FEED EFFICIENCY IN GROWER PIG

Pigs
are reared everywhere in Sierra Leone by various systems. In the tropics, most if not all pigs are allowed to fend for themselves, with minimum supplementation of feeds, and at night accommodation is provided in the semi-intensive system. A bird’s eye view of pig production in Sierra Leone reveals that pigs are mainly reared by the intensive system because of the advantage of having control over the animals. In commercial pig production, the main objective of diet formulation and feeding
strategy is to maximize profits, which does not necessarily imply maximal animal performance. To maximize the economic efficiency, therefore, supplying indispensable nutrients more closely to meeting, but not exceeding, the requirements
of the pig is advantageous.  Such optimum feeding strategies involve consideration of a multitude of factors. In addition, there must be an effective means to incorporate all the necessary information to formulate efficient diets in a convenient and economical manner.
Because of declining profit margins in recent years, offering diets containing just enough nutrients to satisfy the needs of the pig would have a significant impact on the profitability and success of the pig enterprise. This will have a positive impact on today’s environmentally conscious society by reducing the excretion of unutilized nutrients. It is reasonable to assume that pigs with
different sex and genotypes can express their genetic potential for growth, production and/or reproduction if they are provided with the opportunity to consume the optimum amounts of all nutrients in just the proportions required to satisfy their needs. The domestic pig population in the world is extremely high.
Pig production contributes immensely to the micro-economy of a community and country. Frequently, management level is low and in particular, diseases and poor nutrition are the two major limiting factors. The main issue therefore is whether diets on offer are efficient enough to maximize animal production as the case with optimal feeding strategies for various categories of stock.

Efficient feeding of pigs is a rather big challenge in Sierra Leone. Majority of pig farmers feed pellets mixed with some local feed stuff including market wastes. It is also realized that most farmers practice restricted feeding on the same formulation of ration. It is hard to define the actual nutrient composition of diets fed; without laboratory analysis of ingredients. Thus to conclude that
the diets used in feeding grower pigs in Sierra Leone are efficient would be faced with serious questions.

Efficient utilization of resources is an important economic component of any business operation. Good FE is not only of economic importance, but also is a monitor of nutrient management on farms. As FE increases, more nutrients are directed into meat production with less manure and nutrients excreted.

The overall objective is to assess feeding of grower pigs and measure their feed efficiency through experimental research using improved and local breeds, conventional and non-conventional feed and taking various ages.

The experimental research will be used to collect quantitative and qualitative data during the research period to look at the feed conversion ratio and feed efficiency, weight gain per animal, age of animal, weight of feed times of feeding per day source of water, feed ingredients/rations used, sex of animal and breed of animal. Descriptive statistical techniques will be used to summarize and analyse the data.

The result of the experiment will be looking at weight gain for animals fed on local & conventional feed stuff.