Dry sows and gilts should be fed 2.5kg a day of sow and weaner meal before they are mated.
Those being prepared for mating should be given an extra kilo per day one week before mating and one week after service.
This helps in ensuring maximum fertility. Lactating sows should get 2.5kg of sow and weaner meal for maintenance and 0.25kg a day extra for each piglet being suckled.
Boars should get 2kg a day of sow and weaner meal. If the boar is regularly used, the amount should be increased to 2.5kg.
Creep pellets or starter diet, which has the highest protein concentration, are given to piglets at 0.5 to 1kg for each piglet per day from day seven up to the weaning time of 21 days.
The feed should be mixed with sow and weaner meal the last one week before weaning.
Growing and finishing pigs weaned at 3 to 5 weeks at 11 – 13kg body weight should continue being fed on the starter diet until they reach 18kg live weight.
Pigs weaned at seven weeks or older may be switched gradually to sow and weaner diet.
Farmers should aim at weaning their pigs at 21 to 35 days to maximize growth performance and the mothers’ productivity.
Sow and weaner diet may be given to piglets where creep feed is not available.
Where post-weaning diarrhoea is a major problem, restricted feeding during the first week after weaning may reduce the incidents of the diarrhoea.
For growing or finishing pigs, all ration changes should be made gradually.
If this is not possible, the feeding level of the new diet should be low until the pigs become accustomed to it.
Growing pigs, technically called growers, are fed growers’ meal while the pigs getting ready for slaughter, called finishers, are given the finishers’ meal.
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