Minnesota Producer Tries Unique Feeding Strategy
By Corey Jones, Feedlogic Corporation
When the Thome family of Adams, MN changed their hog operation recently and added some finishing space, they also decided to go with a totally different feeding program.
“In this day and age, with the cost of feed inputs, any little advantage you can get in being more efficient with your major cost of production is a huge advantage,” according to Matt Thome.
The Thome family’s newest finisher is a 2500-head double-wide equipped with sort scales and a Feedlogic FeedSaver S-Series feed system tied to four bins and four separate feed lines. Each room is divided into two groups, one taking up around two thirds of the space, the other the remaining one third.
Normally with these types of large-pen sorter barns, the scales are used to sort heavier pigs off in the weeks leading up to first marketing. However, the new feed system will allow the Thome’s to get a lot more use out of the scales. For a good portion of the turn, the scales will be set to sort off the lighter pigs into the smaller groups. These groups will be fed differently to avoid overfeeding the heavier pigs and underfeeding the light pigs.
“With the Feedlogic system, we anticipate being able to specifically hit the lighter pigs and feed them a more precise ration to their weight,” explains Matt. “In contrast, we want to feed the heavier pigs a less expensive feed, not slow them down, but to match their feed needs with what their growth curve is at that point and hopefully produce a cheaper pig per pound of feed.”
The FeedSaver system will allow the Thome’s to feed different diets to each feed line without requiring many different diets from the mill. Just two diets are formulated for the entire turn and the system uses “blend-on-the-fly” technology to create the correct diet instantly on site.
“There are many systems out there where you can change the ration, every day, or every other day,” says Matt. “But it always involves delivering a different ration to the farm. With this system we’ll always be delivering the same base rations and the system will do the blending and changing for us.”
The FeedSaver system blends diets to fit a feed curve which is specific to sex (gilts vs. barrows) and pig weight. This will allow the Thome’s to start 45-pound pigs on a different diet than 55-pound pigs and also feed gilts on one side of the barn differently than barrows on the other side. Groups that start at the same weight but eat and grow at different rates will automatically receive diets suited to their stage along the curve. This avoids the problem in most finishers where feed budgets are not followed precisely and pigs are not receiving the required ration for optimal growth and cost per pound of gain.
The FeedSaver system does not require constant blending of two separate diets. If the Thome’s wish to feed a non-blended medicated diet to one or more groups, the system will pull feed from one of the bins and feed a specific amount of this special diet. The same targeted approach can be used with the use of products such as Paylean. As the pigs get closer to marketing, the Thome’s can choose to begin some pigs on Paylean, but not others.
The FeedSaver S-Series is easily incorporated into new barn construction or into an existing barn as a retrofit. It is simply added between the feed bins and existing feed lines. There’s no need to install additional sensors, and no special feed lines are required. It does not take up any additional space, and a typical barn retrofit can be installed without interruption to normal production flow.
To see a video of the Thome Farm installation, CLICK HERE.
Corey Jones is Service Manager for Feedlogic Corporation. He has a Masters Degree in Swine Nutrition from Kansas State University. Contact: cjones@feedlogic.com or 515-418-2153
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