> Does anyone have experience with feeding milk to pigs?
Hi,
Well, with dairy farmers over 50 years old, I'm thinking that it would be
pretty darn difficult to find one who had NOT fed milk to pigs.
Pigs were practically universal on dairy farms 50 years ago, as they were a
good fit with the cows, and often times much more profitable than the cows.
Feeding milk to pigs has also been done in more recent years. I have an
valuable friend who had the lowest somatic cell count in Ohio for 5 years
running. Every year I read about him in the "Farm and Dairy" newspaper, and
wondered how he could possibly achieve such a feat year after year.
I finally drove down there to see how he was doing it. It turned out that he
was milking the high cell count cows seperate, and feeding that milk to his
pigs. He thought he made out as well or better by feeding it to the pigs.
He didn't want to part with his high cell count cows.
Also, in recent years, farmers with no quota in Ontario could sell butterfat
if it was seperated. Of course they were stuck with the skim milk.
Many farmers thought that selling the butterfat plus feeding the skim milk to
pigs was more profitable than buying quota. This was mostly kind of an
"Amish" thing, but English speaking did it too.
For pigs from 50 lbs to finish weight, about 3-6 lbs of milk per day, plus
free choice ear corn, would be a pretty good and typical ration from 50 years
ago. It would still work OK today.
The amount of milk fed should be held steady as the pig grew from 40 or 50 to
200 pounds. Bigger pigs need much less protein as a percentage of the
ration. Of course the bigger pigs would also eat a lot more ear corn which
would also contribute more protein..
The 3 pounds of milk would have been fed with excellent legume pasture while
the 6 pounds of milk would have been for poor or no pasture. WIth skim milk
at that level, no other protein supplement would be necessary.
Whole milk is not any better than skim milk as a protein supplement for pigs.
Whole milk isn't worth much more than skim but they do eat less ear corn if
fed whole milk.
Whole milk often causes digestive upset in smaller pigs or piggy pigs. Skim
milk is much less a problem with regard to digestive upset.
Milk can be fed to pigs either fresh or sour, but you shouldn't switch back
and forth as frequent digestive upsets result. You would probably get along
better with fresh milk.
--
Kindest regards,
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F. W. Owen
Owenlea Holsteins
9430 Spencer Road
Homerville, Ohio 44235
e-mail fwo@bright.net
home page http://www.bright.net/~fwo
voice & fax 330.625.2369
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