Nutrient strategies
This manual will cover the fundamental nutrition recommendation, basic feeding strategies and feeding management for DanBred gilts and sows throughout all production phases.
The DanBred feeding manuals will give an introduction to evidence-based nutrition recommendations for DanBred genetics. The nutritional requirements are based on DanBred research and trials focusing on the knowledge which will help explore the full genetic potential of DanBred while securing both economic and sustainable performance for all DanBred customers.
The DanBred systems give you access to some of the best reproductive animals in the world, and now you can benefit from our unique knowledge of working in the pig pen. To fully utilise the genetic potential that DanBred offers, as well as ensure the best possible economic result, some fundamental production conditions must be met.
In this feed manual, we have chosen to focus solely on what is presented to the animals in the feeders, and therefore what needs to be consumed at each stage of life in order to meet their genetic potential. Getting your herds’ nutrition right represents the greatest opportunity to improve the profitability of your business.
In this manual, we talk about weaners, growers, finishers, gilts, sows and working boars.
The following table gives you a guide as to what size animal we are referring to:
| Weight Range | Age Range | |
|---|---|---|
| Gilts | 30+ kg | 9+ weeks |
| Sows | 170+ kg | 44+ weeks (first parity) |
| Piglets | 0-8 kg | 0 – 4 weeks |
| Weaners | 8 – 30 kg | 4 – 9 weeks |
| Growers | 30 – 60 kg | 9 – 15 weeks |
| Finishers | 60 – 100+ kg | 15 – 25 weeks |
| AI Boars | 65+ kg | 19+ weeks |
The full nutrient tables for DanBred genetics can be found here.
Supply Strategies and Nutrient Management for DanBred Genetics
The progress within DanBred genetics has resulted in very productive sows giving birth to large, uniform, fast-growing piglets with a genetic potential for optimal feed conversion, excellent lean meat as well as high growth rates. Achieving ultimate performance on-farm includes careful attention to the feeding levels as well as feed composition for today’s modern DanBred sow. The added effort will be rewarded in the farrowing unit and set a prime starting point on the road to releasing the genetic potential for continued high lifetime productivity.
When feeding DanBred sows the goal is to:
- Maintain high lifetime productivity and longevity
- Maximise the number of weaned piglets per litter
- Boost lactation yield and early piglet growth
- Reduce the number of non-productive days
DanBred delivers a highly prolific sow with superior litter potential and a strong total economic profit on wean-to-finish pigs.
| DanBred Target | DanBred Top 25% | DanBred Top 5 % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weaned per litter | > 15,5 piglets | > 16,5 piglets | > 18 piglets |
| Total born alive | > 18 piglets | >19 piglets | > 20 piglets |
| Stillborn | < 1.9 piglets | < 1.9 piglets | < 1.2 piglets |
| Pre-wean mortality | < 13 % | < 11 % | < 10 % |
| Farrowing percentage | > 89 % | > 91 % | > 92 % |
| Days from weaning to service | < 6 days | < 6 days | < 6 days |
Using corn as the only grain source
To fulfill the genetic potential of the DanBred genetics, management and correct feeding of the animals are of the utmost importance. Following and implementing the evidence based recommendations for DanBred pigs should be the first priority when working with DanBred animals. The nutritional recommendations that are presented is generally based on trails carried out using a combination of wheat and barley as the main grain source in the feed. This also means that in areas where a different feed composition is used compared to the general Danish based DanBred setup, we should be even more aware of how we adjust the feed components to utilise the full potential of the DanBred animals.
It is common practice to use corn as the primary, or only grain source in many regions. Because of this, we have teamed up with external nutritionists with vast experience in feed formulations with different grain sources to be clear on how adjustments of the feed composition should be made in these areas. It became very clear that areas using a corn-soy based diet should make adjustments of the main nutrients compared to standard requirements.
Corn-soy based diets will be diets with a greater energy and nutrient density, which may result in a decreased voluntary consumption by the animals. And this is why the nutritional requirements in corn-soy based diets below should be implemented in these regions.
| Energy per kg feed | Gilts 30-60 kg | Gilts 60-100 kg | Gilts 110-150 kg | Finishers 30-100 kg | Gestating sows | Lactating sows |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MJ ME/Kg feed | 13,56 | 13,46 | 13,50 | 13,85 | 13,08 | 13,69 |
| MJ NE/kg feed | 9,90 | 9,90 | 9,80 | 10,10 | 9,90 | 9,60 |
| FU/kg | 1,11 | 1,10 | 1,05 | 1,13 | 1,07 | 1,11 |
| Basic nutrients, digestible per kg | ||||||
| SID protein, min. g/kg | 139 | 124 | 79 | 143 | 100 | 135 |
| Lysine, SID g/kg | 8,5 | 6,6 | 4,3 | 9,3 | 4,4 | 8,5 |
| Lysine, SID g/MJ ME | 2,649 | 2,079 | 1,1413 | 2,2813 | 1,428 | 2,612 |
| Digestible Phosporus g/kg | 3,2 | 3,2 | 2,8 | 2,6 | 2,2 | 3,3 |
| Calcium, g/kg (at 0 FTU Phytase) | 8,27 | 7,76 | 7,4 | 8,0 | 7,4 | 8,8 |
Using the nutritional recommendations in these regions for corn-soy based diets, it is also important to make sure that general recommendations on feeding curves and management routines are followed to release the full potential of the DanBred animals.