What are the nutritional characteristics of green feed for pigs

  Green succulent feed refers to non-starchy root tubers, tubers, melons and fruits, and similar materials with a natural moisture content above 60%, such as green vegetables, green grass, and tree leaves. In addition to containing other nutrients, this type of feed mainly supplies various vitamin nutrients. Farmers and small-scale pig farms can omit multivitamins from the diet.

  (1) Leafy vegetables There are many kinds of leafy vegetables that can be used as pig feed. The more widely distributed and more commonly cultivated leafy vegetables mainly include cabbage, bitter lettuce, Swiss chard, and water spinach. Their dry matter crude protein content is as high as 15.8%-20.3%, and the starch and sugar content is 41.8%-51.8%. These vegetables should be fed raw, not cooked, because cooking them easily causes nitrite poisoning.

  (2) Green grasses They are divided into two major categories: cultivated and wild.

  1. Cultivated green grasses: mainly leguminous plants, such as alfalfa, sweet clover, Chinese milk vetch, and hairy vetch. Their dry matter protein content is 14.9%-28.4%, and nitrogen-free extract is 37.3%-45.1%. Other nutrients are also very rich.

  2. Wild grasses: there are more than a hundred species that can be eaten by pigs, such as wild amaranth, cocklebur, dandelion, bitter lettuce, purslane, kalimeris, wild peas, shepherd's purse, and plantain. Wild vegetables have less moisture than cultivated plants and also less crude protein in the dry matter, while crude fiber and nitrogen-free extract are higher. The nutrient content in the dry matter of some grasses is similar to that of alfalfa.

  (3) Aquatic plants Plants in rivers, lakes, and ponds belong to aquatic plants, such as water lettuce, water hyacinth, and duckweed. Their moisture content is extremely high, reaching 90%; dry matter is only 10%; but crude protein content can reach 15%-20%.

  (4) Root tubers, tubers, and melons The moisture content is as high as 70%-90%, the starch and sugar content in the dry matter is 60%-85%, the crude fiber content is low, and crude protein accounts for 10%-12% of the dry matter. This type of feed includes carrots, sugar beets, sweet potatoes, potatoes, Jerusalem artichokes, turnips, radishes, pumpkins, and so on.