Better Pork - June 2016

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Better Pork June 2016 51
18-20 C for the sow, is ideal. A glance at
the litter survival figures for Ireland (see
table on page 49), where average born-
alive numbers are a good way below
the European leaders in this context,
indicates there’s much to be said for
smaller litters.
Dairy-style silage ration proves
a hit with Gloucestershire Old
Spot hogs
Alfalfa silage and homegrown barley
and peas constitute the recipe for low-
cost hog rations on a British research
farm. The organization Food Animal
Initiative (FAI) investigates alternative
feeding, management and marketing
for farm animals and their products in
co-operation with farmers and retail
outlets.
One aspect of this work is examin-
ing how hogs perform on TMR rations,
the kind we might see on dairy farms. A
typical mix for the hogs there comprises
55 per cent alfalfa/grass silage, 30 per
cent barley and the remainder protein
meal from peas, plus required minerals.
The 20 per cent crude protein alfalfa
silage, which has a chop length of five-
to-eight centimetres, is proving a real
favourite of the purebred Gloucester-
shire Old Spots hogs. This traditional
breed averaged over 500 grams daily
liveweight gain (dlwg) over a recent 13-
week feeding period. Energy from the
silage averaged 12.6 MJ per kilogram of
dry matter.
During the grower phase, dlwg
levelled out at 520 grams and a peak of
around 850 grams just before slaughter.
The FAI researchers agree this perfor-
mance is certainly not up to accept-
able commercial levels with hybrids
on conventional rations. However,
at a total ration cost equivalent to an
estimated C$145 per tonne coupled to
the traditional breed, it leaves a cheaply
produced quality pork that has great
marketing capacity as speciality meat.
The TMR feed is simply dumped on
the concrete floor of the respective pens
and the hogs spend hours rooting about,
according to FAI researchers.
An important point: no tail biting
or any other serious injuries have oc-
curred so far in these feeding trials.
The scientists also say that up to
50 per cent of total digestion capacity
in hogs can be taken up in the large
intestine for breaking down grass or
silage. The efficient feed leaves the
animals satisfied for relatively long
periods. BP
EYE ONEUROPE
The traditional English swine breed Gloucestershire Old Spot
is performing well on silage and home-grown grains.