A study on six feeding strategies of 100% organic origin for piglets with respect to performance, health status, losses and economy in organic agriculture

Background and Objective

But this approach seems to be problematically for piglets due to their high nutrient requirement and the simultaneous lack of organic feed with high protein quality, the so-called protein gap in organic agriculture.

It is the aim of the following study to test a 100% organic low-external-input feeding strategy without lowering piglets’ performance and health status.

Approach

Therefore, 6 one-phase feeding strategies - 3 types of concentrate diets of various 100% organic feed composition (high, medium, and low external input type) combined with 2 roughages (grass-clover-silage or straw as organically obligatory roughage source) - are tested for piglets’ performance, health status, losses, and economy at the Thuenen Institute of Organic Farming, Trenthorst, Germany. 24 litters per feeding strategy (in total 1.509 piglets) are tested from day 14 – 63 post natum with a 7 week suckling period. High external input type (28% farm own origin) is a commercial concentrate diet for piglets with high energy and amino acid supply, medium external input type (78% farm own origin) is the Trenthorst own piglet diet with medium supply, and low external input diet (87% farm own origin) is the Trenthorst own diet for lactating sows with only marginal energy and amino acid supply for piglets.

Data and Methods

More than 200 piglets per feeding strategy are tested under organic housing conditions for performance, health status (incl. blood analyses for haptoglobine), losses, and feeding costs.

Results

Performance is significantly influenced by the concentrate type but not by the roughage type. Daily weight gain during the 49 day test period is at the same level for the commercial and for the Trenthorst own piglet diet (357g) and only 4% higher than compared to the lactating diet. Medical treatments (4.4% of the piglets) and losses (2.5% of the piglets) are at a low level and independent from the 6 feeding strategies. The lactating diet and the Trenthorst piglet diet generate only 49% resp. 57% of the commercial diet costs for a piglet of standardised live weight.Lactating diet has lowest logistical impact.

However, lactating diet strategy demands a high level of herd health and of management quality and is very strictly associated with an at least 7 week suckling period.

Links and Downloads

Project website "ICOPP"

Project via orgprints.org

Thünen-Contact

• Weißmann, Friedrich Institute of Organic Farming

Involved Thünen-Partners

• Baldinger, Lisa Institute of Organic Farming
• Bussemas, Ralf Institute of Organic Farming

Involved external Thünen-Partners

• Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU)
  (München, Deutschland)

Funding Body

• Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE)
  (national, öffentlich)

Duration

10.2011 - 1.2015

More Information

Projekt type:
Project funding number: 2811OE021
Funding program: Bundesprogramm Ökologischer Landbau und andere Formen nachhaltiger Landwirtschaft (BÖLN)
Project status: finished

• Endbericht Ferkelfuetterungsstrategien 2811oe021.pdf
• Merkblatt Ferkelfuetterungsstrategien 2811oe021.pdf

Thünen-Contact

• Weißmann, Friedrich Institute of Organic Farming

Involved Thünen-Partners

• Baldinger, Lisa Institute of Organic Farming
• Bussemas, Ralf Institute of Organic Farming

Involved external Thünen-Partners

• Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU)
  (München, Deutschland)

Funding Body

• Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE)
  (national, öffentlich)

Duration

10.2011 - 1.2015

More Information

Projekt type:
Project funding number: 2811OE021
Funding program: Bundesprogramm Ökologischer Landbau und andere Formen nachhaltiger Landwirtschaft (BÖLN)
Project status: finished

hits: 8