By Victoria Seip
Livestock Business Intelligence Manager,
Grand Valley Fortifiers
As both the hog and commodity markets continue to show great volatility and variability, feed bud- geting is extremely important to make sure we minimize feed cost and maximize performance of our animals. We continue to see rising feed prices, which has made us alter what we are feeding in order to maximize on ingredients and efficiency. Efficiency is key because as long as hogs are not backlogged, feed conversion is more important than ever. What I mean by this is the less feed we have to put into the animal to achieve the best possible gain, the more we will save on the use of expensive commodities.
The purpose of this trial was to feed a “standard” budget we would see in commercial production fed by our customers across the country and compare that to a budget that would ideally save at least $1 per pig in the nursery. The following trial was conducted side-by-side with small pigs of the weaning group sorted into one room. The feed budget can be found in Table 1. The pigs were weighed at weaning, 14-days, 35-days and the completion of the trial. The results based on the various days spent in the nursery can be seen in Table 2.
These results show the effects of feeding a less costly budget based on the amount of starter (BioSure Respond) and transition feed (Bio- Force 180) compared to a more recommended practice with more starter and transition feed. Although the Cost Saving’s budget achieved its goal of being less costly on a feed cost per pig and cost per kg gain basis, the overall weight gain, ADG, FCR and margin over feed was less efficient than our standard budget. So, the big question is, what does this really mean?
Table 1: Feed Budget Compared Side By Side
*Small room of pigs received 0.5 kg more Respond
**Meds in the feed were CT
***Commodities included corn, soybean meal, and bakery
In a situation where health and management are very good, there may be a way to reduce feed cost by simplifying the budget by feeding less of these first two feeds. However, it is extremely important to recognize the impact it may have on the overall picture of raising a nursery pig. With almost 1 kg difference in end weight, that generally represents three days to market at the end of the finishing period. Assuming that the finish- ing animal is eating approximately 3.5 kg/day of the last stage feed, this has an implication on the overall bottom line for the farm as well – not only fewer days but additional feed cost. Before looking at simplifying the budget by feeding less of the first two phases, I would recommend you discuss this with your (GVF/FNL) Swine Specialist.
There are several aspects to consider:
• Are you willing to give up gain at the end of the nursery in order to reduce feed cost?
• What is your weaning weight? This will play a big part in starting your early weans off on the right foot.
• On average, how is performance overall? Are your pigs hard to start on solid feed? What is the health status? These will play an important part in how simple a budget can go because we need to make sure we support the growth and efficiency of the pigs to the best of our ability.
Table 2: Performance at Various Timepoints on Trial
*Margin Over Feed = ($3 * Weight Gain) – Feed Cost
We can help reduce feed cost per pig by reviewing budgets which may become dependent on market conditions and a change of goals. We can also further discuss how this may impact herd performance and pig flow. For any questions on this trial or about nursery budgets, I would be happy to help you and answer any questions you may have for helping to increase efficiency and positively affect the bottom line for your farm: victoriaseip@grandvalley.com
This article was written for the Spring 2022 Swine Grist. To read the whole Swine Grist, click the button below.