PIGS FORAGING ON JERUSALEM ARTICHOKES - ANIMAL PERFORMANCE AND BEHAVIOUR

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1 1 AARHUS PIGS FORAGING ON JERUSALEM ARTICHOKES - ANIMAL PERFORMANCE AND BEHAVIOUR ANNE GRETE KONGSTED AND JOHN E HERMANSEN, DEPT AGROECOLOGY, AARHUS, DENMARK

2 FREE-RANGE GROWING PIGS IN DENMARK Pigs on gra ssla nd High stocking densities (100 m 2 per pig) Difficult to ma inta in gra ss cover Large inputs of concentrated feed (> 3 kg per kg growth) 2

3 FREE-RANGE GROWING PIG S IN DENMARK Pigs on gra ssla nd High stocking densities (100 m 2 per pig) Difficult to ma inta in gra ss cover Large inputs of concentrated feed (> 3 kg per kg growth) -> High risk of nutrient lea ching -> Additiona l pressure on land resources 3

4 NEED TO RETHINK THE FREE-RANGE SYSTEM Integrate production of pork with other productions to increase the yield per hectare [pigs integrated in energy crop production] Horsted et al Livest Sci150: Increase the nutrient uptake from foraging to lower the need for concentrated feed 4

5 -> Experiment with free-ra nge pigs fora ging on Jerusa lem a rtichokes 5

6 JERUSALEM ARTICHOKES High yields of tubers (8-10 tonne DM per hectare) High content of inulin (boa r ta int, pig he a lth) Are the pigs willing to e a t the tubers?! Feeding value for pigs? 6

7 OBJECTIVES To eva lua te the nutritiona l contribution from fora ging Jerusa lem Artichokes (JA) in growing pigs Investigate the effect of two different feeding strategies (ad lib vs. restricted) on performance, body condition and animal behaviour 7

8 HYPOTHESIS Restricted feeding with concentrate (compared to ad libitum) -> will motivate the pigs to forage and therefore increase the uptake of JA -> will improve feed conversion ratio (of the concentrate) 8

9 EXPERIMENTAL SET-UP December 2011 to January 2012 (40 d) 36 pigs of 60 kg allocated to six groups Alloca ted to one of two feeding regimes (LIB vs. RES) Ad libitum access to JA (18 % DM) 215 m 2 per pig I. LIB Ad libitum access to an organic standard diet for growing pigs II. RES Restricted access to a n orga nic high-protein mixture : 0.9 kg ~ 8.9 MJ ME per d per pig 9

10 RECORDINGS AND OBSERVATIONS Pigs weighed weekly Feed intake recorded per group Body condition scored a t the beginning a nd a t the end Behavioral observations weekly (from dawn to dusk) 10

11 DAILY ENERGY INTAKE FROM C ONC ENTRATE - MJ ME PER PIG kg 30 % of recommended 22 % of ad lib intake kg LIB RES Recommended 11

12 PIG BEHAVIOUR % of a ll observa tions ,4 5,8 13,8 75,9 FORSØG II - RISBJERG SLAGTESVIN LIBPÅ KLØVERGRÆS, RES KÅL OG ROER 69,8 Other Foraging Resting 12

13 FORAG ING BEHAVIOUR % of a ll observa tions Biting, rooting for, chewing JA tubers Foraging JA stems Foraging JA tubers Rooting 1,1a 7,9b 2 3,9a 4,5a FORSØG 0 II - RISBJERG SLAGTESVIN LIBPÅ KLØVERGRÆS, RES KÅL OG ROER 13

14 PERFORMANCE Treatment Daily gain, g Kg conc. per kg gain Body condition LIB 1,224 a 3.5 a 3.0 RES* 560 b 1.4 b 3.0 DIFF, % * 78 % lower daily energy intake from concentrate 14

15 ESTIMATED ENERGY INTAKE FROM FORAGING JA MJ ME da y Required energy intake given a daily gain of 560 g (estimated) Energy from concentrate 60 % of energy re quire me nt from foraging JA 15

16 ESTIMATED DAILY INTAKE OF JA, KG FRESH W EIG HT kg From estimated energy requirement 9 kg From field observations 16

17 SUMMARY A 78 % reduction in energy intake from concentrate (compared to ad libitum) More than doubled the foraging time Decreased daily gain with ~ 55 % Improved feed conversion ratio of concentrated feed with ~ 60 % Approximately 60 % of daily energy requirement met from foraging JA Daily intakes of 7-9 kg fresh weight ( kg DM) JA tubers per pig! 17

18 CONCLUSIONS -> Indic a te tha t it is possible to substitute a la rge proportion of conc e ntra te s with home-grown JA tubers na tura lly ha rvested -> Future studies are needed to find the most appropriate feeding strategy in relation to pig performance, meat quality, economy and nutrient balances -> Read more: Kongsted et al., 2013: Acta Agri Scand Sect A, Animal Science 18

19 19 AARHUS PART OF THE SUMMER PROJECT SUPERB AND MARKETABLE MEAT FROM EFFICIENT AND ROBUST ANIMALS (SUMMER) OVERALL AIM IS TO INCREASE THE MARKET SHARE OF ORGANIC MEAT (PORK, POULTRY AND YOUNG BEEF) JOHN E. HERMANSEN PROJECT LEADER UNDER THE RDD PRO G RAMME COORDINATED BY ICROFS FUNDED BY THE DANISH AG RIFISH AGENCY, MINISTRY OF FOOD, AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES READ AND SEE MORE: / AG RO.AU.DK/ SUMMER/