How much oats?

Help Support Steer Planet:

LLFarms

Member
Joined
Jul 23, 2011
Messages
5
We have two pigs.  A gilt around 90 lbs. and a barrow around 70 lbs. They are on a locally mixed 18% feed made with a Sunglo premix.  How much steam rolled oats, if any should I be putting in their feed? 
 

kanshow

Well-known member
Joined
May 24, 2007
Messages
2,660
Location
Kansas
When is your show & how much do they need to gain to get there?  Gilts/Barrows?  What do the pigs look like?  hard, soft middled, etc.    Hard to give anything but very general statements without more info.

Oats will slow the growth rate down but will soften up the middle.  We generally dont' put any oats in the ration until the pigs are way up in weight - somewhere around 200 pounds.. and then ONLY if we are not needing to push.    If you are good on the weights and can EASILY make it with a minimal gain then you could put some oats in but I would not over do it on them.. yet.     

My experience with the Sunglo feeds is that if you have a good enough pig, get them on the pelleted complete feeds - 501 til about 150 to 160 and then move them over to 201.  JMO..
 

LLFarms

Member
Joined
Jul 23, 2011
Messages
5
Thanks for the input.  The main show we are trying to make is the state show in mid Febuary. They have to weigh 225 to make weight. One of the pigs will also be shown in our county show the second week in March---don't know which one yet, as we still have a few more weeks to decide before the tagging deadline, but probably the barrow as he is younger and lighter at this point.  Minimum weight on the county show is also 225. The gilt is fairly hard and lean, but the barrow is somewhat softer. 

I've noticed several people in our area keeping them on oats from the very beginning, so that's why I was wondering how much to put at this point.  I think from what you've said, it may be best to wait and see how they are progressing on growth before adding any.
 

Latest posts

Top