Pig rearing is a profitable business, because in a short time they can gain a significant mass, which will be enough to sell for lard and meat. Pigs are quick to mature.
In this article, we will look at the main ways of how to properly feed pigs so that they not only gain weight quickly, but also grow healthy, which will directly affect the quality of meat and lard.
First of all, we will consider the main criteria for how to select pigs for fattening, then we will find out what is the best way to feed the pigs and in what quantities to feed them. For more information on pig nutrition, make sure to read this article here we have already done on the topic.
It should be noted, that fast fattening doesn’t mean it will be quality. Many pig breeders make that mistake. A common mistake is that by feeding their pigs with certain type of food, pigs will gain quality meat and fast fattening will result in healthy fattening as well.
Pig Selection For Fattening
Regardless of what to feed the piglets to gain weight faster, there is one very important factor that directly affects the rate of weight gain – the general condition of the animal. In order for this process to proceed faster, it is worth choosing a pig according to the following characteristics:
- Breed. Large white, steppe white Ukrainian and Mirgorod breeds can rapidly gain mass. If you plan to feed with concentrated feed, then you can choose Landrace, Wales or Duroc breeds.
- Body type. Development of the spine, strong bones, smooth skin, sufficient amount of hair, bristles, clean and dry tail in a loop, arched back, deep chest, strong limbs.
- Lively temperament. You want alert and healthy animals. Those that are listless can often have issues with their meat.
- Weight. At 3-4 weeks, the live weight of the animal should be up to 7 kg, and at 7-8 weeks – up to 18 kg.
If these factors are met, then you can start feeding. If you want to learn more about the best pig breeds make sure to check out my article on best pig breeds!
Best Diet And Fast Weight Gain For Pigs
What are pigs fed at home? Usually it is either waste from the human table, mixed with grain or feed, or pure feed for pigs. Each of the feeding methods is effective in its own way, but the most important thing is to know what pigs grow fast from, and to comply with the requirements for the piglet ration.
So what should be a must in an animal’s diet?
| Type Of Feed | Examples of Feed |
| Green Food | Clover, vetch, lupine, seradella, corn, beet tops, cabbage, cabbage leaf |
| Hay | Clover, alfalfa, clover hay flour, forest, meadow |
| Chaff | Peas, Clover |
| Silage | Corn, clover, vetch-oat, fodder cabbage, herbs |
| Root Crops | Potatoes, beets, carrots, Jerusalem artichoke, pumpkin |
| Grain | Wheat, rye, barley, oats, peas, beans, dry corn, acorns |
| Oilcakes and meals | Linseed, sunflower, soy, cotton, soy, corn |
| Yeast | Beer, bread |
| Minerals | Chalk, bone meal, ash, phosphorites, travertine, tricalcium phosphate |
| Animal origin | Meat and bone meal, meat meal, fish meal, horse meat, milk, whey, chicken egg, buttermilk |
As you can see, pigs should have enough different types of feed in their diet, but raising pigs with a lot of meat or fat can be controlled by feeding. So how to feed pigs on lard with a layer? To do this, you can use such a feeding system – feed the steamed compound feed for a week, and then transfer the pigs to vegetables and grass with a small addition of feed for two to three weeks.
It is also important to know how to feed the pigs with grain. It is uneconomical to feed whole grains to animals because they cannot absorb all of the feed. So the grains must first be ground – this will make it easier for the animals to digest them. As for what grains are fed to pigs, it is worth using wheat, rye, barley, oats or corn.
How Much And How To Feed Piglets For Weight Gain
How much to feed a pig depends on its species. The following table will help to determine the amount of feeding:
| Type of Pig | Number of Feeds Per Day |
| Pregnant Sow | 1 |
| Suckling and Idle Sows | 2 |
| Growing Pigs | 3 |
| Fattening Piglets | 3 (2 with regular feed, 1 with roughage) |
How Often To Feed Pigs Dependent On Age
| Age of Piglet | Weight |
| Suckling Age (Less than 2 months) | 25g – 850 grams |
| Weaning Age (2-4 months) | 850g – 1.5 kg |
| Independent Age (8+ months) | 1.6 kg – 3.3 kg |
How To Fatten A Pig Quickly
There are some small secrets here:
- Growing for meat, it is better to give more green feed mixed with dry feed and concentrates. Chalk (20 g / day) and salt (10 g / day) are also added.
- For bacon, animals need to be fed twice as much greens, for 1.5 kg of dry food and 2 kg of vegetables per day. It is also important to give milk and milk back daily. At the same time, you do not need to feed soy and bran, since this spoils the taste characteristics of the meat. For the same reason, it is not necessary to feed fish waste to your pigs.
- Pigs weighing 100 kg and being bred for lard, you should include corn, potatoes, sugar beets and wheat in the diet as part of the feed.
- It is also necessary to feed the pig before slaughter correctly – the day before slaughtering, do not feed, and for 3-4 hours do not give water either. If you want to get odorless meat, then it is better to remove the appropriate products from the diet a week before slaughter – fish waste and bran notably.
- You can only feed lard to pigs if you are sure that this product is safe and does not carry dangerous diseases. It will be better if the fat is pre-boiled with vegetables or cereals, or it is fried. This will not only make it easier to eat but will also sterilise it. It is worth adding it to food in small quantities so that animals do not develop diarrhea.
- Feed the pigs with bread so that they gain weight faster. Moreover, it is also better to mix bread with vegetables or cereals as this will balance out their diet better. Keep in mind that bread that is bought in shops tend to be high in salt and sugar so factor that into your food calculations.
Most Effective Growth Stimulant For Pigs
For animals to grow quickly, it is enough to add growth stimulants to the feed. For example, Tricalcium Phosphate Fodder is a drug that allows animals to develop quickly and efficiently and gain weight.
L-Threonine Feed will help the pig’s body to synthesize its own protein faster, which will have a positive effect on weight gain and meat percentage. Feed tryptophan will help increase the feed intake of animals, which means it will help to gain weight.
How To Feed Pigs
There are 3 main methods for feeding pigs;
- Dry feeding
- Wet Feeding
- Liquid Feeding
Dry feeding
If you use dry compound feed for pigs – how to feed the animals in this case? They can simply be added to the feeders, giving the pigs enough water. These feeds already contain all the necessary nutrients, so you don’t need to buy anything extra. The only thing that can be done while feeding the pigs with dry food is to additionally grind it so that the animals can digest it. If you decide to cook dry food yourself, then you need to add premixes to it – at least 10 g per kilogram of finished food.
Wet feeding
Wet mash of potatoes, herbs, vegetables and waste is more natural for pigs. However, they quickly deteriorate, so they constantly need to be replaced.
Liquid feeding
Convenient for those who have a lot of food waste – they are mixed with parts of dry food.
However, each pig farmer can decide for themselves which type of feeding is most effective in a particular case. You should always consult with the professionals or at least do a quality checkup before deciding to do anything rash. Safety first!