Podcast
Questions and Answers
What is the primary objective of phase feeding in finishing pigs?
What is the primary objective of phase feeding in finishing pigs?
- To reduce feed intake across all phases of growth
- To match nutrient levels to the pig’s needs at each stage of growth (correct)
- To standardize diets for all pigs regardless of their weight
- To increase the overall weight of the pigs as quickly as possible
How does the nutrient requirement of pigs change as they gain weight?
How does the nutrient requirement of pigs change as they gain weight?
- Nutrient requirements decrease as weight increases (correct)
- Nutrient requirements remain constant regardless of weight
- Nutrient needs increase linearly with weight gain
- Nutrient requirements fluctuate without a clear pattern
What is the typical feed conversion ratio from wean to market weight in finishing pigs?
What is the typical feed conversion ratio from wean to market weight in finishing pigs?
- 3.0
- 2.0
- 2.5 (correct)
- 1.5
Which of the following is NOT an advantage of phase feeding?
Which of the following is NOT an advantage of phase feeding?
What is the recommended feeding space per pig in a finishing facility?
What is the recommended feeding space per pig in a finishing facility?
What factor influences the number of diets used in phase feeding?
What factor influences the number of diets used in phase feeding?
Why is it important to evaluate the cost per pound of gain when considering diets?
Why is it important to evaluate the cost per pound of gain when considering diets?
What is the effect of increasing the number of phases in a feeding program on profitability?
What is the effect of increasing the number of phases in a feeding program on profitability?
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Study Notes
Growth - Finish
- Feeder pig (35-75 lb) to market weight
- Takes approximately 16 weeks
Wean - Finish
- 10 to 15 pounds to market weight
- Takes approximately 24 weeks
Nutrient Requirements with Weight
- Nutrient requirements decrease as weight increases
- Maintenance requirements change
- Composition of growth changes, less lean, more fat
- Feed consumption increases
Amino Acid Requirement
- Lysine is the first limiting amino acid
- The amount of lysine to gain one pound of body weight is similar over time
Feeding Metrics
- Wean to finish or breed: feed intake is 3-5% of body weight
- Wean to finish or breed: water intake is 8-10% of body weight
- Pigs eat to energy needs
- Finishing feeder space is ~1.8 inches per pig
- Typical feed conversion wean to market is 2.5
Phase Feeding
- Matches nutrient levels to the pig’s needs at each stage of growth
- Multiple diet formulations during grow-finish
- Often geared toward the average pig due to weight variation within groups
- Can be between 3 and 6 diets (or more)
- Dependent on understanding of pigs’ genotype, environment, feed costs, feed processing costs, and target ending weight
Advantages of Phase Feeding
- Minimizes overfeeding (wasting nutrients)
- Minimizes underfeeding (not meeting requirements – causing poor growth)
- Reduces overall diet cost per pig
- Reduces nutrient excretion
- Biggest impact is from single to 2-phase program
- Additional phases improve profitability and reduce nutrient excretion
- Impact of each additional phase decreases with increasing number of phases
- Number of diets is a practical decision
Evaluating Economics
- Base price of ingredients is important
- The cheapest diet is not always the best
- Evaluate cost/lb of gain
- Many opportunities to evaluate and adjust diets
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