Feed accounts for 45 to 75% of the cost of hog production. Therefore good quality feed and a good feeding program are essential. There is often one or several feeding programs for each stage of the pig’s life because producers seek to obtain the best balance between feed cost, animal performance and carcass quality. Nutrients should not be overfed just to “be safe” because this is a waste of money. In order to develop a good feeding program, the producer must define their farm specific goals (e.g. – genetic potential as opposed to maximum profit), take current economics into consideration, genetic performance into account, average feed intake for their farm, customized for the farm’s specific level of animal productivity, and grouping pigs based on similar nutritional needs. Overall, feed composition should be monitored along with feed wastage, nutrient requirements, local economics/availability, and alternative factors to pig performance (e.g. – room environment).
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