Should pigs be given salt? Daily feeding rates for pigs

Salt - component diet of all kinds of animals. In pigs at a dose of 0.2-0.5 g per 1 kg of body weight, it improves the appetite and absorption of nutrients that have entered the body. But if it is given in excessively large doses or at animal levels after prolonged salt starvation, then all kinds of animals, especially pigs and poultry, develop salt poisoning. Among fur-bearing animals, mink and sable are the most sensitive to salt poisoning; arctic foxes, foxes and raccoons react somewhat weaker to table salt.

Etiology. In some household plots, peasant farms, and sometimes even agricultural enterprises, animals suffer from chronic salt starvation, as a result of the improper use of table salt, when it is put in feeders or left on walking yards in the form of licks, and also when the owners do not add the prescribed norm of table salt to the diets.

Pet owners need to know that lethal doses of table salt are: for cattle 1.5-3kg, for horses 1-1.5kg, for sheep and pigs 125-250g, for dogs 30-60g per head, for animals 3- 4g per 1 kg of weight and for medium-weight chickens 4.5g. At the same time, if the diet of gilts contains an insufficient amount of minerals, then poisoning and death of piglets occurs at a salt dose of 0.5-2 g per 1 kg of weight, and foals - at 1.5-2.5 g. And vice versa, with a sufficiently high supply of gilts with minerals, gilts died at a salt dose of 9-13 g, and foals - 6 g per 1 kg of weight.

In animals, salt poisoning occurs when using large pieces of crystalline salt, poorly dissolved in water, and in pigs, when feeding salted fish, pickled cucumbers and tomatoes, waste from canteens, cafes and restaurants, when feeding herring and meat pickles. When feeding brines, poisoning occurs not only as a result of their high salt concentration, but also due to the presence of toxic products of protein breakdown (ptomanna) of the feed.

Pathogenesis. The mechanism of action of sodium chloride on the body of an animal is reduced to a sharp violation of the ionic composition of the blood. There is a predominance of monovalent cations (Na, K) over divalent (Ca, Mg) causes overexcitation of the nervous system. In this respect, the action of divalent and monovalent ions resembles the action of mediators (acetylcholine and adrenaline).

In case of fatal poisoning of pigs, the sodium content in their blood increases by 1.5-2 times, and in erythrocytes - by 3-5 times (up to 150-280 mg%); the concentration of chlorine in plasma and erythrocytes is 1.5-2 times higher. In all organs there is an accumulation of sodium and chlorine. Hemoglobin during the transfer of oxygen from the lungs to the tissues is in combination with potassium. In case of salt poisoning, excess sodium replaces potassium in hemoglobin, which leads to a violation of the function of hemoglobin in the body, on the basis of which oxygen starvation of tissues develops, to metabolic disorders, pulmonary edema and death of the poisoned animal from asphyxia.

Clinical picture. Symptoms of acute poisoning occur in animals shortly after ingestion of food and are accompanied by:

Pigs symptoms of salt poisoning usually appear after 12-24 hours and are characterized by thirst, salivation, rapid breathing and muscle tremors. The body temperature rises. During excitation, poisoned pigs make arena movements, stumble upon obstacles. During a clinical examination, the veterinarian notes dilated pupils, vision is weakened or completely lost, coordination of movements is impaired, redness or blueness of the skin is observed. Within 3-5 minutes, tetanic and clonic convulsions in the animal are replaced by depression. As a result of paresis of the pharynx, the pig refuses to feed and drink. In poisoned animals, vomiting is possible, a lot of saliva is released from the mouth. Diarrhea is observed, sometimes we find blood in the feces. Cardiac activity is weakened, the pulse is weak, frequent, breathing is tense. Poisoned animals take the pose of a sitting dog. The death of animals is preceded by their coma. In case of non-fatal poisoning, animals recover within a few days.

In cattle salt poisoning occurs in the form of gastroenteritis with increased thirst, vomiting and diarrhea. In cases of poisoning with herring brine, these symptoms are joined by gnashing of teeth and trismus of masticatory muscles. Pregnant cows are aborted. After a normal calving or abortion, the uterus may fall out in a cow.

Sheep salt poisoning is accompanied by intense thirst. During a clinical examination, a veterinarian registers redness and dryness of the oral mucosa, colic, diarrhea, and sometimes polyuria. The death of sheep comes from asphyxia as a result.

At the beasts Salt poisoning is characterized by acute gastroenteritis, vomiting, and diarrhea. Often, poisoned animals experience epileptic seizures, during which the owners note severe salivation. The animals screech. Body temperature is normal or below normal.

Birds with salt poisoning, they often drink, become inactive, lethargic and sit with lowered wings. During a clinical examination of a poisoned bird, a veterinarian registers diarrhea, convulsions, damage to the vestibular apparatus, which is clinically manifested by twisting of the neck, paralysis of the wings and legs. Poisoned with table salt, chickens almost all the time sit motionless in one place, indifferent to the environment, their feathers are ruffled.

Flow disease is usually acute.

Pathological changes. An autopsy of dead animals reveals multiple petechial hemorrhages, focal edema, and necrotic tissue changes. These changes are especially pronounced in the mucosa of the gastrointestinal tract. Lymph nodes are enlarged, juicy, sometimes hemorrhagic. The kidneys are enlarged in volume, dark red in color, the capsule is removed with difficulty, the border between the cortical and medulla is not expressed, there are hemorrhages. The spleen and liver are enlarged, dark red. The lungs are enlarged, with symptoms of congestive hyperemia and edema. There are multiple petechial hemorrhages under the epicardium and endocardium, the heart muscle is flabby. The bladder is full of urine, its mucous membrane is hyperemic. Vessels of a cover of a brain are sharply injected. The substance of the brain is edematous. The blood is light red, not clotted. In ruminants, especially strong changes are found in the abomasum: the mucous membrane is thickened, reddened, with multiple hemorrhages. In birds, at autopsy, we find signs of acute inflammation of the digestive tract, starting with goiter. Skeletal muscles are pale.

Diagnosis the poisoning of animals with salt is put on the basis of anamnesis data, the clinical picture of poisoning, the results of a post-mortem autopsy, a chemical-toxicological study of feed and the contents of the gastrointestinal tract.

Differential Diagnosis. When conducting a differential diagnosis, the veterinarian must rule out poisoning with cottonseed oilcake, potatoes, gastroenteritis of non-contagious, infectious and invasive origin.

Treatment. In order to prevent violations of water metabolism and dehydration of the body, sick animals are given or injected through a tube and in the form of enemas with a copious amount of water. Pigs are prescribed a 5-10% solution of calcium chloride (1 mg / kg of animal weight). Intravenously administered 40% glucose solution. In case of poisoning, a good therapeutic effect in pigs is obtained from intramuscular injection of calcium gluconate at a dose of 20-30 ml.

Ruminant animals are injected intravenously with a 10% solution of calcium chloride: cows - 200 ml, sheep 40-50 ml. Simultaneously with the use of calcium, a 40% solution of glucose with caffeine is administered intravenously. In the future, poisoned animals are prescribed mucous decoctions, easily digestible nutritious feed.

Prevention salt poisoning in animals is that the owners of household plots, peasant farms and agricultural enterprises organize the correct mineral feeding of their animals. Of great importance is the content in the diet of pigs of a sufficient amount of salt, phosphorus and calcium salts (tricalcium phosphate, meat and bone meal, etc.), vitamins (fish oil, carrots, hay meal, green grass, germinated oats). If pigs have not received table salt for a long time, then its first feeding begins with small doses; so, weaned piglets are given it in an amount of no more than 3-5g per head per day. Chalk or tricalcium phosphate must be added to salt or salt feed. Feeding compound feed containing table salt is necessary only for its intended purpose. Waste production Food Industry containing a large amount of salt (brine, etc.) are not allowed to be eaten by pigs. It is necessary to carry out explanatory work among the service personnel about the inadmissibility of feeding kitchen waste with a high content of table salt.

Animals should not be fed large amounts of salted meat. If there is no other food for animals, then salted meat should be soaked for 2-3 days, changing the water 6-7 times during this period. Boiling meat allows you to reduce the salt content in meat up to 2%. Boiled meat can be given in such a way that there is no more than 5 g of salt for a fox, 2 g for an arctic fox and 0.5 g for a mink. In drinking water for chickens, the chloride content should not exceed 0.4%, for chickens - 0.2%.

Vietnamese bellied pigs appeared in Russia relatively recently, so farmers and household owners still do not have enough knowledge and experience in growing this breed. And in order to make the Vietnamese pigs the right diet and provide competent care, you need to know the features of their anatomy and physiology.

In fact, Vietnamese bellied pigs are considered wild, and therefore omnivorous and unpretentious in food. However, this is not entirely correct, for full development and obtaining really high-quality products, they need a special diet, special care and breeding techniques.

What can not be fed Vietnamese bellied pigs?

Despite the fact that Vietnamese piglets can eat everything, the diet for them should be approached responsibly and thoughtfully, not all feeds are suitable for their nutrition.

The fact is that bellied pigs have a smaller stomach and a thinner intestine. Food moves through the digestive tract faster and is digested faster than in other pig breeds. Moreover, a small stomach and intestines are not able to digest roughage qualitatively and quickly; fresh greens, or dried alfalfa and clover, are better for them.

It is necessary to pay attention to such a moment - in order for food to be digested well, it must be well chewed. An important role in the digestion of pigs is played by saliva, in an amount sufficient for high-quality food processing, it is released during chewing. Therefore, Vietnamese fold-bellied pigs should not be given liquid food in the form of a stew. It is better to make the stirrer mushy, with the addition of finely chopped or grated vegetables, fruits, and herbs on a coarse grater. You can use boiled potatoes and peelings, waste from your own table, chopped cereals, carrots, pumpkins, zucchini, apples and pears.

"Vietnamese" cannot be kept without walking - they must have a place where they could find food or greens for themselves. For them, you can pre-sow the site with grass and root crops, which they will gladly dig and eat on their own. You can throw the tops of garden plants and weeds into the corral - they will also be happy with them.

Loose-bellied Vietnamese pigs do not digest roughage with a lot of fiber, as well as fodder beets. They should not be given a lot of hay, straw, chaff.

Vitamin feed for pigs of any breed should not be boiled - vitamins disappear from heating, and the feed becomes less useful.

What to feed Vietnamese pigs?

We have decided that we should not give Vietnamese bellied pigs, what can and should be fed?

In the first place in pigs of this breed is barley, they absorb it best. It is not bad to give crushed, roasted barley to piglets - they eat it with pleasure, and at the same time grow well. Barley can not only be fried, but also steamed with hot water.

In second place are wheat and rye - however, they are also not given whole, raw grains. Rye and wheat must be crushed and brewed to the consistency of a thick porridge, the raw grain of the “Vietnamese” is simply not digested, it comes out of them without benefiting the body. On the other hand, they absorb medium-sized feed perfectly and quickly gain weight.

Corn and oats are banned from Vietnamese bellied pigs - they contribute to obesity, the accumulation of excess weight, and generally have a bad effect on their health. Oats and corn can be added to compound feed, but not more than 10% of the total composition. You need to feed Vietnamese pigs little by little, in winter - three times a day, in summer - twice.

A portion of compound feed is poured into a container and poured with water at the rate of one to two - eight liters of boiling water should fall on 4 liters of compound feed. In the prepared mixture, you need to add 1 teaspoon of salt, stir, cover the container, let stand for 12 hours, and only then feed the pigs.

Adult pigs need to add the Liprot feed additive to the porridge - 4 tablespoons per bucket of the mixture. Prelak is added to the feed for young animals according to the instructions. In addition, young piglets must be given fish oil at the rate of 2 tablespoons per 1 bucket, at least 10 days a month.

One bucket of high-quality and properly prepared compound feed with additives and salt is enough for one feeding for three sows. After 3-4 months of fattening, you can reduce the amount of compound feed to 1 bucket per 10 pigs per day.

In addition, young and lactating pigs should be fed with milk, eggs, whey, vitamins. They love the mixture of these products very much, they digest it well, and quickly gain required weight.

The diet of young animals from 1 to 6 months

Pigs of Vietnamese bellied pigs feed on their mother's milk for the first month of life. However, already at a week of age, they should be additionally fed - they grow quickly, and they become short of milk.

For feeding, they are given crushed and roasted grains of barley, corn, and wheat. Such food strengthens teeth and gums, accustoms to independent nutrition. Piglets are completely weaned from mother's milk at the age of 1-1.5 months.

A good food for young piglets is oatmeal or barley porridge with milk or skimmed milk. After weaning, young piglets can be fed alfalfa, clover, and sweet clover hay, or, if available, green grass and succulent fodder.

Feed for piglets:	From what day is it better to give:
Warm boiled water, mineral water	From the third
Whole cow's milk, roasted grains	From the fifth
Porridges and syrups	From the eighth
Bean hay, dust	From the tenth
Juicy food:
Carrot	From the tenth
Beet	From the twentieth
Potato	From the twenty-fifth
fresh grass	From the fifteenth and twenty-fifth

For two-month-old Vietnamese piglets, the diet should consist of 20% protein, 3% fiber, 5-6% fat.

Piglets aged 4 to 6 months should be given more protein food, its percentage should be 30-40% of the daily requirement.

What to feed Vietnamese pigs in winter?

In winter, Vietnamese bellied pigs mainly eat hay harvested for them, dried corn stalks, chestnuts, acorns, and grain. At this time of the year, the pigs continue to walk in the paddock, but there is no food left there, so they need to increase the amount of feed, prepare mash with bran and finely chopped vegetables. It is also necessary to additionally introduce vitamins, mineral and feed additives.

If in summer the diet of pigs consists of 80% greens, fresh fruits and vegetables, and 20% compound feed, then in winter this ratio changes slightly in favor of bran, grain and grain waste. There is no green fodder at all, greens replace hay, and carrots and pumpkins are used as succulent food.

When buying meat in a store, each of us probably asks the question: is the quality of pork? What was the piglet fed? What supplements and growth promoters were present in the diet and how safe are they? And if you try to raise a pig yourself at home, acquiring high-quality feed and natural dietary supplements?

Special diet for piglets in different periods

In the first two weeks of life, piglets, as a rule, manage with mother's milk, but on the condition that the sow has enough of it, and there are not so many babies (7-8). In other cases, from the age of one week, the piglets of maternal nutrition are no longer enough.

They begin to actively grow and gain weight, so they needs to be fed. With an appropriate diet and proper feeding, the weight of a piglet in the first month of life increases by 5 times.

Due to the fact that babies have a very tiny stomach, they should receive food until the age of three weeks. at least 8 times a day in small portions. At the same time, animals should be accustomed to a variety of feeds gradually.

milk period

The milk period in piglets lasts up to 2-2.5 months. At this time, to ensure rapid growth, it is very important to choose the right diet. Milk during this period is an ideal top dressing. It can be both removed and solid, but certainly warm. During the first months of life, piglets need about 5-6 liters of skimmed milk (skimmed milk) and 6-8 liters of whole milk.

From the first weeks, it is necessary to put in the feeder mineral supplements (charcoal, turf or red clay). After the kids learn to eat minerals and drink water, cereals cooked in skimmed milk or whole milk can be introduced into the diet.

In addition, pigs need to be gradually get used to eating vegetables: first in a pureed form, later - cut into cubes. It is better to boil the potatoes and give them together with concentrated feed in the form of mashed potatoes, but not earlier than the babies are two weeks old.

Starting from 1.5-2 weeks of age, animals can feed with grated carrots(10-15 gr / day). V summer period Grass and greens are given plenty from the first week of life. This has a positive effect on the growth and weight of babies. If you follow these simple tips, then by the end of the milk period, the average weight of the young will be about 25 kg.

Feeders for piglets must be kept clean, as babies are very sensitive to diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. To avoid this, all uneaten food should be regularly removed from the trough, after which the container should be thoroughly rinsed and poured over with boiling water.

Growing at home

It is believed that during this period (2.5-4 months) the foundation for successful fattening is laid. At this time, there is an active growth of muscle mass and piglets need provide the most favorable conditions feeding and maintenance.

For rapid growth, the pig should be given a thick porridge: oatmeal, barley, pea. As a supplement, you can use whey or skimmed milk, as well as all kinds of cleanings and kitchen waste.

Piglets still need succulent feed, which includes potatoes, carrots, garden leaves and grass. Chalk and salt adolescents should receive at least 15-2 g / day.

If rearing took place in the winter period, top dressing in the form of cut, hay dust, silage and vegetables in double size is allowed.

At the end of rearing, it is time for fattening. In about 2-3 months, the weight of the piglet should increase from 50-60 kg to 100-110 kg. To ensure the rapid growth of pigs, concentrates must be included in their diet starting from the age of three months.

Before you start fattening, you need to learn as much information as possible about the types of feed mixtures, the appropriate diet and fattening rules. This will allow you to provide yourself with a high-quality and relatively inexpensive product in the future in a short time.

In pigs, the condition of the body and productivity are more dependent on rational nutrition than in any other livestock.

Influence of feed on meat quality

Many owners of pigs firmly believe that animals can be fed with anything, including household waste. On the one hand, this is true, however, you cannot grow a good pig on potato peelings and cabbage alone.

And if we are talking not about one or two piglets, but about ten or more heads, the issues of rational nutrition and the rapid growth of the wards become more relevant.

The diet of pigs, in addition to garden waste, should include vitamins, minerals, dry and liquid food and various dietary supplements.

It should be noted that the quality of meat directly depends on the type of feed:

1. When feeding a large number of vegetables, the fat will turn out flabby.
2. If fish waste is present in the diet, the smell of meat will be appropriate.
3. Feeding dairy products will give the meat a pleasant flavor.
4. Reduce the amount of corn and wheat bran to avoid off-flavors and friability. And do not abuse feeding buckwheat and potatoes.
5. Pigs fed mainly on soybean oats, bagasse and fishmeal will end up producing poor quality meat.

But you should not completely abandon the above foods, you just need to comply with the norm and feeding period.

First, you must determine for what purpose the piglet is fattened at home: for bacon, meat or lard. The choice of feeding method will depend on this.

Features of fattening piglets at home

Types of fattening are divided into the following: fattening to fatty conditions; bacon and ham fattening; meat feed.

With meat fattening, the meat of the animal turns out to be tender, and on the back there is an even layer of fat 3 cm thick. In this case, the fattening of the piglet must be started at about 2.5 months and completed by six months of age. By this time, the pig should gain about 100 kg of live weight.

Meat fattening is carried out in two stages:

• Until the piglet reaches a weight of 70 kg, its diet should consist of 1 kg of concentrated feed per day (can be replaced with household waste), as well as chopped greens (legumes, peas, clover) in an amount of up to 5 kg / day.
• As soon as the animal reaches 70 kg, it is necessary to introduce 2 kg of potatoes and 5 kg of beets into the diet, increase the amount of concentrates to 1.5 kg, and greens to 6 kg. In addition, 10-30 grams of table salt and chalk should be added.

Bacon-ham fattening is used to obtain pork with a layer ("marble"). In this case, it is necessary to choose a pig of the appropriate breed.

Fattening also begins at 2.5 months. Khryakov pre-castrated(at two months of age). Up to 5.5 months, the animal receives daily 1.5 kg of concentrates, 1.5 kg of skim milk, about 2 kg of beets and pumpkins, 3 kg of greens and 20-25 g of table salt. A pig during this period should gain at least 400 grams of weight per day.

At the next stage (up to 8.5 months), it is necessary to exclude from the diet all products that affect the quality of meat and its taste. Animal must now be provided to obtain a bacon product daily active walks with two meals a day. The piglet should add about 500-600 g / day.

For fattening for fat, it is better to choose young piglets that have already gained weight of 100 kg and sows. To achieve the fastest increase in weight, animals should be given food rich in carbohydrates. Perfect for this sugar beets and potatoes. Concentrates, which include mainly corn and wheat, should be given at about 3 kg/day.

At the second stage of fattening, instead of corn, you should include in the diet barley or millet- this will help improve the quality of fat. With such nutrition, the animal quickly gains weight up to 200 kg, half of which falls on lard.

In order to reduce the significant cost of feeding pigs, as well as to ensure rapid weight gain, it is necessary to purchase special feed additives, which, when used correctly, will help to achieve the desired result, significantly improve the quality of meat products, and also protect the animal from various diseases.

For example, when fattening for meat, vitamins and amino acids must be added to the feed, which significantly increases the nutritional properties of the product and leads to a rapid increase in body weight.

Stern

An important role in the cultivation of pigs for meat is played by the method of feeding. For rapid growth, an animal needs provide adequate nutrition in sufficient quantity. This means that the piglet should receive as much food as it can eat at one time. At the same time, you need to monitor not only the quantity of food, but also its quality.

Not all foods are the same and some require pre-preparation. For example, on initial stage green grass should be given only fresh and in small portions, hay should be crushed and steamed.

Little pigs whenever possible must be let out on the lawn, but the walk should last no more than an hour. In the future, the walking time can be gradually increased to 6-8 hours.

Potatoes also first need to be boiled (without peel) and mixed with bran, chopped or pea flour. Carrots - wash thoroughly, cut into small cubes or grate.

For good growth and weight, piglets should always have clean and warm (at least + 15 °C) water, which is poured into a special container with slats and changed daily. If the “children” played out and garbage accidentally got into the water, it should be replaced immediately, after washing the trough.

What not to feed pigs

You should also be careful when feeding animals with herbs. The fact is that some plants contain harmful substances, which, if ingested, can cause poisoning of monthly piglets.

It can be the following herbs:

• horse dill;
• black nightshade;
• cicuta;
• caustic buttercup;
• spurge;
• pikulnik;
• dog parsley, etc.

Particular attention must be paid to cake from castor bean and cotton, because they include gossypol (poisonous alkaloid). Therefore, such feed should be steamed or treated with alkali before feeding.

Sprouted potatoes are no less dangerous, therefore, its sprouts must first be removed, and green tubers must also be disposed of. It is unacceptable to water pigs with water in which potatoes were boiled.

If the purpose of acquiring a piglet was a profitable investment of money, then in order to get excellent quality meat, you should buy grain and special additives. And if you need a pig just to "throw nothing away" - this is the perfect container for kitchen waste.

The pig is one of the most common animals whose meat is suitable for human consumption. It is for this reason that this domesticated mammal can be found in almost any household, both large and very small.

Many people believe that it is very easy to raise and feed a pig, as it belongs to omnivorous animals, not disdaining any complementary foods. Is this statement true, how important is it to comply with the rules for feeding a pig and how much feed does it need, and what composition should it have, let's try to figure it out in this article.

Pigs need the right diet

Pig feed classification

First of all, it is necessary to determine what exactly the pig eats at home and how certain types feed and its composition can affect the quality of the final meat and fat.

In this complex matter, attention should be paid to the fact that, by nature, a pig can eat almost any kind of food and waste from it. V wild nature wild boars will not disdain even the carrion of a small bird or mammal. With great pleasure they eat various insects, including earthworms. All pasture for pigs plant origin will be a sweet treat for them.

Based on such knowledge, it may seem that feeding a pig for slaughter is quite simple: any pasture that the animal can find on its own and household waste will do. However, in reality, things are not quite like this: the quality of food consumed by your pig directly affects the quality of its meat and fat, thereby increasing or decreasing its sale value.

Feed affects meat quality

In order to avoid such a mistake and feed your pigs and piglets only the right feed, their classification should be clearly understood. All feed for pigs suitable for feeding an animal should be divided into three categories:

1. The first group - feeds and concentrates, which belong to this category, have a high impact on the quality of the original product: plaki - barley, pea groats and millet; vegetable crops - root crops and gourds; meadow and garden herbs - nettle, alfalfa, clover, as well as hay from these plant species; dairy and meat waste.
2. The second food group has less useful property improve the quality of animal meat, so it is better to include this food in the daily diet of feeding pigs by more than half: bran from wheat and rye; corn; buckwheat.
3. The third group includes the types of feed that affect the meat of pigs quite negatively. For this reason, it is better to give such food to pigs at a young age, when it is still far from slaughter, or before they reach a weight of 60 kilograms: oats; cake; soy.

Experienced pig breeders advise at least two months before the slaughter of an animal at home, to completely remove feed from the third group from its diet and maximize the first group.

Before slaughter, the diet must be changed

Types of feed and their norms in the diet of the animal

The next step for the pig breeder will be the question of what exactly to give preference to in the diet of a pig: dry food, biofeed or feed additives?

This is a rather serious and controversial issue, since in all possible cases the final result of the quality of the meat and fat of the animal is achieved if the feeding of pigs and the composition of the food comply with the established norms. However, in Lately more and more often they say that the combination of all the proposed options is the most profitable and useful way to feed a pig at home.

Let us dwell on each type of food and the norms of its consumption in more detail.

Dry food

In the event that you do not have enough food waste, or do not consider it right to give it to a pig, then turning to dry food will be your way out of this situation.

Pigs eat pelleted feed

This type of food can have a composition both from compound feed and cereals, and include bran, hay and cake. Very often, such ready-made dry foods are enriched with the right complex of additives and nutrients, which is very convenient.

It may seem that this type of feeding is not very convenient, since it is rather monotonous. However, the indisputable advantage of dry food is the absence of fermentation of the pig's stomach. Such feeds are quite nutritious, which allows the animal to quickly gain the necessary weight.

Dry food can be either purchased ready-made in the original packaging, or you can cook it yourself at home.

In the latter case, attention should be paid to the correct enrichment of the feed with useful substances and vitamins, taking into account the age and weight of the pig.

Biofeed

Biofeed occupies a special niche in the diet of a meat pig at home: it is he who provides the animal with natural vitamins.

This type of food can serve as ordinary greens (including the tops of garden root crops), as well as individual vegetables and fruits, as well as their cleaning.

The advantage of this feed is its availability: you can simply release the pig into the meadow for free range. With pleasure, she will use all the food waste. For those who do not have the opportunity or desire to constantly harvest greens and root crops for the animal's diet, many companies are ready to offer already balanced biofeed, ready for use.

Pigs love green food

feed additives

But feed additives are not food in the full sense of this meaning for a domestic pig. But it is impossible to carry out a full-fledged feeding of an animal without them. It is feed additives that will help you quickly increase the weight of the pig and significantly improve the quality of its meat and fat.

The most nutritious supplements are considered to be protein waste and supplementary food: dairy and meat products will help grow an adult from a small piglet with excellent meat and lard.

Minerals will become another large group of feed additives. You can get them from table salt, chalk, eggshell, coal and flour. Such a properly balanced mineral complex will not only improve the quality of meat, but also protect the pig from many diseases, allowing it to grow quickly.

It should be noted that these baits should be carefully dosed to avoid overfeeding the animal. It is fundamentally wrong to determine by eye how much food supplements she needs. Feeding pigs according to the norms of food mineral supplements is clearly demonstrated in the table below.

Feed additives for pigs

Table 1. Norms of feed additives in the diet of domestic pigs in grams

	Summer	Winter
adult boar	45-55	65-75
Pregnant pig	45-55	65-75
suckling pig	50-70	80-100
Piglet sucker	10-20	15-25
Weaned pig	20-30	30-40
young growth	35-45	55-65
Pig for fattening	35-45	55-65

Beginning pig breeders often neglect this type of supplementary feeding, such as nutritional yeast. This is a big mistake, since it is from special fodder yeast that a domestic pig can get a complete vitamin-mineral and protein spectrum of useful substances.

Yeasting about one-third of a pig's daily diet helps a much better absorption of all the minerals, vitamins and proteins from her food.

It is thanks to the yeast in the diet of the animal that its rapid growth and development occurs.

Periodically, such supplementary feeding can be replaced with bread, if it concerns the diet of an adult.

Yeast for pigs

Pig Feeding Rules

In order for your domestic pig to quickly turn from a suckling pig into an adult with quality meat, it is not enough to know what to feed it. In feeding pigs, it is important to follow the rules and properly prepare such food.

Feeding pigs and piglets, according to their rules and norms, differ significantly from each other, so they should be considered separately.

Feeding rates for piglets

Already after the fifth day of life for dairy pigs, one mother pig's milk is no longer enough to meet the needs of a growing organism. It is during this period that feed additives should be introduced into the diet of piglets. Roasted grains are best suited for these purposes: barley, corn and peas.

Five-day-old piglets already need feed supplements

In order to prevent many diseases of young pigs, certain vitamin and mineral mixtures should always be present in their feeder:

• Yogurt.
• Charcoal.
• Bone flour.
• A mixture of potassium, calcium, iron and sodium.

After the piglets are 10 days old, hay, grated carrots and boiled potatoes should be introduced into their diet.

Strict adherence to these rules will help piglets gain weight very quickly and avoid most diseases.

For a better orientation in the dietary norms of piglets, a visual table of their daily diet is attached, showing the feed consumption by day of life.

Table 2. Norms of supplementary feeding of dairy piglets in grams

Age in days	Curdled milk or milk	Reverse	Corn	shit	Vegetables	Potato	herbal flour	Salt	chalk
6-10	55	0	20	0	0	0	0	2	3
11-20	150	0	50	50	30	20	10	3	3
21-30	250	150	80	100	50	50	20	4	5
31-40	100	300	100	200	100	50	50	4	5
41-50	50	500	120	300	150	200	50	5	10
51-60	0	600	150	550	250	500	100	10	15

After the piglet is one and a half months old, it should be taken away from the mother and completely transferred to adult food, combining it correctly. Accordingly, its consumption will increase significantly.

One and a half month old piglets are switching to adult food

In the future, it is very important and it is necessary to strictly follow the feeding norms of piglets, since it is during this period that they begin to actively gain weight. This is easy to do if you adhere to the established norms of the diet of pigs. You can see it in the tables below.

Table 3. Diet of 2-4 month old piglets in different periods of the year in kilograms

	2-3 months		3-4 months
Feed	Winter	Summer	Winter	Summer
Concentrated supplements	0,85	1	1,1	1,3
Potato	0,6	0	0,9	0
Beet	1,6	0	2,1	0
Carrots and silage	0,3	1,6	0,55	2
Chopped greens	0,15	0	0,25	0
Legumes and their grass	0	1,6	0	2,1
Reverse	1,1	1,1	1,1	1,1
Chalk (grams)	22	0	22	0
Salt (grams)	11	11	16	16

Norms of feeding adult pigs

The composition of the diet and feed consumption for piglets is calculated based on the only requirement: the animal must grow quickly and gain the required weight. Determining the feeding norms for an adult pig is somewhat more difficult. The outcome can be influenced by factors such as improving meat quality and increasing body weight, preparing for bearing piglets, or maintaining the health of boars-producers.

Rapid weight gain is the main goal of feed selection

For example, adult males intended for breeding females should not be fed heavy diets to gain weight. This will force all their strength to go into the absorption and digestion of food. These pigs should be fed easily digestible feed.

Queens should be fed according to their age and the period of gestation of piglets, but their daily diet must include nutritious feed, hay, potatoes and mineral-vitamin complexes.

Also, one should not forget that in different time years, adult pigs also require different diets.

So in the summer of adult pigs, it is very desirable to release them for free range in fields rich in pasture. Fresh vegetables and fruits, as well as their peels and tops, will also be indispensable during this period. But the consumption of hay feed should be minimized.

The composition of the winter diet should be accompanied by a large amount of dry hay feeding and be sure to include nutritious feed additives, thereby reducing the consumption of fresh grass.

It is important not to overfeed an adult animal, since pigs are quite voracious and cannot control the consumption of food they eat on their own. To correctly calculate the daily amount of food needed, use the table below.

Pigs are released into the meadow in summer

Table 4. Daily feed intake for adult pigs in kilograms.

	25-30 kg		30-40 kg		40-50 kg		50-60 kg		60-70 kg		70-80 kg
	Winter	Summer	Winter	Summer	Winter	Summer	Winter	Summer	Winter	Summer	Winter	Summer
Concentrated supplements	0,9	1	0,8	0,9	0,9	1,1	0,9	1,2	1,2	1,5	1,7	1,9
Vegetables	0,2	0	0,2	0	0,2	0	0,7	0	1,1	0	0	0
Potato	1	0	1,7	0	2,2	0	2,3	0	3,3	0	4,6	0
Carrot	0,2	0	0,2	0	0,3	0	0,4	0	0	0	0	0
Silage	0,4	0	0,5	0	0,7	0	0,7	0	0,9	0	0	0
Hay	0,1	0	0,1	0	0,2	0	0,2	0	0	0	0	0
fresh greens	0	2,8	0	4,2	0	5,4	0	5,7	0	7,1	0	7,5
Chalk (gram)	10	10	15	15	15	15	15	15	20	20	25	25
Salt (gram)	10	10	9	9	15	15	15	15	20	20	25	25
Phosphates (grams)	15	15	15	15	20	20	22	22	25	25	32	32

Having correctly calculated the ration rate and determined its composition based on the tasks facing the animal, it will not be difficult to raise a pig at home.

Domestic pigs live on every continent except Antarctica. This happened, of course, not without human intervention. In nature, there are about 22 genera of pigs, 5 of which are modern.

Lifestyle

People who decide to raise this animal should be sufficiently aware of the norms of their feeding, maintenance and care. Pigs, in contrast to other current ungulates, are omnivores. They are very indiscriminate in their food. For them, filling the stomach is important. This very often causes toxemia.

Likely Causes

However, the human factor can often have a negative impact. Salt poisoning in pigs occurs for several reasons:

• the use of feed mixtures for cattle containing a high percentage of sodium chloride;
• feeding leftovers (salted fish, pickles, cheese, meat, poorly prepared feed mixture).

The dose that will cause a lethal outcome in a piglet is 3.7 grams of salt per kilogram of live weight. The lethal dose for an adult is 2 kg.

Signs of toxemia

Such poisoning of pigs is the most dangerous of all possible. Poisoning in pigs, resulting in death, occurs with a frequency ranging from 0% to 100%. Salt poisoning is especially dangerous for piglets. Their symptoms appear very quickly and are acute.

Pathogenesis

Salt toxemia is the result of a change in ionic balance. The prevalence of Na and K cations having a univalent charge over Ca and Mg having a divalent charge. As a result, the CNS is overexcited. The basis of the poisoning action is sodium ions. Their excessive amount has an overwhelming effect on the synthesis of ATP, as well as the processes of oxidation in tissues.

Moreover, excess sodium and loss of potassium by cells leads to metabolic disorders, pulmonary edema, oxygen starvation of tissues and organs, and death from asphyxia (suffocation).

Clinical signs

Symptoms will begin to appear within half an hour. Among them are such as:

• strong thirst;
• salivation;
• sharp refusal of food;
• pupil dilation;
• vomit;
• increased heart rate;
• redness or cyanosis of the skin.

The course of intoxication in an acute form is characterized by symptoms that complement the main manifestations:

Sometimes, due to the desire to move forward, the animal rests its head against the wall.

Most often, intoxication in pigs occurs in an acute form and lasts from one to two days.

After the pulse rate slows down, it is no longer possible to cure the animal.

Symptoms develop rapidly in the acute form. Therefore, urgent help is needed. Otherwise, on 3-4 days the animal may not become.

Step by step help and treatment

If you observe all the symptoms of toxemia in the animal after eating, then your pig has been poisoned. You need to take urgent measures to prevent complications.

Call the vet right away. Before his arrival, gastric lavage is done and frequent, but small portions of drinking is provided.

In a severe form, water should not be given, because this will only poison the piglet more.

Signs of toxemia and steps to help are similar for both adults and young animals.

Help from a veterinarian

Intramuscular injection of calcium gluconate

Further actions to eliminate the poisoning of the pig and treatment are carried out by a veterinarian. In many cases, for the treatment of poisoned pigs, intramuscular administration of calcium gluconate gives a good result. The number of injections and dosage of the drug varies depending on the severity of toxemia, and ranges from 1 to 5 ampoules of 10 milliliters 4-5 times a day at regular intervals.

A 1% solution of triammon phosphate is also prescribed. The dosage is determined in the amount of 0.4 g/kg of body weight.

To prevent the disorder after the introduction of oil laxatives, the animal is shown the introduction of a 10% solution of sodium chloride, mucous decoctions and plenty of drinking.

In order to stimulate appetite, hydrochloric acid is prescribed in a moderate dosage.

No specific methods have been developed to treat poisoning in piglets. Therefore, in especially severe forms, the animal is simply slaughtered.

Prevention

In the diet of piglets, after they have been poisoned with table salt, the latter should not be for some time, it is not necessary to allow feed mixtures containing sodium chloride, percentage composition which exceeds 0.5%. Salt must be introduced gradually: for boars - 40-50 grams daily, for pregnant sows - 30-40 grams, for suckling sows - 40-50 grams.

It is very important to determine how many grams of salt to introduce daily into the diet of piglets.

So, young animals aged three months - 10-15 grams. Five-month-old piglets are administered 15-20 grams daily. Seven-month-olds - 20-30 grams each, and nine-month-olds - 30-40 grams each.

In addition, as a preventive measure, it is necessary to regularly check the water supply and watering systems.