Scientific Feeding Methods and Technical Points for Pigs

Scientific pig farming advocates raw feeding, which causes less nutrient loss, improves pig-farming labor efficiency, and reduces pig-farming production costs. There are many raw-feeding methods: feed can be prepared as dry powder feed, wet mixed feed, water feed, and pellet feed. Pellet feed is made by pressing mixed feed or compound feed into strip-shaped pellets of different sizes with a feed pellet machine. Feeding pigs with pellet feed is simple and can also prevent pigs from being selective about feed, ensuring the completeness of feed nutrition and the palatability of the feed. The specific methods are as follows:

First, restricted feeding. The pig's daily ration is controlled at a certain amount and fed in separate meals and portions. Restricted feeding works well for open (non-pregnant) and pregnant sows, boars, and growing-finishing pigs (late stage), but attention should be paid to fixed timing, fixed quantity, and fixed quality.

Fixed timing means fixing the feeding time each day; generally piglets are fed 4 to 6 times a day, lactating sows 3 to 4 times, and other pigs 2 to 3 times. Fixed quantity means fixing the amount of feed for each day and each feeding; the amount given should be stable and must not be sometimes more and sometimes less, or suddenly more and suddenly less. Fixed quality means strict requirements should be placed on the quality of pig feed, with frequent inspection to ensure the feed is hygienic, non-toxic, and of stable quality; moldy and spoiled feed must not be fed. The types of pig feed in the ration should not be changed too greatly, and any changes should be made gradually.

Second, unrestricted feeding. This means letting pigs eat freely; generally, compound feed for 1 week or several days is placed in an automatic feeder so that pigs can eat freely without restriction, to meet the pigs' nutritional needs. Unrestricted feeding is usually adopted for piglets, growing-finishing pigs (early stage), and lactating sows to fully tap the pigs' growth and production potential. It can increase the pigs' weight-gain speed or milk yield and can also reduce pig-farming production costs.