Ingredients that Lower Feed Cost for Weanling Pigs

US - An extension swine specialist with Kansas State University says producers of weanling pigs can reduce feeding costs without sacrificing productivity by substituting less costly ingredients into their diets, Bruce Cochrane writes.
calendar icon 19 January 2012
clock icon 3 minute read

Researchers at Kansas State University have been striving to lower diet costs while maintaining some of the key important ingredients in baby pig diets to stimulate feed intake and get them off to a good start.

"Less costly diets for weanling pigs" is being discussed as part of the 2012 Banff Pork Seminar, underway until Friday.

Dr Bob Goodband, an extension swine specialist with Kansas State University, emphasizes getting weaned pigs off to a good start when they transition from a liquid diet on the sow to a dry diet in the nursery is key for future growth performance and feed efficiency.

Dr Bob Goodband-Kansas State University

First of all the nutrient fortification is going to be a lot higher in the younger pig and that's because the young pig's potential for lean growth is very very high as opposed to an older pig.

Nutrient fortification, the key ingredients, the key nutrients such as lysine levels, other amino acid, calcium and phosphorus concentrations are all very very important.

The next area we like to emphasize are some of the key ingredients that provide those nutrients.

For example in baby pig diets we talk a lot about milk proteins or lactose sources and the most common one that we use in diet formulation comes from dried whey.

We like to keep its concentration relatively high because again, if you remember, the young pigs has been drinking sow's milk which is very high in lactose and milk proteins and we want to ease that transition through the weaning process onto a diet that's also very high in lactose and milk proteins.


Dr Goodband acknowledges savings will vary but by changing their starter programmes, producers he's worked have saved around 50 cents per pig.

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