Swine > Grazing, Pasture, & Forages
Dear Fred, This question resulted in me having to do some literature searching, reading information on by-products fed to swine and on forages for swine (pasture). I did find, in a Pork Industry Fact Sheet (PIH-126), for which I was a co-author, that we listed in Table 1 for Average nutrient composition of some forage crops, "Corn, dent yellow, silage, well-eared." We listed the nutrient content as 33% dry matter, 8.1% crude protein, 1150 Kcal/lb of metabolizable energy, 23.7% crude fiber, 0.23% calcium and 0.22% phosphorus. We stated in this fact sheet, that feeding programs for gestating sows or replacement gilts weighing more than 250 pounds in gestation can include silage. The silage should be finely chopped to prevent sorting by sows. To avoid reproductive problems, be sure that the ensiled forage is fresh and free of mold. Offer corn silage as a free-choice item. Intake is variable, but under most conditions sows will consume 10-12 pounds per head per day. Sows should also be fed approximately 2.5 pounds of a complete feed in addition to the silage. For best results the corn silage should be made when the ears are formed, and at the same time the plant is still green and not frosted. Silage made from conr nearing maturity is less palatable. I DID NOT find any information on feeding corn silage to G-F market pigs. You can probably do it, but DO NOT EXPECT to achieve optimum performance or weight gain, especially if the corn silage makes up more than 20% of the total feed intake per pig per day. In our fact sheet on Forages for Swine, we listed suggested diets to supplement corn silage (33% dry matter) for gestating sows. We made no recommendations for G-F pigs.
Sincerely, Gilbert Hollis Extension Swine Specialist Department of Animal Sciences University of Illinois
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