In our culture, there is a strong tension between those with book knowledge and those with practical knowledge. I believe that tension is overblown. Of course, books on practical subjects cannot tell you everything you need to know about the subject of the book, as no author can anticipate any given person’s real life practical experiences. However, between the two, if forced to choose, I believe practical knowledge, which is knowledge based on practice, on average, is less valuable than book knowledge, especially when those books have been written by people who have been practicing directly, or researching the activity of those practicing directly for a long time.
Everytime I here of someone weaning piglets onto straight corn meal because it was the cheapest thing they could find, or everytime I see someone fling mash feed over a fenceline onto the muddy ground inside the sow gestation pen to “feed the sows,” that belief is reinforced. In the first case, those piglets are literally being poisoned from lack of nutrition (the practical farmer scratches his head wondering why his eight week old piglets only weigh 15 pounds), and in the second case those gestating sows aren’t getting nearly as much feed as they need to bring a group of healthy pigs to term (the practical farmer scratches his head, wondering why his sow only had seven pigs and two were still born and three are runts). In each case, the practical farmer knows something is wrong, but, the person of book knowledge need only spend five minutes with that practical farmer to set him “straight.” Of course, the “bookish” “practical” farmer is in the best position to make a profit, and this has always been the case. Understanding this, agricultural extension agents used to make the rounds of the farms to bring the book knowledge to those practical farmers who might not have access to it, or the educational resources to make use of it.
I include that little preface because I have never raised a gilt beyond market weight; I have never bred a sow; I have never fed a sow through gestation; I have never farrowed a sow; I have never fed a lactating sow; and finally, I have never fed or cared for pre-weaning piglets, but, nevertheless, I am writing this morning to admonish you, many amongst you whom have done all of those things numerous or even countless times, to take care of your sows. My direct practical experience in this is trying to raise feeder pigs at a profit out of sows that were poorly taken care of, so for those of you who demand a certain amount of practical knowledge, I do have that — I have hundreds of wasted dollars, and a few dead pigs, to show for it.
There are a whole host of variables, from genetics (both sow and boar selection), to sow care, to pre-weaning care, to post weaning feeding, to post-weaning and growing environment, etc. that determine how well a market pig will fare, especially in terms of profitability. However, based on the large volume of what I have read and the limited practical experience, it seems to me that perhaps the most important indicator of feeder pig performance is sow care. The pre-weaning and immediate weaning diet of the pigs is perhaps the second most important indicator. (The success of the feeder pig producer, who wants sows that give birth to large numbers of healthy pigs depends just as much on sow care).
To produce healthy, vigorous pigs that grow into feeder pigs that finish profitably for the feeder pig buyer (of the farrow-to-finish farmer), sows need to be fed adequate amounts of appropriately balanaced feeds, period. If they are not, the sows’ pigs will be and will most likely remain light and unthrifty, no matter the herculean efforts of the pig finisher. A sow that is poorly and/or inadequately fed will produce poor feeder pigs. Will they get to market weight? Most likely, eventually they will. Will their carcasses be acceptable? Most likely. Will the feeder pig finisher have made a profit? No, not a penny. The endevour will have been a loss, and you can be darn sure that that feeder pig finisher will not be calling that feeder pig producer again for pigs.
What does it mean to take care of a sow? It means simply that she should be fed the proper amounts of the appropriate quality feed given her reproductive status. A dry sow requires very little milled feed, of relatively low protein, especially when on top notch pasture like alfalfa. A sow in gestation that has been re-bred needs to be fed an adequate amount of high quality feed in early gestation to get her body back into condition so that by mid-to-late gestation when her pigs really start to grow and her milk starts to come in, she has the resources to support those processes. By the time the sow is in full lactation she needs copious amounts (15 lbs. per day, or even more if she has a lot of pigs nursing!) of a high quality protein feed (18-20%, high lysine). It should go without saying that she should also have access to as much clean fresh water as she wants. [Note: Sort of by definition we are all internet people because we are writing or reading a blog, so I have not dug out my notes to include specific feeding recommendations, as they are readily available on-line. However, if you want the specifics and you really aren't all that internet savvy, please e-mail me or leave a comment and I'll be happy to help]
When sows are not cared for in a such a manner, it is often a disaster, for the feeder pig producer and the feeder pig buyer, both. There will be few pigs; they will not be vigorous; they will not grow well; and, finally, they will be more susceptible to disease than pigs from a sow that has been well cared for.
