How To Formula Pig Feed Ingredients

In modern animal husbandry, pig raising industry occupies an important position. With the increasing demand for pork, the scale and efficiency of pig raising have become the focus of farmers’ attention. Among the costs of raising pigs, feed costs account for about 70%, which makes the reasonable preparation of pig feed become a key link to reduce the cost of farming and improve the efficiency of farming. So, how to formulate a high-quality and economic pig feed? Let’s go deeper.

Types of pig feed

Full-Price Feed

Complete feed consists of four parts: protein, energy feed, roughage and additives. Protein provides the necessary amino acids for the growth of pigs, energy feeds provide the energy needed to maintain life activities and growth, roughage helps the digestion of pigs, and additives supplement a variety of trace elements and vitamins, etc. Most of the full-price feeds available in the market have been processed to ensure the quality and economy of pig feed. Most of the full-price feeds in the market are processed by machines and can be directly used for feeding, which can fully meet the nutritional requirements of pigs and provide convenience for farmers.

Concentrates

Concentrates are premixed with protein ingredients and additives, and need to be used in conjunction with energy feed. Concentrates are a good choice for large-scale farmers who have their own energy feeds. They are easy to use and have a wide variety, and there are more than 50 different types of concentrates on the market today.

Premixes

Premix is short for additive pre-mixed feed, which is made by mixing all kinds of vitamins, additives or carriers according to certain requirements. Although premix itself can not be directly used as feed, but it is an indispensable part of the preparation of high-quality pig feed.

Principles Of Pig Feed Allocation

Wisdom Of Raw Material Selection

1. Adapt to local conditions: Farmers should make full use of local raw material resources, which can not only reduce transportation costs, but also ensure the freshness of raw materials. For example, in areas where corn is abundant, corn can be used as the main energy feed ingredient.

2. Variety: Choosing a variety of raw materials can play a nutritional complementary role between them. A single feed ingredient can not meet the overall nutritional needs of pigs, a variety of ingredients with a more balanced nutrition for pigs.

3. Concerned about the characteristics: to understand the palatability of raw materials to ensure that pigs like to eat. At the same time, we should pay attention to the content of toxic and harmful ingredients in the raw materials, as well as the existence of pollution and mold and other conditions, to avoid affecting the health of pigs due to raw material problems.

Processing And Modulation Of The Main Points

1. Crushing of raw materials: In addition to wheat bran, rice bran, fish meal, bone meal and other powdered raw materials, corn, beans, rice and other substrate raw materials should be properly crushed so that pigs can better digest. Raw soybeans must be fried or cooked before use, otherwise the anti-nutritional factors in them will affect the growth of pigs.

2. Different processing: powdered raw materials and sub-solid raw materials have different requirements in processing and modulation, farmers need to be reasonable according to the characteristics of the raw materials.

The Pursuit Of Comprehensive Nutrition

1. Nutritional standards: the protein and amino acids, energy, minerals and vitamins in the diet should meet the requirements of feeding standards. Only with comprehensive nutrition, pigs can grow healthily and improve breeding efficiency.

2. Complementary matching: Through diversified feed matching, the nutrients between various feeds complement each other to realize comprehensive and balanced nutrition.

Adjustment According To Feeding Standard

1. Difference in demand: Pigs with different production purposes, such as breeding pigs, fattening pigs, and pigs at different growth stages, have different needs for nutrients. For example, smaller pigs need more protein for growth, while larger pigs need more energy to gain weight.

2. Reasonable selection: According to the pig’s production purpose, age, weight and other factors, choose the appropriate feeding standard to formulate the diet to ensure that the pig gets proper nutrition.

Formulation Standard Of Pig Feed

Formulation For Small Pigs (Around 10 – 20 Kg)

1. Percentage of ingredients: corn meal 57%, soybean meal 20%, fish meal 5%, rice bran or wheat bran 15%, calcium phosphate 1%, shellac 0.5%, salt 0.35%, premix (containing trace elements, vitamins, non-nutritive additives, etc.) 1%.

2. Role of ingredients: corn meal provides energy, soybean meal and fish meal are high quality protein sources, rice bran or wheat bran helps digestion, calcium phosphate and shellac replenish calcium and phosphorus, salt regulates electrolyte balance, premix provides various trace elements and vitamins.

Formulation For Medium-Sized Pigs (Around 20 – 60 Kg)

1. Composition adjustment: corn meal 62%, soybean meal 20%, rice bran or wheat bran 15%, calcium phosphate 1.2%, shellac 0.8%, salt 0.35%, premix (containing trace elements, vitamins, non-nutritive additives, etc.) 1%. Compared with the formula for small pigs, the proportion of corn meal is increased to meet the increase in energy demand of medium-sized pigs; the content of calcium phosphate and shellac is also increased to meet the needs of bone growth of medium-sized pigs.

2. Reason for adjustment: As pigs grow, their nutritional requirements change, and the formula needs to be adjusted accordingly to ensure the healthy growth of pigs.

Formula For Large Pigs (Around 60 – 90 Kg)

1. Fattening characteristics: 70% corn meal, 15% soybean meal, 12% rice bran or wheat bran, 1.0% calcium phosphate, 0.8% shellac, 0.35% salt, 1% premix (containing trace elements, vitamins, non-nutritive additives, etc.). At this stage, the percentage of corn meal is further increased to provide more energy for fattening; the percentage of soybean meal is appropriately reduced because of the relatively lower protein demand of large pigs.

2. Satisfy the demand: such a formula can satisfy the large demand for energy of large pigs in the fattening stage, promote fat deposition, and improve the yield and quality of pork.

Pig Feed Pellet Making Process

Raw Material Moisture Control

1. Moisture standard: The moisture of raw materials used to make pig feed should not be higher than 10 – 12%. Excessive moisture will affect the quality of finished feed, easily lead to mold and deterioration of feed, and shorten the shelf life of feed.

2. Drying method: You can use dryer to quickly reduce the moisture of raw materials to the right level, or you can choose natural drying, but natural drying takes longer time and is easily affected by weather and other factors.

Crushing And Mixing Of Raw Materials

1. Combination of weighing and formula: Weigh all kinds of raw materials accurately in strict accordance with the formula to ensure that the nutritional composition of feed meets the requirements. This is the basis for making high-quality pig feed.

2. Selection of crushing method: either the raw materials can be crushed separately first and then mixed; or the mixture can be mixed first and then put the mixture into the crushing machine to be crushed. Which way to choose should be decided according to the actual production plan and equipment conditions.

3. The importance of crushing: crushing can make the raw materials become finer, conducive to the raw materials in the process of granulation paste, improve the efficiency and quality of granulation.

Granulation Process

1. Core equipment and principle: pig feed pellet mill is the core equipment for granulation, which will compress the crushed raw material mixture into granules. Through the action of the pelletizer, the shape and texture of the feed is changed, which is more convenient for storage, transportation and feeding.

2. Stage points: According to the nutritional requirements and digestive characteristics of pigs at different stages, adjust the formula and granulation process of feed. For example, the feed particles made for piglets should be finer, which is easy for piglets to feed and digest.

3. Parameter control: In the pelletizing process, the control of temperature, humidity and pressure is crucial. The temperature should be kept between 82°C – 88°C. If the temperature is too low, the raw materials cannot be fully pasted; if the temperature is too high, it will lead to the loss of nutrients. Moisture content should not exceed 10%, otherwise the pellets will be too hard, affecting pig feeding and digestion.

Pellet Cooling

1. Reason for cooling: The feed pellets just coming out from pig feed pellet mill are hot and soft, they need to be cooled to remove heat and moisture, so that the pellets will become dry and hard, which is convenient for storage and transportation.

2. Cooling equipment and subsequent processing: use special cooling equipment to cool the pellets, the cooled pellets can be put into bags for storage or directly transported to the market for sale.

Significant Advantages Of Pig Feed Pellets

In the pig raising industry, the choice of feed is directly related to the growth and development of pigs, the cost of farming and the ultimate economic benefits. With its unique advantages, pig feed pellets have gradually become the first choice of the majority of farmers. Below we will discuss several prominent advantages of pig feed pellets in depth.

Effectively Avoid Picky Eating Phenomenon

Pig feed pellets are made from a variety of raw materials according to a scientific formula, and the nutrition is comprehensive and balanced. Unlike powdered feeds, pigs can’t pick and choose their favorite foods in pellets and refuse to consume other ingredients. Pellets maintain uniformity during storage, transportation and feeding, which effectively reduces feed losses, which have been shown to be reduced by 8% – 10% with the use of pellets. This not only avoids feed wastage, but also ensures that pigs receive the full range of nutrients they need for healthy growth.

Significantly Higher Feed Returns

During the pelleting process of pig feed pellets, moisture, temperature and pressure work together to cause a series of physical and chemical reactions in the feed, resulting in the pasting of starch and the enhancement of enzyme activity. This allows pigs to better digest the feed, converting it more efficiently into weight gain. Feed conversion (i.e., rate of return) can be increased by 10% – 12% when pigs are fed pig feed pellets compared to powdered feeds. For fattening pigs, average daily weight gain can be increased by 4% and the feed-to-meat ratio reduced by 6%. This means that farmers can produce more pork with less feed, which greatly improves farming efficiency.

More Cost-Effective Storage And Transportation

Pelleting generally increases the bulk density of pig feed pellets by 40% – 100%. This change results in a significant reduction in the amount of space occupied by the same weight of feed, which reduces the amount of storage and lowers storage costs. In terms of transportation, the smaller volume and higher density also make it easier to transport, which can save a lot of transportation costs. Whether for long-term storage or long-distance transportation, pig feed pellets show obvious economic advantages.

Good Mobility And Easy Management

Many powdered feeds, especially fluffy feeds with low specific gravity, are prone to sticking in feed bins, especially those with added molasses, high fat or urea. Pig feed pellets, on the other hand, flow well and have few adhesion problems. This feature of pig feed pellets is especially important for farms that use automatic feeders for large-scale pig raising, which can ensure the smooth operation of the automatic feeding system, improve the efficiency of breeding management, and reduce the workload and error of manual operation.

Avoid Grading Of Raw Materials And Reduce Environmental Pollution

During the storage and transportation of powdered feed, due to the different volume and quality of various raw materials, it is easy to have automatic grading phenomenon, which will lead to uneven nutritional composition of feed. While pig feed pellets do not have the problem of raw material grading after being made, and the pellets are not easy to raise dust. During the feeding process, pig feed pellets pollute the air and moisture much less than powdered feed, which is not only conducive to keeping the breeding environment clean and hygienic, but also reduces the pollution of the surrounding environment, which is in line with the concept of sustainable development of breeding.

Effective Killing Of Salmonella

Salmonella is a kind of germ that has potential threat to both animal and human health, and will remain in animal tissues after being ingested by animals. Humans may experience gastrointestinal problems after consuming Salmonella-infected animals. Pig feed pellets can effectively kill Salmonella in the feed by steam high temperature tempering and then pelletizing during the production process, which guarantees the food safety of pork from the source and provides consumers with healthier pork products.

Summarize

The preparation of pig feed covers a number of key aspects such as category selection, formula design, raw material processing and production process. Reasonable selection of feed categories, strict adherence to the principles of configuration and formulation standards, and good control of every detail of the production process are of great significance to reduce pig costs and improve farming efficiency. Farmers only continue to learn and master the scientific method of pig feed preparation, in order to be invincible in the fierce competition in the market, to achieve sustainable development of the pig industry.