Detailed Explanation of Stage Division and Feed Amounts at Each Stage in Large-Scale Pig Farming
Stage Division and Feed Amounts at Each Stage in Large-Scale Pig Farming
The nutritional level of feed plays a key role in driving the entire livestock industry by maximizing the production potential of fed animals. In the pig farming industry's transition from traditional extensive, household-based rearing to modern intensive, large-scale rearing, the proportion of feed costs has increased. Large-scale pig farms generally65%~80%. However, feed waste caused by farm management, design, construction, purchase and use of facilities and equipment, and human factors is astonishing. In particular, determining pig stage divisions, switching formula feed at different periods, and specifying feed amounts for frontline workers according to pig breed and developmental stage have become important management measures for large-scale pig farms to reduce invisible feed waste and unreasonable feed use. Having worked in pig production for many years and visited over a thousand pig farms, I deeply feel the need to standardize this issue so that pig farms can reduce feed usage and achieve better economic and social benefits.
1 Stage Division and Feed Amounts for Breeding Boars at Each Stage
The standards for the service period of breeding boars have two indicators: healthy, clear bloodline, conforming to the breed characteristics, and having completed all pre-mating immunizations: (1) 10 months of age; (2) body weight 110-125 kg/head. Annual feed amount is 876 kg/head. The annual feed amount can be adjusted according to season.
2 Stage Division and Feed Amounts for Replacement Pigs at Each Stage
The standards for the service period of replacement pigs have two indicators: healthy, clear bloodline, conforming to the breed characteristics, and having completed all pre-mating immunizations: (1) sows: 110-240 days of age, boars: 110-300 days of age; (2) body weight: sows: 100-110 kg, boars: 110-125 kg. Total feed amount for the whole period: sows 250 kg, boars: 310 kg.
3 Stage Division and Feed Amounts for Sows at Each Stage
The full cycle of a sow is calculated at 168 days, with 2.20 litters per year, and the annual feed amount is 995.70 kg/head. The entire reproductive period of a sow is divided into three stages: the open period, the gestation period, and the lactation period.
3.1 Open Period
The open period is 26 days, i.e., the stage from when the sow finishes nursing piglets to estrus and mating. Under normal circumstances, sows can come into estrus and be mated 4-7 days after weaning; during lactation, sows may be delayed or fail to conceive due to body condition, milk production, environmental conditions, etc. The daily amount for this period is 2.10 kg, and the total for the whole period is 50.40 kg.
3.2 Gestation Period
The gestation period is 114 days, i.e., the entire pregnancy. The total feed amount for the whole period is 262.20 kg/head, and it can be divided into early, middle, and late phases for feeding management. The feed amount is determined according to fetal development in the sow's uterus and the sow's own requirements. The average daily amount is fed at 2.30 kg/head.
4 Stage Division and Feed Amounts for Piglets at Each Stage
The piglet stage is divided into two stages: suckling and nursery. Feed amount is 35-40 kg/head.
4.1 Suckling Piglets
The suckling piglet stage refers to the period from birth to weaning, generally 21-35 days in large-scale pig farms. Taking 28-day weaning as an example, the feed amount is 1.00-3.50 kg. Liquid feed is best for suckling piglets, pelleted feed is second, and mash feed ranks last. Due to constraints such as facilities and equipment, rearing volume, staff quality, and labor load, large-scale pig farms commonly use pelleted feed. In large-scale pig farms in the three northeastern provinces, waste is astonishing when suckling piglets are given creep feed, and the actual feed intake of suckling piglets is very small, even less among free-range households. The main reasons are four factors: feed quality, environmental conditions, creep feeders, and feed replenishment, which are also important causes of negative growth and diarrhea in piglets after weaning.
4.2 Nursery Piglets
Nursery piglets refer to piglets from after weaning to the stage of transfer to growing-finishing. Rearing stage: 28-70 days of age; body weight stage: 8-30 kg/head. This is the most important stage in a pig's life and also an important period for immunization and prevention. At present, some pig farms do not pay attention to all aspects of this stage:
4.2.1 Environmental conditions: the optimal suitable temperature is 22-28°C. But in some pig farms the barn temperature is only 10-18°C, and some are even below 10°C; the optimal suitable relative humidity is: 65%-80%; good ventilation and suitable lighting.
4.2.2 Choosing poor-quality, cheap feed
4.2.3 The selection and use of feed do not match the actual stage. Sales personnel of a few feed companies, in order to make pig farms accept the feed they sell, mislabel products, causing continuous problems such as slow growth and diarrhea in pigs.
5 Growing-Finishing Period: divided into two stages, the growing period and the finishing period
5.1 Growing-period pigs refer to finishing pigs from the end of the nursery period to around 50 kg. They are reared during 70-110 days of age, with a feed amount of 45 kg/head.
5.2 Finishing-period pigs refer to finishing pigs from the end of the growing period to the market slaughter stage. Body weight is 50-130 kg, reared during 70-110 days of age, with a feed amount of 165 kg/head.
Specific explanations for each item in the table:
1 All feed amounts refer to complete formula feed
2 High-quality crude fiber feed can be appropriately added to replacement pig feed to satisfy satiety and future gestation needs
3 Boar feed should contain animal protein components
4 It is recommended to use high-grade complete formula pelleted feed for suckling piglets, ensuring creep feeding during the 7-14 day age stage
5 This stage division is a general classification and mid-range indicator
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Very well summarized, bookmarked. Thank you
--------------------------------------
Agree with the poster above, not bad, learned from it
--------------------------------------
Thank you to the original poster for sharing such good material, bookmarked, thank you
--------------------------------------
Thank you for your good post
[ts]zhangting_1110 added the following content on 2009-11-9 13:46[/ts]
Very good, thank you
--------------------------------------
Very detailed, good material. Assessment complete!
--------------------------------------
Let me raise a question, why is there no usage table?
--------------------------------------
Well summarized
--------------------------------------
Different breeds, environments, management levels, and feed ingredient designs affect usage amount and duration of use
Even sows of different parity have different requirements
--------------------------------------
First copy, then paste, haha~~~~
--------------------------------------
Very detailed, good material. Assessment complete!
Xu Yunjie 2008 added the following content on 2009-11-26 13:23
Very detailed, good material. Assessment complete!
--------------------------------------
26 days for the open period is not right, is it? Is it too many?
Write out how it was calculated and show it
I think it should be 7+21*(1-85%)=10.15 days
1 Stage Division and Feed Amounts for Breeding Boars at Each Stage
The standards for the service period of breeding boars have two indicators: healthy, clear bloodline, conforming to the breed characteristics, and having completed all pre-mating immunizations: (1) 10 months of age; (2) body weight 110-125 kg/head. Annual feed amount is 876 kg/head. The annual feed amount can be adjusted according to season.
2 Stage Division and Feed Amounts for Replacement Pigs at Each Stage
The standards for the service period of replacement pigs have two indicators: healthy, clear bloodline, conforming to the breed characteristics, and having completed all pre-mating immunizations: (1) sows: 110-240 days of age, boars: 110-300 days of age; (2) body weight: sows: 100-110 kg, boars: 110-125 kg. Total feed amount for the whole period: sows 250 kg, boars: 310 kg.
3 Stage Division and Feed Amounts for Sows at Each Stage
The full cycle of a sow is calculated at 168 days, with 2.20 litters per year, and the annual feed amount is 995.70 kg/head. The entire reproductive period of a sow is divided into three stages: the open period, the gestation period, and the lactation period.
3.1 Open Period
The open period is 26 days, i.e., the stage from when the sow finishes nursing piglets to estrus and mating. Under normal circumstances, sows can come into estrus and be mated 4-7 days after weaning; during lactation, sows may be delayed or fail to conceive due to body condition, milk production, environmental conditions, etc. The daily amount for this period is 2.10 kg, and the total for the whole period is 50.40 kg.
3.2 Gestation Period
The gestation period is 114 days, i.e., the entire pregnancy. The total feed amount for the whole period is 262.20 kg/head, and it can be divided into early, middle, and late phases for feeding management. The feed amount is determined according to fetal development in the sow's uterus and the sow's own requirements. The average daily amount is fed at 2.30 kg/head.
4 Stage Division and Feed Amounts for Piglets at Each Stage
The piglet stage is divided into two stages: suckling and nursery. Feed amount is 35-40 kg/head.
4.1 Suckling Piglets
The suckling piglet stage refers to the period from birth to weaning, generally 21-35 days in large-scale pig farms. Taking 28-day weaning as an example, the feed amount is 1.00-3.50 kg. Liquid feed is best for suckling piglets, pelleted feed is second, and mash feed ranks last. Due to constraints such as facilities and equipment, rearing volume, staff quality, and labor load, large-scale pig farms commonly use pelleted feed. In large-scale pig farms in the three northeastern provinces, waste is astonishing when suckling piglets are given creep feed, and the actual feed intake of suckling piglets is very small, even less among free-range households. The main reasons are four factors: feed quality, environmental conditions, creep feeders, and feed replenishment, which are also important causes of negative growth and diarrhea in piglets after weaning.
4.2 Nursery Piglets
Nursery piglets refer to piglets from after weaning to the stage of transfer to growing-finishing. Rearing stage: 28-70 days of age; body weight stage: 8-30 kg/head. This is the most important stage in a pig's life and also an important period for immunization and prevention. At present, some pig farms do not pay attention to all aspects of this stage:
4.2.1 Environmental conditions: the optimal suitable temperature is 22-28°C. But in some pig farms the barn temperature is only 10-18°C, and some are even below 10°C; the optimal suitable relative humidity is: 65%-80%; good ventilation and suitable lighting.
4.2.2 Choosing poor-quality, cheap feed
4.2.3 The selection and use of feed do not match the actual stage. Sales personnel of a few feed companies, in order to make pig farms accept the feed they sell, mislabel products, causing continuous problems such as slow growth and diarrhea in pigs.
5 Growing-Finishing Period: divided into two stages, the growing period and the finishing period
5.1 Growing-period pigs refer to finishing pigs from the end of the nursery period to around 50 kg. They are reared during 70-110 days of age, with a feed amount of 45 kg/head.
5.2 Finishing-period pigs refer to finishing pigs from the end of the growing period to the market slaughter stage. Body weight is 50-130 kg, reared during 70-110 days of age, with a feed amount of 165 kg/head.
Specific explanations for each item in the table:
1 All feed amounts refer to complete formula feed
2 High-quality crude fiber feed can be appropriately added to replacement pig feed to satisfy satiety and future gestation needs
3 Boar feed should contain animal protein components
4 It is recommended to use high-grade complete formula pelleted feed for suckling piglets, ensuring creep feeding during the 7-14 day age stage
5 This stage division is a general classification and mid-range indicator
--------------------------------------
Very well summarized, bookmarked. Thank you
--------------------------------------
Agree with the poster above, not bad, learned from it
--------------------------------------
Thank you to the original poster for sharing such good material, bookmarked, thank you
--------------------------------------
Thank you for your good post
[ts]zhangting_1110 added the following content on 2009-11-9 13:46[/ts]
Very good, thank you
--------------------------------------
Very detailed, good material. Assessment complete!
--------------------------------------
Let me raise a question, why is there no usage table?
--------------------------------------
Well summarized
--------------------------------------
Different breeds, environments, management levels, and feed ingredient designs affect usage amount and duration of use
Even sows of different parity have different requirements
--------------------------------------
First copy, then paste, haha~~~~
--------------------------------------
Very detailed, good material. Assessment complete!
Xu Yunjie 2008 added the following content on 2009-11-26 13:23
Very detailed, good material. Assessment complete!
--------------------------------------
26 days for the open period is not right, is it? Is it too many?
Write out how it was calculated and show it
I think it should be 7+21*(1-85%)=10.15 days