Feed and water checklist for finishing pigs

Careful management of feed and water throughout the grower and finisher period is key to finishing stock cost-effectively.

Provision and intakes need to be considered to ensure well-maintained pigs.

Christina Huelsmann-Diamond, of Farmvet Integrated Livestock Services, provides the following checklist for successful feeding:

• Hygiene – feeders and hoppers and river flow troughs to be cleaned out. Make sure there is no old/mouldy feed
• Palatability of feed and water to encourage intakes
• Ease of access – best position and spacing to allow maximum intake but away from the dunging area. Feeders and drinkers should be sited close together
• Nutritionally correct feed for age and weight of pig (see “Feed intakes” table). Generally, pigs have a higher intake as they grow but  a lower protein requirement, so nutritionist advice is valuable
• Fat is costly to produce. Lean meat is 75% water, so about 1.2kg of feed is needed to produce 1kg of lean meat. However, fat is only 25% water, so it takes 3.5kg of feed to produce 1kg of fat. Therefore, knowing the feed conversion rate and getting the diet right is important.

More information on feed conversion ration can be found in our guide to weaner feed requirements.

For more information on liveweight gain targets and diet components, read our 4-step guide to pig rations.

Water

Mrs Huelsmann-Diamond also emphasises that water intakes should not be overlooked: “Palatability of water is really important so that [pigs] keep drinking because pigs that do not drink well do not eat well.”

Drinker numbers and positioning need to work for the pigs as well as water flow rates ([remove for web:] see ‘Water specifications’ table).