How to make your own feed mix?

[remadl700]

Can anyone post recipes they have with corn or wheat being the main energy source?

 

[freemotion]

I am feeding my pigs anything I can get my hands on, and fermented whole corn when the scraps aren't as plentiful.

My grandfather fed fermented oats to his pigs. He was a farmer and grew oats and potatoes, primarily. He probably fed them boiled 'taters, too, most likely. He would put the whole oats in a bucket and fill it with water, letting it sit for a few days until it got really bubbly. Then feed it with the liquid along with any other veggies and scraps, milk, whey, etc. I don't think very young pigs can eat this, though. Mine chewed it and spit the shells out. I think they need to be about 5 months before they can really use oats (wheat probably, too.)

I can get whole corn here so I ferment it in the same way and they love it. I fed whole fermented corn from the day I got them at 2 months or so. I give them whey from cheesemaking, any milk that is not good for human consumption (rare in our household, but it happens), any garden scraps...they particularly love rotting tomatoes...and the neighbors are having a good time throwing stuff over the fence now, I often don't have to feed them at all. Tonight there was about 4-5 gallons of tomatoes, 5 pumpkins, and about 3 dozen ears of sweet corn that I did not put in their pasture. Putting the word out was the best thing I could've done!

I go for variety in the diet and have even thrown in acorns and have picked dandelion greens when variety was slim for a few days. They LOVED the dandelions! Their main food is the corn but I give them anything else I can get my hands on.

 

[Shootingstars]

I am feeding my pigs anything I can get my hands on, and fermented whole corn when the scraps aren't as plentiful.

My grandfather fed fermented oats to his pigs. He was a farmer and grew oats and potatoes, primarily. He probably fed them boiled 'taters, too, most likely. He would put the whole oats in a bucket and fill it with water, letting it sit for a few days until it got really bubbly. Then feed it with the liquid along with any other veggies and scraps, milk, whey, etc. I don't think very young pigs can eat this, though. Mine chewed it and spit the shells out. I think they need to be about 5 months before they can really use oats (wheat probably, too.)

I can get whole corn here so I ferment it in the same way and they love it. I fed whole fermented corn from the day I got them at 2 months or so. I give them whey from cheesemaking, any milk that is not good for human consumption (rare in our household, but it happens), any garden scraps...they particularly love rotting tomatoes...and the neighbors are having a good time throwing stuff over the fence now, I often don't have to feed them at all. Tonight there was about 4-5 gallons of tomatoes, 5 pumpkins, and about 3 dozen ears of sweet corn that I did not put in their pasture. Putting the word out was the best thing I could've done!

I go for variety in the diet and have even thrown in acorns and have picked dandelion greens when variety was slim for a few days. They LOVED the dandelions! Their main food is the corn but I give them anything else I can get my hands on.

Thank you for sharing this. I am trying to supplement my pig's feed with anything I can also get. I have a ton of rotting fruit on the ground and the dang pig won't eat it. He does love old yogurt and spoiled milk.

 

[freemotion]

Mine wouldn't eat the tomatoes until they got really disgusting. Then they snarfed them all up! Not a trace left!

 

[remadl700]

Thanks for the replies -

Any suggestions with adding Flax or Soybean meal, such as percentages by weight?

 

[freemotion]

It depends on what you are trying to accomplish. Are you looking to make your own version of a commercial mix, and feed that only to confinement pigs? If so, I'd think you could use something like Pearson's square and get the proper protein percentage for what you are trying to accomplish, using what you have available as the bulk of the diet (corn and wheat) on one corner of the square, and go from there. That is what I'd do. It is how I balanced my poultry's feed when I first started out feeding whole grains and wanted to balance the protein with soybean meal.

My goals may be different from yours, though, as I was determined to go soy-free, and now sprout the small grains to up the protein. I will do this for the pigs when the ground freezes.

I've not had to add protein yet, since mine are on pasture and they find plenty in the dirt. But they have a large area surrounded by trees on three sides, so I'm sure there are plenty of grubs and worms in the soil.

 

[remadl700]

It depends on what you are trying to accomplish. Are you looking to make your own version of a commercial mix, and feed that only to confinement pigs? If so, I'd think you could use something like Pearson's square and get the proper protein percentage for what you are trying to accomplish, using what you have available as the bulk of the diet (corn and wheat) on one corner of the square, and go from there. That is what I'd do. It is how I balanced my poultry's feed when I first started out feeding whole grains and wanted to balance the protein with soybean meal.

My goals may be different from yours, though, as I was determined to go soy-free, and now sprout the small grains to up the protein. I will do this for the pigs when the ground freezes.

I've not had to add protein yet, since mine are on pasture and they find plenty in the dirt. But they have a large area surrounded by trees on three sides, so I'm sure there are plenty of grubs and worms in the soil.

I haven't heard of the "Pearson's Square". I'll look it up.

What I have right now for back ground purposes are 1500 lbs of wheat, 600 lbs of corn and 3 weaners. With the addition of a protein to this volume its approximately 2600 lbs of total feed. By my calculation I am approximately 1000 lbs short to get them to full butcher weight of 250 lbs a piece. I was able to pick up the corn and wheat for $120 dollars. I have my own grinder so I just keep it whole until I am ready to feed and grind what I need and soak in what ever I have been able to scrounge from family and friends.

 

[freemotion]

Here is where I found it originally: http://www.lionsgrip.com/protein.html

You will need to do the simple algebra to get the average protein percentage of your corn and wheat (great deal!!!) and put that in one corner, with your target protein, to figure out the percentage of the soy. You also need to know what form of soy you will be using and the percentage of protein it has. It should be simple after you have those numbers.

You can skip the grinding if you presoak the grains, even in plain water. I soak the corn....it never sprouts, but gets quite yummy to the pigs when it gets all fizzy. I add whey or sour milk when I have it, nothing when I don't. They hoover it up either way.

 

[remadl700]

Here is where I found it originally: http://www.lionsgrip.com/protein.html

You will need to do the simple algebra to get the average protein percentage of your corn and wheat (great deal!!!) and put that in one corner, with your target protein, to figure out the percentage of the soy. You also need to know what form of soy you will be using and the percentage of protein it has. It should be simple after you have those numbers.

You can skip the grinding if you presoak the grains, even in plain water. I soak the corn....it never sprouts, but gets quite yummy to the pigs when it gets all fizzy. I add whey or sour milk when I have it, nothing when I don't. They hoover it up either way.

Thanks

 

[gallopingfrog]

Okay, so I am totally resurrecting this post from the dead! :bun

I read through the other threads about feed, but I have a few questions. I know how to figure Pearson Square formulas, etc., but I'm having trouble coming up with a ration for pigs based on the following for a three phase feeding program for weaned pigs through 40 lbs (approx.)

For example, the first phase you feed a pelleted diet of 20 - 22% crude protein (know how to figure this with a ration!) and 1.45% lysine. This feed also includes 4 - 5% plasma protein, 20% food-grade whey, 10% dried skim milk, 4-6% cheese-by prodcut, 2-3% egg protein and 4 - 6% soy oil.

Except now that I'm looking at it, it seems entirely too complicated. Does anyone have any idea of the lysine content for most feeds? Or just a feed ration that they mix for themselves for their pigs that gives off really good meat? I'm trying to not overthink it, but I go into super research mode when I'm getting a new animal. We don't have a lot of scraps, from the garden/other animals/etc. yet, because we're still building up, so they would need to be on an actual ration. However, I love coming up with my own feeds to give, rather than using commercial - its a hobby.

Any info would be great! Thanks!