can be greatly increased. With PFI, achievable N retention can, astonishingly, reach more than double (70%), says Remus, of conventional three-phase feeding, which at its best can only achieve a little over 30%. Precision feeding also reduces the number of feeds from three to two, simplifying feed management. “In addition, it saves producers money because it cuts down on the crude pro- tein content in feed, reduces feed wastage and provides lots of opportunity to use inexpensive by-products such as oat hulls,” says Remus. “Using by-products of crop production or human food product manufacture is a very sustainable practice.”
The basics of precision feeding Precision feeding on a commercial farm requires at least two different feeds, formulated with different levels of net energy, standardised ileal digestible amino acids and other essential nutrients. One of the feeds, which we can call ‘A,’ is highly nu- trient-dense, formulated to meet the requirements of the most-demanding pigs at the beginning of the growing peri- od. The other, B, is lower in nutrient density and meets the complete needs of a less-demanding pig at the end of the finishing period. Precision feeding also require a feeding system that automat- ically blend the two feeds – either blended differently every
day or two to meet the average, but changing, nutritional re- quirements of the group (PFG), or blended differently over time for each individual pig (PFI) to very accurately meet each animal’s needs. Also in both cases, a way to measure the weight of each pig is needed. Obviously for PFI, a way to distinguish between pigs is re- quired. Plastic button tags inserted in the ear can contain passive identification transponders (RFID) recognised by the precision feeding system when each pig puts its head into the trough. With either PFG or PFI, one custom-blended serving is in- stantly created and delivered. There’s a time lag to ensure that the pig eats the entire serving before it receives a new serving. “Serving size is progressively increased and ranges between 15 and 25g,” says Remus. “Feed density needs to be measured weekly and this information should be used to convert feed volumes to feed weights.”
Costs and return on investment The costs of a precision feeding system for swine include the cost of the feeding system, RFID tags, and a way to measure weight. Remus explains that scales are not needed, because “a system of very low-tech cameras and software can esti- mate the weight of a pig by its size. The main cost of precision
▶ SUSTAINABILITY AND WELFARE | OCTOBER 2020 47
Precision feeding can improve
individual and herd health management.
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