Different feeding systems: pros and cons

Feeding systems for swine involve both feed type and form, as well as how it is supplied to the pigs. In some parts of the world, feed is delivered in dry form, where the cereal grain has been ground and mixed with other dry ingredients to form a complete feed. In other areas of the world feed via a liquid feed system is the popular choice. Every system and feed form and feeder type must be managed differently and has its pros and cons. 

Pellet VS mash
Heat-treated and pelleted feed supplied through dry feed dispensers without water supply in several tests was shown to give statistically better feed utilisation compared to mash feed. The best feed utilisation was obtained with finely ground feed that was heat-treated and pelleted. It is important to always be aware of especially gut health when choosing the coarseness of the grinding. The balance between grinding and optimal gut health will differ from one herd to another but our general recommendation for grinding can be found here.

Liquid feeding VS Dry feeding
Restrictive liquid feeding provides good opportunities for regulating feed intake compared to ad libitum dry feeding systems. Liquid feeding requires enough feeding places for all pigs. Find the feed space requirements for each animal group here.

When using tube feeding dispensers, single animal feeding automates with water or liquid feeding in short troughs, and feed intake will often be high this can though have an undesirable effect on feed utilization. Feed utilisation can be improved by making some restrictions on feed intake in systems designed for ad libitum feeding, this should though be approached with caution as a negative side effect can be behavioural problems among the pigs if the feeding dispenser is empty or the breaks between feedings are too long.

Phase feeding
Phase feeding will follow the nutritional need of the pigs as they grow. Using one type of feed, will often under-supply specific nutrients at the beginning of the growth period. By changing the feed as the pigs grow the nutritional needs can be optimised accurately to support each growth stage. The content of nutrients per energy unit can be decreased slowly as the pigs grow. Thus, the average nutrient concentration is optimised which decreases the feed costs.

Usage Rate of Feed Ingredients

Diet formulation involves an accurate knowledge of the energy level and nutrient composition of feed ingredients. In addition, it is important to realize that some feed ingredients contain elements that, if fed in excess, can decrease growth and can impact carcass composition and quality.

The below table shows the advised maximum percentage of selected feed ingredients. An extended list can be found here.

Feeding and the influence on health

Any transition throughout a pig’s life can influence production and health. When pigs transition from a piglet diet to a slaughter pig diet it is often connected with a simultaneous physical transferral from a weaner unit to a slaughter pig unit. This can entail a mild stress reaction in the pigs, as the intestinal flora needs to adjust and stabilise to the new feed and environment. If a disease is latent among the pigs, the transition may influence the progress, why any stress factor should always be at an absolute minimum.

Diarrhoea is a health issue that may occur during the transition. When transitioning to a high protein slaughter pig diet the amounts of non-digested protein entering the hindgut of the pigs increases. As nitrogen from the undigested feed protein will be fermented in the hindgut it may create an environment in which pathogenic bacteria can proliferate, which may lead to diarrhoea and reduced intestinal health

Several solutions are available to withstand or reduce the issue:

• Reduce the content of crude protein feed.
  • Reducing crude protein can reduce the risk of diarrhoea and may have beneficial effects on intestinal health by improving intestinal morphology.
• Add 0.5-1.0 per cent organic acids
  • Adding formic acid, lactic acid or a dry product of organic acids can reduce the negative effect of pathogenic bacteria in the gut. Always ensure that the use of organic acids follows local legislation and is carried out according to the directions for use given by the manufacturer.
• Ensure a composition of raw materials which does not compromise gut health.
  • Follow the advised maximum content of feed ingredients and optimise the feeding according to the pig’s growth stage.

Pigs can become infected and act as reservoirs of Salmonella. The risk of salmonella can increase in case of malfunctioning in the slurry system and/or if the internal biosecurity is not optimised.

The following solutions can help decrease or remove the risk of salmonella:

• Good biosecurity and external protection of the herd.
  • Adding some organic acid to the feed thereby lowers the pH value.
  • Always ensure that the use of organic acids follows local legislation and is carried out according to the directions for use given by the manufacturer.

The on-farm feeding strategy can affect the gut health of pigs either positively or in an undesirable way. Ensuring growth without compromising gut health is important for productivity and the overall economy.

The feeding strategy, feed composition, grinding degree and grinding approach all affect gut health, and the effect of each element is different from one herd to another, why it is important to follow and adjust according to the production results and general health status in the herd.