Pigs spud peelings

[éire man]

Hi lads I was approached by the local chipper about taking their potato peelings and any cooked chips that get too dried out to sell.

I was wondering if they could be fed to a couple of pigs. I know absolutely nothing about them so go easy on me!

There would be approx 25 kg of peelings daily. I also have lots of sugar beet and straw and can get barley cheaply. Could a suitable ration be made from these ingredients?

Thanks very much

Forgot to add that I've been viewing this forum the last few weeks and I find it very informative

 

[Cooper3075]

Carefull with the cooked ones maybe classed as swill? Peelings should be ok in that respect but I'm sure I was told they are toxic if feed in large amounts uncooked but we feed out 2 pigs and whole spuds that have gone soft ect but probably only a kg now and then. They sell stock feed spuds at market so something's can eat them.

 

[Cooper3075]

Here's something I just found online might answer your question sorry its so long.

Take the relatively simple matter of whether it’s okay to feed potatoes to pigs and, if so, whether they should be cooked or raw.

It’s a question that pops up on self-sufficiency and smallholder forums fairly frequently, and it’s also one that floats into my email in-box from time to time.

The answer is that potatoes can be fed raw to pigs, sheep and cattle, but pigs have difficulty digesting potato starch in moderate to large quantities. Too much starch equals stomach upsets.

Cooking overcomes this and the potatoes then become a good energy source for pigs.

It means that pigs rooting up a few left-over potatoes in a field will be fine, but they should not be fed quantities of raw potatoes as part of their morning and evening rations.

Cattle and sheep being ruminants, on the other hand, can more effectively digest raw potato starch.

But even for sheep and cattle, too large an amount of potatoes can result in starch bypassing the rumen and reaching the lower intestinal tract where it results in stomach upsets and scours.

It must also be remembered that potatoes are a high-energy, high-water, low-fibre, low protein feed.

Feed that’s too high in water content lowers animal feed intake and reduces daily weight gain, while additional roughage may be needed to counter the low fibre content.

The high water content means 4.5kg of potatoes is the broad equivalent of one kilogram of barley.

We supplement our pig rations with cooked potatoes, but never more than 20% of the daily ration. (The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation gives 6kg of cooked potatoes per day as the upper limit for adult pigs.)

As far as poisoning is concerned, it’s only green potatoes plus any sprouts, stems and haulms that are the problem.

If none of these are in the ration, then there is no danger of alkaloid poisoning. (Having said that, if pigs do root up and eat one or two green potatoes in a field they will be okay – it’s when they have them in large numbers in one go or eat a small amount regularly over a long period that poisoning will result.)

 

[Gatehouse Farm]

As far as peelings are be careful. Legally if you peel or prepare veg in a kitchen you can't feed them to pigs, but if you prepare them outside the kitchen window you can! Madness................

 

[Cooper3075]

Sort of what I was saying so cooked chips are a no legally

 

[Exfarmer]

As far as peelings are be careful. Legally if you peel or prepare veg in a kitchen you can't feed them to pigs, but if you prepare them outside the kitchen window you can! Madness................

This guy is in Ireland do they have the same rules on swill?

 

[Gatehouse Farm]

This guy is in Ireland do they have the same rules on swill?

Pass.

 

[éire man]

Hi. Just after a feed of chips went racing today and won

I read on another forum that it's illegal to give cooked food so I won't.

Could anyone advise me if that diet I suggested above would be suitable.

 

[éire man]

Anyone have any more to add?

 

[éire man]

Could anyone help me please?