How to give raw potatoes to pigs and is it possible
A properly formulated diet is the key to not only health, but also rapid weight gain and excellent marketability of piglets. This issue is given special attention not only by farmers, but also by veterinarians. Newbies often wonder if raw potatoes can be fed to pigs and will not cause negative consequences. The answer to this question requires some theoretical training.
Can I feed raw potatoes to piglets?
Potato tubers contain useful components such as:
- vitamins D and K;
- ascorbic and nicotinic acids;
- vitamin of group B.
Caloric and nutritional value is achieved due to the high starch content. Pigs eat potatoes wonderfully, even if they are fed by simply mixing them with cereals or other dry food. The vegetable has a beneficial effect on the digestion and assimilation of any other food.
Some farmers even experiment and give potato tops to feed animals, but experts do not recommend doing this.
Despite the rich chemical composition, the nutrients in the tubers are not enough to completely replace fresh green food components. The vegetable is used as an alternative to grain feed, but only in the amount of 40% of the total food intake by pigs. The diet is composed in such a way that it is not only balanced, but also varied.
It is recommended to feed the potatoes steamed or boiled to pigs. Raw tubers are given only in a strictly normalized amount. They are a vitamin supplement to the daily menu. It is generally better to give Vietnamese pigs only a boiled vegetable.
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When feeding potatoes to pigs, it is important to correctly calculate the consumption rates. A medium-sized adult pig eats up to 4 kg of tubers per day. Do not give animals a rotten, spoiled or diseased vegetable, as this can significantly harm their health. When cooking, it is unacceptable to send sprouts or green parts of the plant into the pan. The water in which the tubers were boiled is immediately drained, since solanine and other harmful substances accumulate in it.
Cool the potatoes before feeding them to the pigs. Piggies hardly distinguish hot from cold, as a result of which burns can occur. You can not harvest boiled tubers for future use, as they quickly turn sour and deteriorate. Ideally, cook a fresh batch before each serving. So you can avoid poisoning and disorders in the gastrointestinal tract.
How to give potatoes correctly
Excessive feeding of potatoes to piglets degrades the quality of meat, which becomes loose and tasteless. A similar effect is observed with consistent consumption of corn, bran and wheat. Potatoes cannot be used as the main feed.
When preparing tubers, you need to pay attention to their condition. Green color or spots indicate a high content of solanine, which is a dangerous poisonous alkaloid. Such a vegetable is dangerous not only for humans, but also for pigs, and in no case should it be fed. If a poor-quality tuber is eaten by an adult pig, then it threatens her with intestinal upset, but for a small pig, such food can be fatal. Youngsters should not be fed raw potatoes; they must be boiled.
Boiled potatoes are fed to pigs from the age of 3 weeks, since they have excellent digestibility and high calorie content. It is recommended to feed it to females in order to improve metabolic processes in the body and increase productivity.
The nutritional value
Potato tubers are an important carbohydrate food. They include components such as:
- starch (up to 21%);
- protein;
- fats;
- mineral components;
- cellulose;
- sugar.
Fiber is very difficult for pigs to process. Most of the proteins contained are nitrogenous compounds belonging to the non-protein type. Vegetables contain a small amount of ascorbic acid, beta-carotene, riboflavin, thiamine. The nutritional value of a vegetable is about 0.3 feed unit. The consumed kilogram of tubers accounts for 12 g of digestible protein. These figures may vary slightly and depend on the type of vegetable.
The calorie content for every 100 g of the finished product is approximately 80 kcal. Dry substances improve the absorption process and accelerate absorption into the body. Excessive consumption of potatoes by pigs contributes to the growth of fat, but slows down the growth process. Tubers must be included in the diet of piglets, however, safety measures must be observed. It is required to monitor the quality of the product, to prevent animals from eating rotten, sprouted or green tubers.
You can reduce the amount of toxins and pathogenic microflora by steaming potatoes with boiling water for 20 minutes.
The best option for feeding pigs is silage potatoes, in which it is recommended to add beets and rutabagas. This allows not only to increase the concentration of vitamins and nutrients, but also to reduce the risk of indigestion. Potatoes are used as a biological supplement to the daily diet of piglets, providing them with additional energy and vitamins. You cannot make tubers the main course and feed animals only with them. Experienced farmers and specialists make up the piglet's menu in such a way that it is as balanced as possible and at the same time varied. Only in this case it will be possible to grow healthy pigs with high commercial qualities.
