NUTRITION ▶▶▶


4 tactics to avoid common mistakes in swine nutrition


Pigs are monogastric animals with simple, single-chambered stomachs. They require easily digestible, high- quality feed containing essential nutrients to meet their needs.


BY SAMANEH AZARPAJOUH, INDEPENDENT RESEARCHER


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actors such as genetic variation, environment, nutri- ent availability in feedstuffs, disease levels and other stressors increase the desirable level of nutrients for optimal performance. When formulating diets, nutri-


tionists and swine producers should consider the following tactics to avoid common mistakes in swine nutrition.


Updating the feed ingredient data- base It is essential to know about feedstuffs and to evalu- ate feed ingredients precisely. All over the world,


feed manufacturers and swine producers struggle to keep their feed ingredient database current. Knowledge of the right feed ingredient evaluation is a dynamic task that needs to be done constantly and will save money for both manufac- turers and producers. Nowadays, there are fast analytical methods that can be used to keep the feed ingredient data- base up to date. It is recommended to analyse feed samples for major nutrients such as phosphorus, calcium, etc., then


set up a system and, if ingredients deviate from the current database, an update is required.


2 3 4 Finisher pigs checking on their next meal on a swine farm in Minnesota, USA. 44 ▶ PIG PROGRESS | Volume 38, No. 3, 2022


Considering requirements vs. reali- ty of the first diets post-weaning Given the importance of antibiotic resistance as a public health problem, guidelines and recommen-


dations are developed to limit antibiotic use in food animals. Therefore, we need to reconsider the amount of protein in post-weaning diet formulations. Without antibiotics, newly weaned pigs are not able to handle the 23% crude protein in the first post-weaning diet and will get diarrhoea. Post-wean- ing diarrhoea is an economically important disease in pig production worldwide characterised by sudden death, dehy- dration and growth retardation in surviving piglets. It is rec- ommended to formulate the first post-weaning diet with 16– 18% crude protein and to monitor pigs for diarrhoea during the transition period. After two weeks with no signs of diar- rhoea, the amount of crude protein may be increased to meet amino acid requirements.


Evaluating transition strategies to a maize-soy diet Transition into solid feed is a top priority at wean- ing. To reduce the costs, some producers move pigs


from a milk-based diet to maize-soy too quickly. Digestive en- zymes in the newly weaned pigs are set to handle the pro- teins and carbohydrates found in milk, and fast transition can result in reduced growth rate. Pigs need to undergo a transi- tion allowing them to develop enzymes for digestion of cere- al grains and soybean meal, and the minimum weight in the transition period needs to be 11–14 kg (25–30 lbs).


Grinding feed grains to a uniform fine particle size Although pigs can eat whole grains, they cannot di- gest them. The optimum particle size for pigs is


700–800 microns. Fine grinding increases feed interaction with the pig’s digestive enzymes, improves nutrient absorp- tion and enhances pig performance. In addition, with high grain costs, a reduction of 100 microns can increase feed effi- ciency by US$ 1.00 per pig. However, grinding any finer than 700 microns is expensive and may cause stomach ulcers in pigs, and the time and energy inputs required often outweigh any improvement in feed efficiency.


PHOTO: VINCENT TER BEEK


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