Detailed Guide to Pig Feeding with Spent Mushroom Substrate: Methods and Precautions

The spent mushroom substrate left after cultivating edible mushrooms contains large amounts of crude protein, fat and crude fiber. It is very nutritious, works well for feeding pigs, and is also a way to save on feed costs. The pig feeding technology using spent mushroom substrate is provided below:

1. Collection method: After the mushroom sticks, mushroom blocks or mushroom bricks have been harvested 3-4 times, spray them once with a 0.1% urea aqueous solution, cover them with plastic film for one week, and then they can be used as feed. When collecting the spent mushroom substrate, remove the blackened and moldy parts to prevent livestock from being poisoned after eating them.

2. Storage and processing: Sun-dry the collected mushroom sticks, mushroom blocks or mushroom bricks, or dry them in the shade in a ventilated place, then crush them into powder with a grinder.

3. Feeding method: First soak the crushed spent mushroom substrate in clean water. The soaking time is generally 20-24 hours in winter and spring; in summer and autumn it is generally 10-12 hours. The amount of spent mushroom substrate fed, according to the different stages such as piglets, growing pigs, adult pigs and open sows, accounts for 15%, 30% and 45% of the mixed concentrate respectively, and all can achieve obvious weight gain effects.

4. Feeding effect: According to practice, when pigs are fed a mixture of spent mushroom substrate and properly prepared concentrate, the feed-to-meat ratio is 3.5:1. After the pigs fed by this method are slaughtered and inspected, the meat is uniformly red, glossy, and the fat is white and tender, with the usual fragrant aroma of fresh pork, meeting food hygiene requirements.

5. Precautions: The spent mushroom substrate must be soaked before feeding to prevent livestock from having difficulty defecating after eating it.