A diet fit for a pig: seven basic rules

Summary

When a pig is fed a proper diet there are benefits to the pig in terms of its health and well being; and for the business manager there are benefits in feed use efficiency, good pig growth rates and better profitability.

The basic principles of pig nutrition have been simplified to 7 basic rules.

Topics include:

• outdoor pigs need more than just pasture to survive
• cereal grains must be processed
• one diet does not suit all pigs
• feed a balanced ration
• water should be available at all times and readily accessible for all age groups
• do not feed prohibited substances (swill) to pigs
• check for hazardous substances in feed