Problems in Swine Nutrition
Swine production constitutes an important phase of Canadian agriculture. Revenue from swine contributes substantially to form spending power and plays a significant part in connection with determining the standard of living which prevails on a considerable percentage of the farms of this Dominion. On the basis of our present volume of production, swine marketings for 1947 may be expected to bring in returns in the neighborhood of $150,000,000. It is a business that justifies careful study from all angles.
The figure quoted above refers to the gross return on swine raising. The difference between the cost of production and this figure represents the net return or the actual profit to the farmer on his pig raising transaction. Continuity of production and permanency in swine raising depend upon net returns and these in turn depend upon the relation between selling price per hundredweight and the cost of production per hundredweight. The margin between these two figures is never great and in times of depressed prices it is very narrow or non-existent. Since no means has been developed to raise the selling price beyond certain levels we are thrown back on the proposition that the only means which the swine producer has within his grasp so far as widening the margin is concerned is lowering the cost of production.
While a number of items contribute to the cost of producing a marketable hog the most significant and variable is the cost of feed. It follows then that special attention must be given to swine nutrition and in this connection such matters as volume of feed supply, quality of the basic feeds (cereals), quantity and quality of the supplemental feeds, blending of the various ingredients and recommendations regarding feeding procedures, all require proper consideration.
The swine producer is the one who is mainly concerned with proper swine nutrition because, as mentioned previously his net returns are affected by good or bad feeding methods and since his main object in feeding hogs is to create a profitable warket for home-grown, grains. But he is not the only one who has an interest in the matter. All educational and research agencies related to agriculture (packing, milling, feed manufacturing), veterinary services responsible for the health of our livestock and many others have a stake in how the farmer feeds his pigs.
Good swine nutrition, or the feeding of properly designed rations affects economy of production in a number of different ways:-(1) Promotes rapid growth which in turn is indicative of good thrift and leads to early marketing. Speeding up gains may be overdone but time is worth something to the farmer if not to the pig. (2) Insures the use of a minimum amount of feed for increase in body weight. The response on the part of the pig to balanced as compared with unbalanced rations is usually positive - often spectacular - and can be registered in terms of dollars and cents. (3) Has an effect on the amount and quality of finish on the carcass and thus may affect the value of the ultimate product. (4) Provides protection against the development of many "deficiency diseases" and thus contributes to better health in swine herds.
Experiments conducted at the University of Alberta over a period of twenty years indicate among other things that:-
1. The individual grains such as oats, barley and wheat have been to vary rather significantly in protein content, depending upon the soil and climatic conditions under which they have been grown. Good results have followed the mixing or blending of grains in swine rations.
2. The *feeding of grains alone without proper supplementation has led to disastrous results. Protein, mineral and vitamin deficiency conditions have developed when such a procedure has been followed.
3. The main limiting factor in the use of grain alone in the feeding of breeding stock and growing pigs has been a deficiency of protein and calcium.
4. The feeding of protein supplements has led to improvement in rate and economy of gains and the purchase of such supplements has been an economically sound procedure.
5. In connection with the mineral problem, definitely beneficial results have been obtained in the majority of experiments from the feeding of calcium in the form of ground limestone to growing pigs and brood sows, common salt to all classes of pigs, iodine to pregnant sows and iron'in various forms as a preventative of anemia in suckling pigs. -
6. Vitamin A and Vitamin D deficiency conditions are likely to develop under certain feeding and management arrangements unless such carriers of these vitamins as fish oils or alfalfa products are fed. No significant results have been secured thus far from the feeding of other vitamin factors.
7. Feeding inadequate rations to brood sows has resulted in poor performance in terms of size of litters, percentage of pigs weaned and after-weaning performance of the pigs.
In spite of the considerable amount of experimental work which has been carried out in swine feeding there are still a number of questions waiting for an answer. As our pigs become more intensively bred and as pig production moves away further from natural conditions new blanks in our knowledge become apparent. Research in this field must be continued with the support and sympathy of all of the interests concerned with maintaining a stable and prosperous swine industry in Canada.
by R. D. Sinclair, first published in The Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Ascaotion, September 1947.
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