WHAT TO DO WHEN YOUR PIG WON’T EAT
When you notice that your pig has left food in the feed trough, this is what we call “Off Feed”. The term “Off Feed” is basically losing an appetite. Animals can lose their appetite due to a variety of reasons. The steps below are organized to identify what may be causing the lack of appetite.
A simple reason may be because of the high quantities of protein in the grain. This causes too much energy that burns out their appetite. It would be like you eating too much meat or candy. After a while, you would most likely lose your appetite. Most pigs will aggressively clean up their feed ration in 12-18 minutes. If your pig is eating slowly or leaving too much food, perform the checklist below. Start with the “easy to fix” environmental checks and then move into the health checks.
EVALUATE THE BASICS
Amount – Check to see that the correct amount of feed is being fed. Overfeeding will not cause your pig to eat more. Overfeeding will cause the leftover feed to sit in the bucket and dry out and loose its freshness. Clean out any leftover feed. Do not leave it in the bucket.
Quality – Check to see that the feed is fresh and good quality. Feed should not smell rancid or stinky and it should not be moldy, dusty or dirty.
Water – Check to see that the water is flowing good, clean and cool. It should not be HOT, dirty, smelly or moldy.
Illness – Check for – fever, injury, sunburn, or other symptom of illness. Review the Daily Health Assessment Chart to make sure there isn’t an illness that is the cause for the eating change. Review the Daily Pen Assessment to make sure there isn’t an environmental reason for the feeding problem.
Wet the Feed – If you feed dry, try wetting the feed. Start with the consistancy of oatmeal. Many times the pigs like a wet feed and it also helps them get a deep hydration. Pigs love the wet, sloppy grain or mash.
RE-ENERGIZE THE FEED
If the pig is healthy and shows no signs of illness or stress and the feed and water is good, it may be time to simplify the feed.
Pull Back the Protein – To pull back the protein, switch your feed to a lower protein such as a Grower to a Finishing Ration. Reducing from 18% to 16% is sometimes enough to simplify the feed ration.
If no change after the first feeding, try mixing in some appetizers with 2 cups of water:
- Yogurt – 6 oz. container
- Oat Groats – 1.5 cups
- Beet Pulp – 1 cup
- Vitamin B – Can be purchased in crumble, powder, and paste form.
Sometimes adding a top dress is enough to get them eating again. With the next feeding, watch them eat. If they are slow to eat and do not finish eating or show enthusiasm for their standard ration of food, perform the following steps:
Day 1 – Probiotics & Remove Left over Feed –
- Feed ½ portion of feed with Yogurt and a dose of probiotics. After 20 minutes, remove and bag any remaining feed. Bagged feed may be used at the next feeding. Bagging keeps the feed clean and moist. Yogurt peaks their interest and helps to regulate the gut flora in their stomachs. Feed this mixture both morning and evening feeding.
- Contact your Advisor – Let your advisor know what you are doing and that there may be a problem.
Day 2 – Re-Evaluate Eating – The next feeding, evaluate health for any new symptoms. If no change:
- Mix New feed at full portion with Yogurt, a dose of probiotics and add ½ to 1 pound of roughage such as oat groats or water soaked beet pulp. Sometimes the added fiber will settle their stomachs down and increase their appetite.
- Remove any Fat Supplements from the feed ration.
- Scoop Out Feed – Once they have had 20 minutes to eat, scoop out and throw away any remaining feed. Feed this mixture both morning and evening feeding.
Day 3 – Re-Evaluate Eating – The next feeding, evaluate health for any new symptoms. If no change:
- Skip the Morning Feeding: This can allow their intestinal system a chance to clean out and get back to normal.
- Evening Feeding – Feed the normal ration without supplements with Yogurt, probiotics and ½-1 lb. of roughage (oat groats or beet pulp). If they clean up the bucket in 12-18 minutes, things are most likely back on track.
- Scoop Out Feed – Once they have had 20 minutes to eat, scoop out and throw away any remaining feed.
Day 4 – Re-Evaluate Eating The next feeding, evaluate health for any new symptoms. If no change:
- Feed the Normal Ration – Feed the normal ration without supplements with Yogurt, probiotics and ½-1 lb. of roughage (oat groats or beet pulp). If they clean up the bucket in 12-18 minutes, things are most likely back on track.
- Fat Supplements – Supplements can be slowly added back into the feed ration after a 5 days of eating well.
- Scoop Out Feed – Once they have had 20 minutes to eat, scoop out and throw away any remaining feed.
- All the feed is gone – If the pig cleans up the feed in 12-20 minutes, things are most likely back on track and supplements can be slowly added back into the ration at ½ the supplement dosage and increase over the next two days.
- The Pig isn’t eating – If the pig is still off feed it may be that he has interest in the basic feed. Although this is not common with pigs, it is a possibility. Remember, there are a large variety of quality feeds. There may be a different mix that will benefit your pig. Don’t be afraid to switch feeds to increase their appetite. Reference “How to Safely Switch Pig Feeds”.
- No Improvement – If they are still not cleaning up their feed, contact your advisor for more evaluation help. There are other strategies like giving Vitamin B to increase appetites. There may be other health issues that need to be addressed. Do not wait too long. Valuable weight is not being gained during this time.
