Rotating pasture for pregnant sows (OK-Net Ecofeed Practice Abstract)

Summary in the original language of the document

With this practice, feed and production costs can be reduced by 16 % due to lower quantities of concentrate feed and lower costs of "pasture feed" per ton.
Practical recommendations
• Allow time for the grass ley to establish before sows start grazing.
• Enrich the ley with legumes to provide good nutritional value and palatability for sows.
• Harvest/remove less palatable plants that are not eaten by sows.
• To prevent rooting behaviour remove sows when the grass is still high (> 8 cm).
• Encourage the creation of functional areas (lying area, feeding area) and encourage sows to learn to graze on the paddock.
• Provide individual feeding distribution systems to avoid aggression.
• Provide excess grass as silage during periods with no grass production.