Proper feeder management may be an easy way to reduce feed wastage and therefore improve efficiency of feed utilization. First of all, the type of feeder that is being used can affect feed wastage, For example, Ian Taylor and Stan Curtis at the University of Illinois studied 11 self-feeders for pigs in the 50 to 125 lb weight range. They measured feed wastage by determining how much feed fell on and through the floor and found a range or feed wastage of 2.1 to 7.7%. However, not only feeder design will play a role in how much feed will be wasted, but also the management of the feeders is important. Researchers in several countries have estimated feed wastage and have quoted values of 4% in the U.S. (with a range 2 to 12%), 6% in Great Britain (with a range of 1.5 to 20%), and 3 to 5% in Denmark. The effects of feed wastage on the amount of feed required to produce a market hog and the added cost associated with it can been seen in Table 1. A reduction in feed wastage of 4% can save as much as $1.68 per market hog in this example. Or, alternatively, a reduction in feed wastage of 4% can save 24 lbs of feed per market hog. That’s 12 tons of feed per 1,000 pigs marketed!

Clearly, it pays to take the time to check feeders and make sure they are set correctly to provide the right amount of feed to the pig. The rule of thumb is that about 50% of the bottom of the trough needs to be covered with feed and 50% of the trough bottom needs to be visible. If the feeders are set too tight and only little feed is present in the trough, pigs may fight more to get access to feed. In addition, pigs may spend extra time at the feeder "working the feeder" which could result in crushing of pellets (more fines) . This in combination with pigs trying to lick the feed and mixing it with saliva can plug the feeders and increase spoilage. On the other hand, if feeders are set too loose excess feed will accumulate in the trough and result in spoiled and unpalatable feed that goes to waste. The effects of % feed coverage on total feed weight in the feeder, moisture content of the feed and % fines found in the trough were evaluated by John Roberts at North Carolina State University and are presented in Figure 1. The amount of feed in the feed trough increases with increasing coverage as expected. If the amount of feed in the feed trough becomes too much, spoilage will result and pigs will spill more in search of fresh feed. If the % coverage is less than approximately 20%, the moisture content of the feed will increase which can also increase spoilage and prevent feed flow. The best feeder trough coverage to reduce the % of fines is between 10 and 40%. Pigs selectively avoid fines and therefore the level of fines should be kept at a minimum. The effect of feeder adjustment on feed wastage and pig performance was investigated by Liptrap and coworkers. The results are shown in Table 2.

The results of this trial showed that feed wastage was increased substantially when the feeder plate setting was increased. On the other hand, the experiment also demonstrated that when feed intake was adjusted for feed wastage, pigs eating from feeders with the greater agitator plate setting consumed more feed and gained more weight. This suggests that in this study the lower settings restricted feed intake to some extent. The feed cost per lb. of gain was actually similar among treatments in this trial.

Take-Home Message