Vergleich von vier Fütterungsstrategien für Öko-Ferkel

Summary

Organic agriculture is defined as a low-external-input-system but the piglets’ supposed requirement for high quality diets seems to contradict low-external-input feeding strategies. Hence, a total of 361 piglets was tested from day 14 – 63 post natum concerning performance, health status, and losses by means of four feeding strategies of 100 % organic origin: (i) high-external-input diet, (ii) medium-external-input diet, (iii) low-external-input diet, each with grass-clover-silage as roughage source, and (iv) above mentioned low-external-input diet with straw replacing grass-clover-silage. The high-external-input-diet achieved the significantly highest live weight gain; all other strategies were similar at a lower level. There were no differences in health status and loss rates between the four strategies. A verification of the results is necessary with a higher number of piglets before communicating a final recommendation.