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Potential Organic Energy Ingredients for Swine Diets

For organic swine diets, ration formulation is made more difficult without the use of animal or grain by-products. However, several less commonly used feedstuffs can be grown organically and incorporated into swine diets. The following is a summary of possible alternative energy ingredients and a brief description of their potential inclusions and limitations in swine rations. The approximate nutrient composition of these energy ingredients is provided in Table 1. As with any feed ingredient, nutrient composition will vary. The best method to determine nutrient composition is to obtain a representative sample of the ingredient and send it to a commercial laboratory for nutrient analysis.

Table 1: Nutritional Comparison of Potential Energy Ingredients for Use in Organic Swine Diets¹

In most swine diets, energy, amino acids and phosphorus are the three most expensive nutrients. Cereal grains provide the major source of energy in swine diets as they are high in carbohydrates, palatable and highly digestible. However, cereals tend to be low in vitamins, minerals, lysine and other amino acids when compared to the pig's requirements. Therefore, cereal-based diets must be supplemented with other ingredients to meet the pigs' requirements for optimal health and performance.

• Barley is higher in fibre and protein than corn. Due to its high fibre content, the energy value of barley ranges from 85% to 95% of corn. Barley is particularly well suited to grow-finish diets since feed intake is usually not a limiting factor. Barley can also be used as the sole cereal grain for gestation diets. However, its low energy density means limiting the use of barley to 85% of the cereal grain portion in lactation diets and 25% in nursery pig diets.
  
  
• Hulless barley contains more protein and less fibre than 6-row barley. Despite its higher nutritional value relative to barley, the performance of pigs is generally similar when fed either barley or hulless barley.
  
  
• Buckwheat is most commonly grown as a grain for human consumption. The protein quality of buckwheat is considered to be among the best in the plant kingdom because it has a higher concentration of essential amino acids than other cereal grains. However, buckwheat is relatively low in digestible energy compared to other grains due to its high fibre and low oil content. The other significant factor limiting the use of buckwheat in swine diets is the presence of the anti-nutritional factor, fagopyrin, which causes skin lesions and intense itching when pigs are exposed to sunlight. Inclusion should be limited to no more than 50% in grow-finish diets and 90% in gestation diets. Buckwheat should be avoided in starter and sow lactation diets.
  
  
• Oats are higher in fibre, protein and lysine than corn, resulting in an energy value of approximately 80% of corn. Oats are highly palatable to swine, however they are high in fibre (10% to 15%). As a result, oats tend to be fed at low levels in the diet, especially for young pigs. The best use for oats is in gestation diets, where they can constitute the sole grain source. Oats are frequently used to add fibre to sow diets to help overcome constipation problems, especially around farrowing time. For lactation sows, oats should be kept to 20% of the diet. At a level of 10% to 20%, oats can be helpful in minimizing diarrhoea problems in nursery pigs.
  
  
• Naked oats (hulless oats) are much lower in fibre and higher in oil and protein content than oats. As a result their digestible energy content is 30% to 35% higher than regular oats. Hulless oats have a good balance of amino acids with only lysine and methionine present in amounts insufficient to meet the pigs' requirements. Hulless oats can support satisfactory growth performance when used as the sole grain source for grow-finish pigs with almost no supplemental protein required.
  
  
• Rye has an energy value intermediate to wheat and barley and the protein content is similar to barley or oats. Although amino acid balance is similar to barley and wheat, its amino acid digestibility is 5% to 10% lower. Furthermore, rye is very susceptible to ergot, a fungus that reduces pig health and performance. With modern varieties and agricultural practices, extensive ergot contamination is rare, and the restrictions on levels are only necessary to compensate for poor palatability of diets with high rye levels. Rye also contains several toxic anti nutritional factors that reduce its nutritional value for swine. There is no limit to the amount of rye that can be fed to gestation sows, for grower finisher pigs (over 30 kg) rye can constitute up to 50% of the diet. In lactation diets, rye can be included at 40% of the diet.
  
  
• Grain sorghum is similar to corn in nutritional value and can completely replace corn in swine diets. Grinding is essential for efficient nutrient utilization because the grain is small and hard. Care should be taken with specially developed bird resistant varieties of grain sorghum that are high in tannins, as they have only 80% to 90% of the feeding value of corn. Tannins interfere with the utilization of some nutrients, particularly protein, in grain sorghum, thus decreasing its nutritional value for swine. Due to its reduced feeding value, bird-resistant grain sorghum should be avoided in lactation and nursery diets.
  
  
• Triticale is a grain produced by crossing Durham wheat with rye. Even though it has a digestible energy value similar to wheat, it is similar to rye due to the presence of several anti-nutritional factors and susceptibility to ergot. Triticale has 95% to 100% of the feeding value of corn.
  
  
• Wheat can be efficiently utilized by swine of all ages. In terms of feeding value, wheat is equal to corn and is also highly palatable. Wheat is higher in crude protein and lysine than corn. This makes wheat a more expensive energy source than corn. Dependent on the growing season, mycotoxins can be a concern.

A wide variety of ingredients can be used in swine diets, but as with any new ingredient, producers should work with their feed consultant or swine nutritionist to ensure diets are appropriately formulated to meet the nutrient requirements of swine at all stages of production.

Adapted from: Feeding for Niche Swine Production. 2010. Whitney, M, Shurson, J, Johnston, L, Koehler, B. Hadad, R. and Koehler, D. National Swine Nutrition Guide. PIG 07-07-01