Do we really need the perfect pig pellet?
The advantages of pellet feeding pigs are well known in the sector, with over half of the UK’s pig population fed a pellet-based diet, thanks to their ability to improve Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR) by approximately 5%.
Mick Hazzledine, Premier Nutrition pig director, explains that around half of the improvement in FCR comes from improved digestibility through ‘cooking’
the pellet’s raw materials at between 65°C – 80°C. The remaining 2.5% increase comes from reduced feed wastage on-farm that a pellet offers. But this very much depends upon feeder type and adjustment and physical pellet quality. “Another benefit of pelleting is that some materials that are hard
to incorporate into a meal feed can be more easily compressed into a pellet. For example, wheatfeed can be dusty in a meal, but once tightly compressed into a pellet the problem is eliminated,” he says. But because of these benefits, the physical characteristics of the
pellet itself have become synonymous with feed quality in the industry which, according to Mick, is not strictly true. “A lot of effort can go into the so-called perfect pellet, but it’s a difficult balancing act as neat and tidy pellets can actually lead to
reduced gut health and cost a lot more to produce in terms of time, money and energy.”
The balancing act Mick goes on to outline his recommended approach to weighing up the ideal formulation for a pellet that delivers a balance of quality, digestibility, and profitability for both the manufacturer and end producer. “Firstly, the main raw ingredient and its ability to bind together
in a pellet form needs to be considered. Wheat generally creates an excellent pellet, as it binds together well, but maize is quite the opposite.
Most UK feed mills use the pellet durability index (PDI Holmen test) to measure quality, typically with a requirement of 93-95%. This test measures the percentage of pellets remaining in a sample when it has been tumbled in a box for a set time. While the 93-95% PDI requirement is the norm, it actually has minimal links to pig performance.
“However, wheat prices are currently high, so barley would be a
better value option for a base ingredient, currently saving over 30p/t for every extra 1% in the feed, but its binding ability doesn’t match that of wheat. So, keeping the cost of a pellet down by using barley may compromise on physical pellet quality,” he says. Another factor affecting pellet quality is the
levels of oil included in the mix prior to pelleting. “Greater compression and an increased time going through the press will produce a better pellet. “However, the more oil included in a feed,
the faster each pellet will pass through the press, therefore reducing the pellet quality but increasing the volume of feed made in a set period of time. Here it’s a real case of weighing up raw material costs, physical pellet quality and required speed of production,” explains Mick. “Next on the list of considerations is
particularly important as digestibility can greatly affect pig performance. A finer grind makes a
PAGE 26 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020 FEED COMPOUNDER
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