Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
ments that can add high-quality protein and/or fat to your pigs' diets. Meat and bone meal and
fish meal are leftover byproducts from slaughter and processing.
Tankage
is a liquid product
from rendered (cooked down) animal carcasses. When it comes to palatability, pigs seem to
prefer the taste of soybean meal to other protein supplements. Meat and bone meal, fish meal,
and tankage are good sources of phosphorus and calcium. They can be used for up to half the
necessary protein in your pigs' diets.
Pigs are fond of milk products, and these products can supply many of the nutrients missing
from grains. Milk products are easy to digest, and they are especially good for young growing
pigs. Dried whey and dried skim milk are typically added to the starter mix diets of young
weaned pigs in order to improve growth performance. They can be fed until the pigs weigh
about 30 pounds. Lactose is milk sugar and dried whey contains 70 percent lactose; dried
skim milk is made up of 50 percent lactose. Whey contains lactose, lactoglobulin protein,
lactalbumin, water-soluble vitamins, and minerals. Dried skim milk has a similar content but
has less lactose and more milk proteins. Dried skim milk usually costs more than whey and is
reserved for younger pigs. If you have a cow or two on your property, you easily may be able
to spare some milk for your pigs. You still can give milk to your adult pigs though they will
not benefit from the milk as much as young pigs. Molasses often is added to a pig's grain mix
both to improve palatability and to help keep dust down. Molasses is high in iron, but it is also
high in calcium, which prevents the pig's body from absorbing the iron.
Commercial Feeds
If you are starting to think that feeding your pigs is too complicated, there are good commer-
cial swine feeds available at feed stores. They come in many different formulas: for starting
weaning pigs, for shoats, for growers, for finishing hogs, for pregnant sows, and for breeding.
Some areas of the country have more choices in feed available to them than others, but com-
mercial swine feed is usually available wherever livestock feed is sold. If you can locate a
good feed store, they likely will carry some of these brands, or they may be able to order them
for you. If you do not live near a feed store, you may be able to find a distributor who sells
online or over the telephone if you are willing to buy in bulk.
Organic feed
According to the latest reported figures from the National Ag Statistics Service of the USDA
in 2010, for the year 2008, there were 8,940 hogs and pigs certified organic in December 2008