Pounds

Pilgrim1 · #1 04/16/08, 08:05 PM

Is there a ratio of how much weight a pig gains on average per pound of feed ?

Feathers-N-Fur · #2 04/17/08, 05:51 PM

The ideal is one pound of gain for three pounds of grain. That is what the 4H kids are tought.

agmantoo · #3 04/17/08, 08:59 PM

On commercial grains a feeder pig (50 lbs.) will require 10 bushel of shelled corn and 150 lbs of soy meal to reach 220 to 240 lbs. in 115 days. You can hang your hat on this info. It is sound.

Pilgrim1 · #4 04/17/08, 10:48 PM

thanks

Lazy J · #5 04/18/08, 07:22 AM

The Feed Conversion Ratio or its inverse Feed Efficiency will depend on many factors since the two factors, Growth and Feed Intake, can be manipulated or affect by a myriad of issues. For example, a pig raised in a clean inside environment will grow more efficiently than a pig raised outside, pigs fed pelleted feeds will be more efficient that pigs fed meal feed, sickness limits feed conversion, feeding the wrong feed for the pigs age/weight will reduce feed intake. This list is virtually endless.

Unfortunately with the differences in genetics, housing systems, and feeding programs there is nothing you can hang your hat on in pork production in regards to feed efficiency.

Jim

bumpus · #6 04/18/08, 07:41 AM

.
3 1/2 lbs of good feed ... gains 1 lb of body weight

Ratios can vary a little depending on which breed of pig you are feeding also.

Duroc Boar X Yorkshire Female brings pigs that gain the best, and fastest, to the ratio of the least amount of feed.

It's not that noticeable in one or two pigs to make that much of a difference.
Large groups benefit the most.

bumpus
.

Lazy J · #7 04/18/08, 07:58 AM

Bumpus:

What weight range are you referring to? In my feed budgets I have pigs converting at 3.2 from 230 to 280 and have an conversion of 2.93 from 60 to 280 lb, or 2.48 from weaning to 280 lb.

Jim

bumpus · #8 04/18/08, 08:47 AM

.
Mine is just and average.

bumpus
.

**highlands** · #9 04/18/08, 07:20 PM

The ratio is about 3 to 4 : 1. That is to say a gain of one pound generally takes three to four pounds of dry feed. The rate of gain changes with age which is part of why the typical slaughter weight for pigs is around 200 to 250 lbs - after that the conversion rate gets poorer.

Cheers

-Walter
Sugar Mountain Farm
in the mountains of Vermont
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/blog/
http://HollyGraphicArt.com/
http://NoNAIS.org

bumpus · #10 04/18/08, 09:23 PM

.
It's a proven fact ... Feeding After 240 lbs your wasting money on conversion.

Either eat the hog or sell it, and get some more littlelones and start over.

bumpus
.

Lazy J · #11 04/18/08, 10:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bumpus

.
It's a proven fact ... Feeding After 240 lbs your wasting money on conversion.

Either eat the hog or sell it, and get some more littlelones and start over.

bumpus
.

Bumpus,

I am sorry but this is NOT a proven fact, maybe on pasture with not grain supplementation, but not with pigs fed complete feeds. If you are able to sell a value added pig at higher than commodity pork prices this is definitely NOT the case.

Jim

bumpus · #12 04/19/08, 07:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lazy J

Bumpus,

I am sorry but this is NOT a proven fact, maybe on pasture with not grain supplementation, but not with pigs fed complete feeds. If you are able to sell a value added pig at higher than commodity pork prices this is definitely NOT the case.

Jim

I'm no expert but the big boys are ! ! !

Go read the government facts where they have thousands of documents of proven test done time and time again over many years.

Tell all of the big operators they are wrong who raise hunders of thousands of hog they are wasting money.

Tell the meat buyers who pay less per pound after a hog reaches 240 lbs. that they don't know what they are doing.

I would like to see your tests in proven facts sheets and your proff of higher profits by going past 240 lbs.

They must all be wrong according to you.

bumpus
.

Lazy J · #13 04/19/08, 07:40 AM

Bumpus:

Any pig at most packing plant UNDER 240 lb now are docked. At
Tyson, formerly IBP, the Top is for hogs weighing between 260 and 300 lb. The 240 target weight was passed about 15 to 20 years ago.

Here is the data from a close out for a 1,000 head group from one of my customer's for the last phase of 235 to 275 lb along with the wean-to-finish growth data. A $/lb gain of about $0.40 during the last phase is below his selling price so he is indeed making money if you follow the MC=MR theory we are taught in Econ 101.

Jim

Diet Name PHASE 12 Overall

Initial Weight, lbs. 235.00 11.50
Final Weight, lbs. 275.00 275.00
Weight Gain, lbs./pig 40.00 263.50
Starting Date 11/30/2008 7/1/2008
Days 21 173
Ending Date 12/21/2008 12/21/2008
Average Daily Gain, lbs. 1.90 1.52
Average Daily Feed Intake, lbs. 6.08 3.77
FCR 3.20 2.48
Total Feed, lbs./pig 128.00 652.48

Feed Budget
Number of Animals 1000

Total lbs./group 128,000 652,484
Total tons/group 64.00 326.24

Total, $/group $15,838.08 $89,625.04
Total, $/pig $15.84 $89.63
Feed costs, $/100 lb gain $39.60 $34.01

RedHogs · #14 04/19/08, 09:09 AM

Bumpus, sorry but you are wrong..... 280 - 300 is still gaining as effectively as the smaller tops and with less expensive feed....The small docks in price are usually seen in box sellers or specific ham producer needs, where they asked for a a hog a certian size...In this case bigger is not better....

In the All-in, All-out barns...... Often the need to place the new crop is what determines the hogs final size.