[robert waddell]

if you are going to experiment with feed/growth rates better to split into 4 groups 2 male 2females that way you can eliminate the problem that oaklands has highlit-ed good luck

[Sudanpan]

Just bought half a tonne of sow rolls in 20kg bags at £7 a bag - last year they were £5.85 a bag

[Eve]

Fiffix, where is that supplier based? Organic feed here is over £13 per bag (can't remember whether the bags are 20 or 25kgs). 

[Helencus]

Thnks oaklands I was thinking more from a taste perspective. Will the meat taste sufficiently better than 'ordinary' fed pigs to make it worth the premium.

[blonde]

I am paying £290 per ton for sow rolls from East Coast Viners Grain. I did contact several feed companies and they were the cheapest. I used  to feed barley, potatoes and some sow rolls but this was costing more than just the roll feed. The pigs finished in half the time with feeding just sow rolls, had very little fat (as barley puts fat on) and I saved several hours of travelling with the tractor and trailer to Humbie, East Lothian to get the potatoes.

Weaners  you use wheat and lupins, growers up to say 45 kg you use wheat, barley and lupins, Finishers to 70 - 100 kg you use barley and lupins.   Barely prevents the fat from going on, lupins helps with digestion of a poor feed.  If barley is fed straight with nothing else then yes all pigs will go fat.  Add Soya meal and canola meal added to the feed in the mill and leave out the meat meals.   Add minerals, lysine, salt and chrom-e-late.  Pigs do well on this mix.  Just have to adjust your barley lupins wheat on your different growths of pigs.  You can also add molasses or/and tallow.  This gives enery and keeps the dust down as well.  Molasses has to be warmed so hot water added helps to mix it in the feed and get it out of the bucket.   Tallow needs a drum heat to melt it or put it out in the hot sun to melt.   Coconut oil can also be used and the same requirments to melt it.  vegetable oil does not need melting so that can also be added to your feed....just depends on how set  up you are at home.

[Tudful Tamworths]

I'm paying £269 per tonne (bagged and delivered) from BOCM. Cheapest I can find round here. Did a ring around a couple of weeks ago and most were over the £300 mark.

[czechmate]

wow........im paying £10 for 50 kilos
its ground up like powder
i get it from local pig farmer
guess ill stick with it then

Wow, that was quite a bargain then. I was loading up 29 t artics of whole grains for over £200/t.
Cereal prices have lost around £25 over the last 10 days so could be some good news on the horizon!

[Hilarysmum]

Thnks oaklands I was thinking more from a taste perspective. Will the meat taste sufficiently better than 'ordinary' fed pigs to make it worth the premium.

Only my experience (and opinion) but tried both fresh pork and ham from a friend who runs an organic pig farm.  To be honest, ok I may be biased, but my pigs who are fed exactly the same but non bio produce at least as good pork / ham as the bio ones, for less than 1/2 the price. 

This is just my taste test and may not apply to others.