TRAINING THE PIGLETS FOR FEED

In this post, you can learn more on how feed affects the guts.

If you want more practical advice for zinc-free weaning, you can download your guide for free here.

FEED TRAINING OF PIGLETS

The piglets need to learn how to eat before weaning, so you prevent the pigs from stagnating in the weaner section.

Feed training should accustom the gut to solid feed digestion and teach the piglet what to eat when the sow’s milk is gone.

Start feeding the piglets on day seven after farrowing. The rule is a little – but often.

Make regular routines and feed in the morning, after morning coffee, before lunch, after the lunch break, and before you go home.

A total of five daily feedings. Routines make feeding easier to remember, and you avoid postponing the task.

Learn how the feed affects the guts - feeding after farrowing

Learn how the feed affects the guts - feeding pr day

THE PIGLETS LEARN FROM THE SOW

Start by feeding an amount equivalent to feed fitting into a child’s palm.

For the first few days, the feed should be placed near the sow’s head so she can reach some of it. The piglet learns from the sow and will start messing with the feed when the sow does.

After a few days, the smell and taste of the feed on the floor are associated with the smell and taste of feed in the troughs. And so, the piglet seeks the trough. If feed is left in the troughs, less is fed the next time.

It is a myth that the piglets’ feeding troughs should always be full.

Generally, the piglets should eat up between feedings. Otherwise, the feed will become dull and uninteresting.

FRESH FEED IN THE CORRIDOR

The feed should always be fresh and fragrant, as fresh feed increases the appetite and intake.

Therefore, the feed should never be stored in the weaning section but in the cooler corridors. This will help the feed to remain fresher for a longer period.

If you doubt whether the feed is fresh, then smell it. Fresh feed has a sweet aroma from the milk powder or concentrate.

FEED IN THE WEANER AND FARROWING SECTION

Ensure that the first feed the piglets encounter in the weaner section is the same as they received in the farrowing unit. This way, the piglets are already familiar with the taste and smell of the feed.

Using the same feed, you avoid the piglets having to learn something new at a time, where many other parameters are changing.s.

REGISTER FEED CONSUMPTION IN THE FARROWING UNIT

A rule of thumb is that each piglet must eat at least 400 grams of feed on average from day seven till day 25. Source: Danish Pig Research Center

If you want to know whether your piglets are eating enough, register the amount of feed used in the farrowing section once a month.

By dividing the feed consumption by the number of piglets, you get a rough idea of how much each piglet eats on average before weaning.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF WEANING FEED

Below are pictures of two piglets’ intestines. Both piglets have been trained with individual creep feeding and weaning feed. The piglets were slaughtered on day 10 after weaning, after which the intestines were examined under a microscope.

In image 1, you see the small intestine of a piglet fed with a standard diet containing refined soy protein.
In image 2, the piglet has been given the same diet, except that 10% of the soy protein has been replaced with fermented rapeseed (EP100i).

If you compare image 1 with image 2, you can see that the villus and the crypt are longer in picture 2. This means, that the intestine is better developed for piglets fed diet 2.

A longer villus means that the intestine has a larger absorption surface. And so the gut can make better use of the nutrients in the feed. As a result, the pig in image 2 will most likely be weaned with greater success than the pig in image 1. Even though they are the same age.

Learn how the feed affects the guts - examples of two intestines

STOMACH PH OF THE PIGLET

The piglet has been used to a low pH in the stomach during lactation because lactic acid bacteria from the sow’s milk have converted lactose to lactic acid. The lactic acid lowers the pH in the stomach to around 4, where fewer bacteria have chances of surviving.

At weaning, the piglets do not yet produce enough hydrochloric acid to keep the pH of the stomach down to 4.

Protein-rich feed increases the pH of the stomach. It reduces the digestibility of the feed because the enzyme pepsin is less effective at a high pH. Secondly, a high pH increases the risk of undigested protein ending up in the hindgut.

When zinc is phased out, some pig producers reduce the amount of protein or add acidifiers to the feed. Another strategy is to choose a protein supplement that contributes to a low pH in the pig’s stomach. This way, you can maintain a high protein content and save acids in the weaning feed.

The value that you and your feed advisor should look for is called ABC-4 (Acid Binding Capacity). The ABC-4 value shows how much acid (measured in Meq/per kilo feed) is needed to reduce the pH in a kilogram of feed to pH4.

Want to know more about ABC-4 values? Click HERE.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Download the guide with tips for healthy pigs and sows.

MORE TIPS

TRAINING THE PIGLETS FOR FEED

COMPARE YOUR PRICE FOR SOY PROTEIN IN THE WEANER FEED

How to plan the daily routine in the sections

HOW TO PLAN THE DAILY ROUTINES IN THE WEANING SECTION

SAVE TIME WHEN GROUPING THE PIGS

Start by the sow and get healthier weaners

BEGIN WITH THE SOW FOR HEALTHIER WEANERS

Dont forget to check the water in the weaner section

REMEMBER TO CHECK THE WATER IN THE WEANER SECTION

HOW TO USE THE ABC-VALUE TO IMPROVE YOUR WEANING FEED

Losing time and money on hard water for the pigs?

LOSING TIME AND MONEY ON HARD WATER FOR YOUR PIGS?

HOW TO FEED THE PIGS AFTER WEANING

Get the right amount of protien in the weaning feed

ACHIEVE THE CORRECT AMOUNT OF PROTEIN IN THE WEANING FEED

Hvordan tarmsundhed bidrager til mere mælk hos soen

HOW TO INCREASE YOUR SOWS MILK YIELD

MORE UNIFORM AND VITAL SUCKLINGS

ABOUT EUROPEAN PROTEIN

European Protein is a Danish family-owned protein producer. We work to promote health and productivity for animals through functional and sustainable plant proteins. The company was founded in 2011 and has protein factories in Denmark, Ukraine and the US.