Effects of feed presentation
on the feeding behaviour of grower / finisher pigs
K.A.M. MacDonald1,2 and
H.W. Gonyou1
1Prairie Swine Centre
Inc., Saskatoon, Canada, 2University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
Recent research suggests the standard “five pigs per feeder space” to grossly underestimate the carrying capacity of modern feeder designs. The maximum number of pigs that can be fed from a single feeder space should be highly correlated with the eating speed of the animals. In this, the first of two experiments, grower/finisher pigs were sorted into eight pens of 12 pigs each. Pens were then randomly assigned to one of four treatments. Treatments included: wet/dry mash (WM), dry mash (DM), wet/dry pellets (WP) or dry pellets (DP). Pigs were fed the same diet, but presentation of the diet was different between treatments. Feed intake and pig weights were recorded at 2-week intervals throughout the 12-week study. Video recordings were taken when pigs weighed 35 to 45 kg (small) and again when they weighed 90 to 100 kg (large) and observed using scan sampling at 5-minute intervals in order to determine total duration of feeder usage. Pigs fed a DM diet spent more time occupying the feeder (106.13 min/pig/day) versus those fed a WM diet (68.04 min/pig/day; P <0.01). No significant difference in duration of feeder usage was found among WM, WP or DP (59.70 and 58.79 min/pig/day, respectively). Apparent average daily feed intake was similar among treatment groups. Pigs fed wet/dry diets had better average daily gains versus those fed dry diets (901.4 vs. 830.4 g/day; P <0.05). Similarly, DM pigs gained significantly less than WM or WP pigs (792.2 vs. 903.2 and 899.6 g/day, respectively; P <0.05). DP fed pigs had an intermediate ADG (868.7 g/day). Mash fed pigs had poorer feed conversions as compared to the pigs fed pellets (33.5 vs. 37.2% efficiency; P <0.05). Large pigs spent less time at the feeder than small pigs (62.3 vs. 69.5%; P =0.06). Results indicate that feed presentation had a strong influence on eating behaviour and affected productivity. Similarly, while pigs fed dry mash spend significantly more time at the feeder, this effect can be eliminated by the addition of water, as in a wet/dry feeding system.