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Feeding

Good feed is necessary for growth, body maintenance and the production of meat and milk.

Stores sell pre-mixed rations that have the right amounts of ingredients for pigs of various ages. However, these pre-mixed feeds can be expensive. Instead, you can use locally available feeds that are less expensive, but can be nutritionally complete when properly prepared. In fact, pigs can be fed well, using only kitchen scraps from a family's household.

The nutritional needs of pigs can be divided into six categories or classes. These are water, carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins and minerals.

Water

Pigs should have free and convenient access to water. The amount required varies with age, type of feed and environmental temperature. Normally, pigs will consume 25 kg of water per kg of dry feed. The range may be from 7 to 20 liters of water per 100 kg of body weight daily.

Water sources

- Banana trunks.
- Leaves of Ipomoea batatas, Ipomoea aquatica.
- Rind of watermelon (Citrullus lanatus).

Low-cost, locally available feeds

Protein-rich feeds

Help an animal grow faster, give more milk. Also give to pregnant animals.

Plant sources

- Grated coconuts.
- Leucaena leucocephala leaves.
- Gliricidia septum leaves.
- Beans.
- Moringa oleifera leaves.
- Pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan).
- Groundnut cake (leftover after oil extraction).
- Seed skins of mung bean sprouts.
- Waste of soybean cake (liquid).
- Rice bran.

Animal sources

- Fish rejects.
- Frogs.
- Shrimps.
- Snails.
- Earthworms.
- Maggots, grubs, other insects.
- Crabs (from the rice field).

Carbohydrate sources

Vitamin and mineral sources

- Pounded bones.
- Leaves of Moringa oleifera.
- Salt.
- Molasses.
- Fruit rejects/peelings.
- Ipomaea aquatica.
- Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes).
- Green and leaf; vegetables stables.

Pigs will eat insects and kitchen waste. Some farmers in the Philippines trap termites and feed them to their pigs. A wooden box is left on top of a termite mound. From time to time termites are shaken out of the box directly into the pig trough. A split bamboo duct can be used to send kitchen waste—first rinse only, without soap—to your pig trough.

A piglet feeding trough can be made by cutting a car tire in half along its circumference.

Or, a piglet feeding trough can be made from split bamboo.

A good trough can be made by hollowing out a section of log.

Old cooking pots make good feeding troughs.

A variety of feeding troughs can be made easily with lumber.