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Ryan Samuel, South Dakota State University | September 16, 2021
Growing pigs and finishing pigs need feed and water to grow. Two main types of feeders are found in pig houses, namely dry feeders and wet and dry feeders. Traditional dry feeders only provide feed and take water separately, while wet and dry feeders combine feed and water delivery. Feed is provided through a shelf under the feed funnel on the wet and dry feeder, and water is provided through a nipple in the feed pan area. The pig's motion on the feeder knocks the feed off the shelf and mixes it with water before eating.
Recently, the second fence in each of the two 20-fence rooms at the South Dakota State University from weaning to weaning facility are equipped with 304 stainless steel wet and dry feeders provided by SDI (Alexandria, SD). The other half of the fence in the room still uses SDI's original dry feeder. All wet and dry feeders are adjusted to the same shelf position. Both feeders are designed to be 60" wide and 40" high, and the feed pan is divided into four troughs. The pen can house up to 15 pigs, providing approximately 9 square feet of floor space for each pig. Pigs can use two cup drinkers throughout the period from weaning to completion.
The pigs were weaned from the Pig Education and Research Institute at 21 days of age and placed in a pen with an average starting weight of 12 pounds. Although the wet-dry feeder appears every other lap as mentioned above, the water nipple does not open during this period. In the first six weeks after weaning, the type of feeder does not affect the growth performance of the pig. On average, the pig gained 0.8 pounds. Consume 1.2 pounds per day. Daily feed.
After the parenting period is over, open the water spout in the wet and dry feeder. During the growing and finishing stages, the water valve remains open. Start at 80 pounds. Body weight, pigs are weighed, and feed disappearance is measured every three weeks. Compared with pigs in dry feed pens, pigs in wet and dry feed pens are heavier in several days of body weight. The disappearance of the average feed in the wet-dry pen indicates that these animals have consumed 0.3 pounds. Feed more every day. Correspondingly, the average daily gain of pigs in wet and dry pens averaged 0.09 pounds. Compared with pigs from dry breeding pens, the daily feed efficiency is higher, and there is no difference in feed efficiency.
At the end of the fattening period, pigs are sold through commercial slaughterhouses. The hot carcass weight (209 vs. 202 lb) and backfat thickness (18.8 vs. 17.5 mm) of pigs from wet and dry breeding pens are higher than pigs, while the percentage of lean meat tends to be lower than that of pigs (55.6 vs. 56.7%). Pen. However, there was no difference in carcass waist depth between the groups.
In the weaning-finishing barn at South Dakota State University, there was no difference in growth performance between newly weaned pigs raised in pens with wet and dry feeders and pigs on dry feeders. As observed in previous studies, the average daily gain and average daily feed intake of growing pigs and finishing pigs fed with dry and wet feeders were higher than those of pigs that received traditional dry feeder feed. improve. Observations from commercial slaughterhouses indicate that compared to dry feeders, pens sold through wet-dry feeders provide heavier carcasses with more backfat, but similar lean meat percentages.
The difference in pig performance is an important consideration when choosing a feeder type between a dry feeder and a wet and dry feeder for a pig barn from weaning to milk production. It has been observed that compared to dry feeders, wet and dry feeders can promote feed intake and weight gain in growing and finishing pigs, but can reduce carcass lean meat. In addition, wet and dry feeders can reduce water consumption, which can translate into lower water and manure removal costs. Regardless of the feeder type, it is important to manage and adjust the feeding pan coverage to provide adequate feed access and prevent feed waste.
Source: Ryan Samuel of South Dakota State University, they are solely responsible for the information provided and they own the information completely. Informa Business Media and all its subsidiaries are not responsible for any content contained in this information asset.
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