Five Major Mistakes to Never Make When Fattening Pigs

Feeding Pigs Soybean Cake or Peanut Cake

Many pig farmers feed large amounts of soybean cake or peanut cake during the fattening stage, believing that this is the way to make pigs grow fast and their meat firm, but this is actually wrong. During the fattening stage, the pig's growth focus is on putting on fat, not building muscle, so large amounts of protein feed are not needed. If large amounts of protein feed are given during the fattening stage, the pig must remove the nitrogen-containing part of the protein in the gastrointestinal tract before the rest, which contains no nitrogen, can be converted into fat, but this deamination consumes extra energy. In addition, soybean cake or peanut cake contains large amounts of unsaturated fatty acids, and feeding too much of it can make the pig's fat soft and yellow; it will not firm up the meat at all, but instead lowers the quality of the meat.

Feeding Pigs Cooked Feed

Many rural pig farmers still use the feeding model of cooked feed for pigs, believing that pigs that eat cooked food put on fat easily, but this is not the case. After feed is cooked, almost all the vitamins are destroyed, and the protein in the feed ages and denatures. According to statistics, about 20% of the nutrients in feed are lost during cooking, and the nutrient loss in green feed is even greater. If it is left in the pot for a long time while simmering, nitrite poisoning can also occur at feeding time, causing the pigs to die.

Filling Big Bellies with Thin Slop

Some pig farmers feed pigs with water-mixed feed at a feed-to-water ratio of 1:8 to 10, or even thinner, and also supply the pigs with drinking water; this feeding method is very unfavorable for pig fattening. The disadvantages of feeding pigs with water-mixed feed are: it increases the energy needed for water metabolism in the pig's body and increases the burden on the kidneys; it dilutes the concentration of digestive juices, which is not conducive to the secretion of digestive juices; and it speeds up the passage of feed through the digestive tract, thereby lowering the feed's digestibility. In order to increase the pig's feed intake so that it eats more and grows faster, it is generally recommended to feed thick porridge-like feed at a feed-to-water ratio of 1:2, or to feed a moist raw mix at a feed-to-water ratio of 1:1. In addition, sufficient drinking water should be provided.

Feeding Pigs Swill Is the Most Economical

At present, a small number of pig farmers still feed pigs with swill and establish long-term cooperative relationships with restaurants. After the swill is transported home, it is stored in a built pool for use. In fact, swill contains many kinds of pathogenic microorganisms, which affect the pig's growth and development, and some are even fatal. In addition, when swill is stored, large numbers of pathogenic microorganisms multiply and can be spread by flies and other means, bringing losses to farmers. Pig farmers should stop feeding swill altogether.

Adding Antibiotics to Feed at Will

Some farmers, in order to control the occurrence of disease and promote pig growth, add antibiotics indiscriminately without clearly understanding the mechanism of action of antibiotics, posing a threat to food safety and human health. Farmers should establish a concept of safe production and add antibiotics in a targeted way.