How to cleverly use green fodder for raising pigs in summer and autumn?

In late summer and early autumn, with abundant rain, there is plenty of green grass and green vegetables, growing well, with complete varieties and large quantities, making them good feed for livestock. Because there is more rain, green fodder is often harvested in excess at one time, and poor storage and preparation make it prone to mildew, often leading to nutrient loss and feed waste. Therefore, the methods for using green fodder must be well mastered.

Feeding green vegetables and green grass raw? As long as they are clean and free of mud and sand, they can all be fed raw to livestock. If they contain a lot of mud and sand, they must be washed and then crushed or pulped before feeding. Long grass and whole vegetables can also be fed raw directly, but they must not be fed on the ground, to avoid contamination by manure and urine or trampling by muddy hooves that causes feed waste. It is best to feed green fodder fresh from harvest, to avoid rot causing poisoning in livestock and poultry. However, feeding green fodder raw may cause livestock to become infected with parasitic diseases, so livestock fed raw green fodder should be dewormed regularly. Some green fodders, such as thistle with stiff hairs, have poor palatability and will affect livestock and poultry intake, so they are not suitable for raw feeding.

Cooking before feeding? Boiling green fodder with water before feeding is a common method of feeding pigs in rural areas. The advantage is that it can kill parasites or eggs attached to the green fodder, and it is easy to mix with concentrated feed and has good palatability, but most of the nutrients are already lost. Therefore, cooking before feeding is generally not advocated for green fodder. The cooking method is only suitable for beans, tofu residue, pumpkin, potato, or green vegetables with stiff hairs, etc. Boiling can destroy harmful substances such as trypsin inhibitor in bean feed, and can improve the palatability and harmful substances of pumpkin and potato. When boiling, use high heat, stir frequently, do not cover the pot, and it is best to add a little vinegar to promote the volatilization of harmful substances. Boil and feed immediately, and do not feed overnight food, to avoid causing nitrite poisoning.

Fermenting before feeding? Fermenting green fodder before feeding it to livestock is an effective way to improve feed palatability and nutritional value. Generally, wash and chop wild grass, wild vegetables, tree leaves, vegetable leaves, and stems and vines, etc., put them into a water pool or vat, press down layer by layer, and when it is 80% full, cover it well with a straw curtain, press stones on top, and after the green fodder sinks, fill it with clean water so that the feed is isolated from air, and after continuing to ferment for one day it can be taken out to feed pigs. If it is mixed with bran for fermentation, the effect is even better, as it can both remove off-flavors and increase palatability, but it cannot be stored for long. When the feed turns sour, it can be rinsed with water before feeding. Feed that is too sour must not be fed to pregnant sows, to prevent miscarriage.

Soaking in water before feeding? This is suitable for some feeds that livestock do not particularly like to eat, such as tree leaves of poplar, willow, hazel, apricot, oak, etc., which have strange odors or contain a lot of tannins. After soaking in water, the astringent taste and other strange odors can be removed, and livestock will then like to eat them.

Ensiling before feeding? Ensiling green grass, green vegetables, tree leaves, etc., can preserve them for a long time. If 0.5% to 1% urea can be added during ensiling, it can further increase the protein content needed by cattle and sheep. After ensiling, green fodder can make the grass texture softer, improve silage quality, carry a sour fragrance, enhance the appetite of cattle and sheep, increase their intake, and the nutrients of the green fodder are also not easily destroyed. Note that pregnant livestock should not be fed too much, to avoid miscarriage; feeding a single type is not nutritionally complete, so it should be fed together with other feeds to balance nutrition; do not mix rotten grass or rotten vegetables into the silage, to avoid causing poisoning.

Sun-drying before feeding? Drying or sun-drying green grass harvested before it goes to seed is the best forage for livestock to eat through the winter. High-quality hay can replace concentrated feed; measurements show that the nutritional value of 2 kg of hay is equivalent to 1 kg of concentrated feed. Drying green grass in the air or sun is the simplest preservation method. Spread the cut fresh grass thinly on the ground, and turn it with a fork 1 to 2 times every day. After 1 to 2 days it can be dried. Stack it as you dry it, and prevent rain and moisture, so as to ensure good hay with a grass fragrance. Sun-dried grass can also be ground into grass meal for feeding.