What to Do When Feed Palatability Is Poor? A Full Breakdown of Improvement Methods
In pig farming, increasing feed intake can maximize meat production and meat quality. When feeding, measures should be taken to improve feed palatability so that pigs are willing to eat and actively consume feed, thereby increasing feed intake.
Use flavoring agents. Research shows that pigs have a very significant preference for sweet foods. A compound sweetener (containing 6.7% sodium saccharin plus other long-acting flavor enhancers and synergists) can increase piglet feed intake, but adding it at too high or too low a level is detrimental to the pig's feed intake. During the piglet growth stage (1-28 days), adding 150 mg/kg of the compound sweetener to the diet can achieve maximum daily feed intake, and at the same time achieve maximum daily weight gain at this stage. In addition, experiments have also shown that flavoring agents have antioxidant functions. As feed storage time extends, flavoring agents can effectively alleviate the degree of feed oxidation.
Prevent feed from becoming moldy and oxidizing. The following measures can be taken to prevent mold and oxidation: (1) The moisture content of feed entering storage should be controlled within a certain range, generally not exceeding 12%. Warehouse ventilation, heat insulation, and floor moisture-proofing must be properly handled, and relative humidity should be controlled below 60%. Too much humidity will cause mold growth and is also not conducive to the preservation of high-fat feed. (2) The optimum temperature for mold growth is 28-38°C, so warehouse temperature must be well controlled to prevent mold. Highly unsaturated fatty acids in feed are also prone to oxidative rancidity at higher temperatures. (3) Reasonably use some anti-mold powders and antioxidants to deal with some emergency cases of feed molding and rancidity, but this will affect the nutritional value of the feed, so long-term use is not recommended.
Reasonable processing. It has been reported that if ground grain feed is further made into pelleted feed, feed utilization can be increased by about 23%. During the pelletizing process, the feed undergoes steam treatment and high-pressure extrusion during pressing, causing feed grain cells to rupture and release intracellular substances, thereby increasing the nutritional components of the feed. At the same time, after feed is made into pellets, palatability is good, energy consumption during eating is reduced, and the feed can be made more uniform, which can prevent pigs from selectively eating only certain feed components.
Eliminate anti-nutritional factors. Anti-nutritional factors are the main factors restricting feed utilization. To reduce or eliminate the effects of anti-nutritional factors, various methods can be adopted. The main treatment methods include physical treatment, chemical treatment, breeding new varieties, and biological treatment. Most anti-nutritional factors are heat-labile, such as various protease inhibitors, lectins, anti-vitamin factors, etc., and can be denatured by heating. Source: Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Article address: http://www.xumuren.com/article-128312-1.html Content source: Xumuren website (http://www.xumuren.com)