Snake Oil

[pjkjr4]

Gotta quick question here. With our show pigs, we are feeding a good feed (a good show ration mixed by a local co-op, along with Moormans mixed in by hand) and feeding tons of additives towards the end. The list is like this: paylean, Honor Brand Powerfill, Moormans Moorfat, liquid fat, Essential Brand Wide Open, Natural Stride, aspirin, glucosamine, baking soda, eggs, and on, and on, and on. I know all of these products have reasoning behind them, but it makes me think to myself that maybe I would be money ahead for my kids as well as myself to just buy better hogs, and forget some of this stuff. So my question is: Do y'all do the same thing with fat steers? If so, do you really feel like you are gaining enough to justify doing that. I feel that if it will honestly make my kids more competitive in the ring, I'm for it, but if it's just snake oil, I'd be better off buyng lottery tickets with that money.

Thanks

 

[jasper]

why are you putting all of the additional stuff ? are they not gaining enough weight ?
aew these market hogs ?
how much weight are they gaining per day ? how much do they need to weigh etc?

I am no pig expert but, that seems to be alot of expense for market hogs.

 

[shortyjock89]

If you start with good pigs, and a good base feed, you don't need a lot of those additives.  We don't show steers much anymore, but when we did, we would feed maybe ONE extra fat or protein supplement.  We've never had trouble with our steers gaining weight on just a good solid feed. 

 

[pjkjr4]

Paylean-muscle expression, also stimulates apetite pretty good. Give only to VERY sound hogs
Powerfill- I use it to hold heavier ones (can be used as a complete ration, but the protien is really high)
Wide open- I don't know what all it has in it, but it works well at blowing the chest cavity out.
Moorfat- I've got a couple pigs that are pretty hard made. Also, hogs that are being held need high fat content.
Glucosamine, aspirins, baking soda and Natural Stride are all for joint issues. I've had sound pigs go lame because of paylean with no joint meds.

So you can see that there is a reason for everything, but with us fixing to get into the show cattle deal too, I can see that if there all of these feed additives involved, I may have to take another job just to be able to afford all of this stuff!!!

Our shows don't start until the last of this month, so I have only been doing the extra stuff for about a month now, but it gets pretty expensive when you think of $40.00/bag for this, $50.00/bag for that, etc., not to mention the time needed to mix up all that stuff.

Thanks

 

[shortyjock89]

I see where you're coming from with all the additives with the pigs, seems like all my friends with pigs use a lot of them.  I also think that feeding pigs is probably harder than feeding cattle (at least to me).  When you decide to get into the cattle, you might find that you need less additives if you have a good calf and good feed. 

Feed is expensive enough without all the extras, which is why we try to use as few as possible!

 

[the_cowgirl_in_me]

My hog last year was reserve champion at our county fair. She was raised on moormans feed, a mineral supplement, and some beet pulp towards the end. I don't think all the other stuff in necessary.

 

[Jill]

Steers are a little different than pig, but yes, you would be money ahead to simply buy more competitive sound pigs.

 

[Dusty]

You don't need all that crap...

Paylean for some with glucosamine for the joints.  Eggs are usually good the last three weeks or so..

For filler just buy beet pulp.  Thats mainly all those filler feeds are...

If you're holding them there a few other supplements that work, but for gods sake you are putting a lot of money into pig feed that you don't need to...

For calves just make sure you have the ration that you need with good quality ingredients and it doesn't take much more than that...  Maybe Shag or something towards the end.  One supplement i always fed was calfmanna though.  I couldn't tell if it worked it was just something we always did...

 

[dutch pride]

We always try to buy good genetics and then feed a good quality feed mixed by a local fed mill. Add paylean the last three or 4 weeks and maybe some liguid fat or beet pulp as needed to make ideal weight. Have won at least one grand or reserve champion at out county fair for the last 5 years. Two years ago we had one grand and both reserves.

We also exersise or pigs for 30-60 min. in a outdoor lot that I feel helps them a lot.

Good luck

DLZ

 

[Jill]

You don't need all that crap...

Paylean for some with glucosamine for the joints.  Eggs are usually good the last three weeks or so..

For filler just buy beet pulp.  Thats mainly all those filler feeds are...

If you're holding them there a few other supplements that work, but for gods sake you are putting a lot of money into pig feed that you don't need to...

For calves just make sure you have the ration that you need with good quality ingredients and it doesn't take much more than that...  Maybe Shag or something towards the end.   One supplement i always fed was calfmanna though.  I couldn't tell if it worked it was just something we always did...

For holding pigs we used a GNC appetite suppressant, oats and eggs, worked great.
Agree with Dusty on the calves, find a good quality feed for a sound animal you shouldn't need much more.

 

[farwest]

We show above average pigs, don't get carried away on all the additives, do just a couple things the last ten days, judge alway comments on freshness of pigs....

 

[CAB]

Should be able to get real good pigs in the midwest for the time frame that you are looking @. It would be the off season pigs for our shows. PPL are cutting way back on the paylean up here. Judges are wanting the pigs softer made just like the cattle. Brent