Swine Herd Feed Efficiency

Is it a useful parameter or a meaningless exercise?

It is no secret that feed is the largest cost in producing a pig. Estimates range between 55 and 70 percent of total costs, depending upon country, dietary regime and system of production, reported W H Close at the 2010 Alltech Symposium. Close is the owner of Close Consultancy in Workingham, Berkshire, UK. “The conversion of high quality feed into body weight gain is therefore of fundamental importance in modern pig production,” said Close. “The parameter most commonly used to reflect this is feed conversion efficiency (FCE), or feed conversion ratio (FCR).”
His presentation follows:
The FCE value is a measure of performance on farm, as it is influenced by the genetics and breed of the animal, the diets and feeding practices, environmental and management circumstances, as well as health and immunity.
Feed conversion efficiency is usually calculated for the growing-finishing pig from ~20 kg body weight to slaughter and it gradually gets poorer as the pig grows and develops; for example from 1.7:1 at around 25 kg to 3.2:1 (or higher) at 110 kg body weight. Thus, overall in the grow-finish period FCE is generally within the range of 2.5 to 3.0:1, depending upon such factors as growth rate, body weight at slaughter, sex and health status. This index of efficiency does not consider the feeding of the sow or, indeed, the piglets in the period immediately post-weaning.
Since many systems in pig production are ‘farrow to finish’, the question is: should feed usage of the sow and piglet post-weaning be included in the estimation of feed conversion efficiency (that is herd FCE)? This takes account of the reproductive efficiency of the sow, as well as post-weaning performance of the piglets to 20-30 kg body weight. For example, assuming that the sow consumes 1.2 tons of feed per year, then the greater the number of pigs sold per sow per year, the more efficient the use of feed. For a sow weaning 20 piglets per year, the feed usage per piglet is 60 kg, compared to 50 kg when 24 piglets per year are weaned. One may ask: does this have a major impact on the overall herd feed usage? Indeed, what should the herd FCE be for animals at good commercial rates of production?
Predictions from the Pig-iSolutions program can give us the answer. It can be used to predict how overall herd feed efficiency is influenced by genetics, nutrition, health, as well as reproductive performance. Predictions show that herd FCE may vary between 2.7 and 3.5:1 for typical commercial situations. Improving both the number and quality of piglets weaned will improve the overall herd feed conversion efficiency.
Whether calculating the overall herd feed efficiency is merely an interesting exercise or an important parameter to consider ultimately depends on your type of enterprise: if it includes the breeding animal, then yes, it is a very useful parameter.
Editor’s Note: This commentary is sponsored by Alltech. Through 29 years of research-driven product development, Alltech has created a range of natural solutions for the feed and food industries. For more information, please visit the Web sites at www.alltech.com.

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