Pigs to Pork
NUTRITION
Forages for Sows
R. A. Pickett, J. R. Foster and R. Hollandbeck, Animal Sciences Department
AS-330 July, 1965
Are forages still essential for hogs?
The importance of using good pasture for developing and maintaining breeding hogs has been generally appreciated since hogs were domesticated. In fact, access to green pasture or to well cured, green, leafy hay has been considered essential for successful swine production.
Without forages, some years ago, sows farrowed fewer pigs per litter and the pigs were more likely to be born dead or weak and undersized. Pigs able to survive grew slowly and developed other unfavorable symptoms. These unfavorable results were correctly ascribed to the unidentified factors absent or lacking in adequate amounts in concentrates but more abundantly present in green forages . 1/
High quality legume pasture fits into a modern brood sow nutrition program. Forages are especially import -ant during gestation.
Our present day knowledge of the several nutrients required by swine, the amounts needed, the amounts present in different feeds and the ability to supply them from sources other than forages has developed to the point that forages are no longer considered an essential part of rations for growing-finishing pigs.
This has not been so conclusively demonstrated for sows, particularly during the pregestation and gestation periods . There is still a lingering suspicion that green forages may contain some unknown nutritional factor or factors essential for successful reproduction.
Forages such as high quality legume pasture, corn silage and haylage are well adapted for modern brood sow nutrition.
These forages are particularly well suited to the sow gestation period where the emphasis should be on limiting the energy intake with a low cost, but nutritionally adequate feeding program.
Pastures
One economical method of meeting the nutritional needs of sows during pregnancy is by the use of high quality pasture. Good alfalfa or ladino clover pasture will supply most of the daily nutritional requirements for pregnant sows.
The nutrients that are borderline or slightly deficient when good pasture is used include energy, phosphorus and salt. The requirements for those nutrients can be met