New system in development stage | Feed savings could average $8 per pig
BANFF, Alta. —Feeding pigs individually formulated diets could help them grow better and save money, but the practice of precision feeding is not yet a reality.
Canadian and Spanish scientists are working to develop a computerized feeding system that can assess how much each animal needs to eat as it grows.
Agriculture Canada researcher Candido Pomar says the concept is in the early stages, but scientists already know that most pigs receive more nutrients than they need and the excess gets lost in excrement.
With feed costs making up 65 to 70 percent of a hog farm’s expenses, adjusting the rations could be a saving of around $8 per pig, said Pomar, who works at the department’s research centre in Lennoxville, Que.
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He told the recent Banff Pork Seminar that pigs are typically raised in large groups and receive the same feed, even though nutrient requirements vary greatly among the individuals.
“If you feed by the average, only half the pigs will get what they need,” said Pomar.
His research has found that 82 percent of pigs receive more protein than they need for maintenance and growth.
“We are feeding pigs too much protein,” he said.
Tests showed that feeding pigs daily tailored diets reduced nitrogen and phosphorus intake by 25 and 29 percent, respectively. The material in their excrement was reduced by 38 percent.
Precision feeding could give each animal what it needs to grow and then adjust the rations as the pig matures.
“That is a change in the way we are feeding pigs,” Pomar said.
“In precision feeding, we are talking about nutrient requirement as a dynamic process that changes day by day. It depends what the pig is doing.”
Most rations are calculated on the basis that three kilograms of protein are needed to make one kg of body protein. In Pomar’s project, the researchers needed two kg of protein to make one kg of body protein.
The system identifies each pig when it puts its head into the feeder. The computer then blends two or more premixes to deliver small meals providing the right amount of nutrition.
Pomar said coming up with the optimal diet is difficult, and im-proved measures are needed to estimate individual requirements.
To do that, the study weighed pigs every two weeks, assessed body composition four times and used X-ray equipment to measure total body fat and lean ratios.
He said the system must be easy to use on the farm, even though it is a complex technology. It must also be cost effective and reliable.
