A properly formulated diet is the key to not only health, but also rapid weight gain and excellent marketability of piglets. Not only farmers, but also veterinarians pay special attention to this issue. Beginners often wonder whether it is possible to feed raw potatoes to pigs and whether this will cause negative consequences. The answer to this question requires some theoretical preparation.
Is it possible to give raw potatoes to piglets?
Potato tubers contain such useful components as:
- vitamins D and K;
- ascorbic and nicotinic acids;
- vitamin B.
Caloric content and nutritional value are achieved due to the high starch content.Pigs are great at eating potatoes, even if they are fed it simply mixed with cereal or other dry food. The vegetable has a beneficial effect on the digestion and absorption of any other food.
Some farmers even experiment and give potato tops to feed animals, but experts do not recommend this.
Despite their rich chemical composition, the nutritional components in tubers are not enough to completely replace fresh green food components. The vegetable is used as an alternative to grain feed, but only in the amount of 40% of the total amount of food taken by pigs. The diet is designed in such a way that it is not only balanced, but also varied.
It is recommended to feed potatoes to pigs steamed or boiled. Raw tubers are given only in strictly regulated quantities. They are a vitamin supplement to the daily menu. In general, it is better to give Vietnamese piglets only boiled vegetables.
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When feeding potatoes to pigs, it is important to correctly calculate consumption rates. An adult medium-sized pig eats up to 4 kg of tubers per day. You should not give rotten, spoiled or diseased vegetables to animals, as this can significantly harm their health. When cooking, it is unacceptable to put sprouts or green parts of the plant into the pan. The water in which the tubers were boiled is immediately drained, since solanine and other harmful substances accumulate in it.
Before feeding the potatoes to the pigs, they are cooled. Pigs hardly distinguish hot from cold, which can result in burns. You cannot prepare boiled tubers for future use, as they quickly turn sour and spoil. Ideally, cook a fresh portion before each serving.This way you can avoid poisoning and disorders in the gastrointestinal tract.
How to feed potatoes correctly
Excessive feeding of potatoes to piglets deteriorates the quality of the meat, which becomes loose and tasteless. Similar effects are observed with chronic consumption of corn, bran and wheat. Potatoes should not be used as the main feed.
When preparing tubers, you need to pay attention to their condition. Green color or spots indicate a high content of solanine, which is a dangerous poisonous alkaloid. Such a vegetable is dangerous not only for humans, but also for pigs, and under no circumstances should you feed it. If a low-quality tuber is eaten by an adult pig, it threatens it with intestinal upset, but for a small pig such food can be fatal. Young animals should not be fed raw potatoes; they must be boiled.
Boiled potatoes are fed to pigs from 3 weeks of age, as they have excellent digestibility and high calorie content. It is recommended to be given to females as food in order to improve metabolic processes in the body and increase productivity.
The nutritional value
Potato tubers are important carbohydrate products. They include the following components:
- starch (up to 21%);
- protein;
- fats;
- mineral components;
- cellulose;
- sugar.
Fiber is very difficult for the pig's body to process. Most of the proteins contained are nitrogenous compounds belonging to the non-protein type. The vegetable contains a small amount of ascorbic acid, beta-carotene, riboflavin, and thiamine. The nutritional value of the vegetable is about 0.3 feed units.There are 12 g of digestible protein per kilogram of tubers consumed. These indicators may vary slightly and depend on the type of vegetable.
The calorie content for every 100 g of finished product is approximately 80 kcal. Dry substances improve the absorption process and accelerate entry into the body. Excessive consumption of potatoes by pigs contributes to the growth of fat, but slows down the growth process. Tubers must be included in the diet of piglets, but safety precautions must be observed. It is necessary to monitor the quality of the product and prevent animals from eating rotten, sprouted or green tubers.
You can reduce the amount of toxins and pathogenic microflora by steaming potatoes with boiling water for 20 minutes.
The best option for feeding pigs is silage potatoes, to which it is recommended to add beets and rutabaga. This not only increases the concentration of vitamins and nutritional components, but also reduces the risk of stomach upset. Potatoes are used as a biological additive to the daily diet of piglets, providing them with additional energy and vitamins. You cannot make tubers the main dish and feed animals only with them. Experienced farmers and specialists create a menu for piglets in such a way that it is as balanced and at the same time varied as possible. Only in this case will it be possible to raise healthy pigs with high commercial qualities.
