Crop straws and leaves can serve as excellent feed for pigs. Certain types of crop residues are not only nutritious but also highly palatable to pigs, helping to reduce feeding costs and improve efficiency in pig farming. Here are some commonly used crop by-products that can be effectively utilized as pig feed:
1. Sweet Potato Vines: During the sweet potato harvest season, a large amount of vines are produced. These can be dried in the sun, then crushed into powder using a pulverizer. After saccharification, they become a delicious and nutritious feed for pigs. The saccharification process involves placing the crushed sweet potato vine powder into a clean container, adding 2 to 2.5 times hot water (80–90°C), stirring into a thick paste, covering it with a lid, and maintaining a temperature between 55–60°C for about 4 hours. Once done, the mixture turns yellow and sweet, making it ideal for feeding pigs.
2. Soybean Leaves: Rich in crude protein, fat, calcium, and phosphorus, soybean leaves are a great alternative when protein feed is scarce. They can be fed fresh, silaged, or crushed before being added to pig diets.
3. Pine Needle Powder: Pine needles are packed with essential nutrients, including 18 amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and carotene. Adding 5–8% pine needle powder to pig feed can enhance growth rates, boost immunity, and improve overall productivity. The processing involves collecting, drying, crushing, and sieving the needles to produce a fine powder.
4. Corn Stalks: Corn stalks cannot be directly fed to pigs but can be fermented using a special starter culture like Goldbeat Type II. The process involves chopping the stalks into 3–5 cm pieces, mixing them with a 1:10 ratio of starter and rice bran (or other grains), adjusting the moisture to around 60%, and sealing the mixture. Fermentation takes 3–5 days, after which the feed becomes more digestible and nutritious.
5. Sunflower Discs: These contain fragrant fructose that stimulates pigs' appetite. After sun-drying and grinding into flour, they can be used to feed piglets and sows, promoting healthy growth. For more information, visit the official website or contact the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences at No. 12 Zhongguancun South Street, Beijing 100081. You can reach them via phone at 81428238 or through their mailbox at 152.
Foshan Ja Suo Medical Device Co., LTD , https://www.jasuodental.com