Piglet Feed: A Safe Start Through the Weeks After Weaning

Piglet Feed: The Weeks After Weaning

Weaning is the biggest upheaval in a piglet's life. The milk stops, the gut has to adjust and at the same time there is a move and a new set of pen mates. A well chosen piglet feed keeps the appetite going through this phase and supports steady digestion. Here you will find organic piglet starter and rearing feed in a 30 kilo bag as well as organic soya cake as a protein top-up.

Starter and rearing feed in sequence

The Göweil organic piglet starter as meal is finely ground and therefore easy to take up while the animals are still used to milk. It works as creep feed in the farrowing house and as the first feed straight after weaning. After that the Göweil organic piglet starter rearing feed takes over, also supplied as meal, and carries the animals through to early finishing. Both mixes come in a 30 kilo bag and suit wet and liquid feeding just as well as dry feeding from shallow bowls.

Topping up protein and organising feeding

If you mix the ration yourself, you top the cereal base up with organic soya cake in a 20 kilo bag. The cake comes from pressing the bean, keeps part of the oil and supplies the protein that growing piglets need. More important than any single component, though, is how you run the trough: feed fresh and in small amounts several times a day, take leftovers out and provide enough feeding places, so that the weaker animals in the group get their turn too.

Frequently asked questions

When do I start with creep feed?
The second week of life is a sensible start, with small amounts of finely ground starter in a shallow bowl. That way the piglets learn to eat before the milk stops. Put fresh feed down several times a day and take leftovers out without fail.

Why do piglets eat so little after weaning?
A feed change, a new pen and a new pecking order all hit the animals at once. Familiar feed from the farrowing house, quiet routines, warm draught free lying areas and easily reached water all help. After a few days intake usually picks up again.

How much water do weaned piglets need?
At this stage water matters just as much as feed. Keep drinkers at piglet height, check the flow rate and look daily to see that every nipple runs. If the animals drink too little, feed intake drops away straight away.