs are fatteners for our freezer, too. There are differing opinions on whether to feed whole grains (lots of it passes through but the pigs still absorb plenty of nutrition from them) or rolled or otherwise cut wheat (nutrition easier to absorb but the grains have lost some of it already). I don't know who's right and who's wrong, or if both approaches are wrong or right for that matter, but all I can say is that ours do really well on it and it takes much longer to eat so it keeps them busy much more   
 
We soak the wheat first - one bucket soaking and one ready to use for that day - as when soakedit's supposed to digest better.
 
They're not silly questions, by the way     
 

[Klb]

Thank you for the idea of soaking the wheat, I will do that. Suppose I can always throw a couple of cup fulls of grain in, as you say may help, yet not over loading them, with feed prices so high it's worth saving where you can, without trying to ruin the meat of turning them fatty.

If anyone else got a opinion would also like to hear, even advice on what not to feed grain wise, as I said I can get a wide range only few mentioned above .. Also things like rolled oats, bran.

Cheers.

[Berkshire Boy]

I only feed my pigs grain. I have a feed made up for me from a local grain merchant. The content varies depending on availability but usually wheat, barley, oats,soya, peas and molasses it smells good enough to eat     and the pigs love it and do well on it also.

[Hassle]

I mill barley ( it's cheaper than wheat) then probably similar to what BB gets i add a mix of a proprietary concentrate into it. Then as I require add water making a wet porridge consistency which the pigs seem to love. I guess price per tonne would be about 200 pounds at current market values if I bought my barley in as feed I would have to add my labour and electric services blah blah blah on top of that if I was selling so probably looking at 275 a tonne at a guess.

Downfall to this is experience to get the quantities right with these rare breed pigs. As the perfect method is getting early fat not the late sort.. I'm still on the learning curve here.  Don't forget also with doing this I need to comply with an EC feed hygiene regulation (183/2005) EC Directive 95/96 regulations 1999

[Berkshire Boy]

About right on price Hassle, I pay £280 delivered.

[graham-j]

Hi,sounds like you have got a really good grain merchant near you Berkshireboy,I'm lucky if I can get loose grain full stop off mine and even then only at a minimum order rate of 4 tonne.

Graham.

[crazy_bull]

Whole grains really ought to be cracked or rolled otherwise they aren't really that cheap, by that i mean if 30% pass straight through that means 30% is wasted although in my experience it is more like 50% that passes through un digested. Add 30% of extra cost to the price of the 'cheap' grain and you soon get near to a pre-made compound feed. In my opinion the best stuff to get (if your merchant has it/does it) is the cleaned grain dressings, by that i mean after the grain has had all the chaff removed it is then is dressed to remove the screenings (cracked and shrivelled grain) this stuff often is given away and doesn't need cracking as it is generally split grains caused during the harvesting by having the concave in the combine set too tight. If you are feeding rare breeds consider adding some chaff into the mix (again free usually) as this will bulk up the feed without increasing it's nutrition by much, thus giving the piggies that 'full' feeling without over feeding and getting fat pigs.

C B

[Hassle]

CB that's a good thought on the chaff, I might speak to someone about getting some of that. Unfortunately with our combine the sample comes out pretty clean ... But I know the seed merchants see some rough old samples.

[Klb]

That's for advice, never thought of feeding chaff, though normally only chaff type stuff I get is what the ponies won't eat.
I did think of the wastage with grains but at only couple pound a bag I thought it would be a great added extra, even if there's some waste, though saying that what's left in tough the chickens will clear.

[Hassle]

Don't mean to make you feel silly, but the pigs won't waste a grain! Not one bit. But you get wastage because the pigs can't digest them, the husk protects the goodness hence I mill. i use a rough mill, so I don't get like fine flour.
The other method is to roll them this cracks the grain open allowing the pigs digestive system to get to the inside of the grain.

[Jcrang]

This is a really interesting read. My two Kunes are nearly 2 and have pretty much stopped growing. Ive started feeding them half nuts and half meal which we use for the sheep. Our meal consists of wheat tailings ( the small grains left after drying and cleaning) which is then turned into meal in a milling machine, we also add mineral and molasses. The pigs seem to like it and I was wondering if it was suitable to use long term especially as they have stopped growing and we have 10 tonne made at a time!

I guess from reading this post it will be suitable to use long term, when grass is in short supply they also have apple chaff to keep up their fibre levels.

Also thinking about getting a couple of weaners for the freezer, could I use the meal to feed them?

Thanks

[Hassle]

As long as its stored ok yes don't forget getting registered for the ec directive... See my earlier post

[Marches Farmer]

I know of growers that have prolapsed their anus after being fed unsoaked whole grains.  They went through to slaughter but the vet's bill for stitching up made the pork quite expensive in the end.

[MKay]

I have a foolproof blend guide based if you are interested