Nutrition of the Potbellied Pig
About the Author: Penny Yocum received her B.S. and M.S. in Nutrition from North Carolina State University and is currently pursuing her PhD.
Feed can comprise as much as 80% of the cost of owning a potbellied pig and is one of the most important components to their care. Therefore, it is imperative that you should know what you are feeding your pig and why.
Potbellied pig nutrition has not been widely researched due to both limited funding and need. Therefore, most of the nutritional information related to potbellied pigs has been extrapolated from our commercial swine industry. However, some of the major feed companies that distribute potbellied pig food have the ability to perform the necessary research to keep feeding your pig-friend safely.
Nutrition can be defined as the process of assimilation, digestion, absorption and utilization of nutrients for growth and maintenance of a living creature.
Each animal species generally has a diet that is appropriate for that species. For example, a horse should not consume dog food. Now, this doesn’t mean that a pig cannot live a long life with a food not made for it. But, in order to have a healthy pig, stick to the diet that the pig’s gastrointestinal tract was made for.
To clarify some basic internal anatomical differences between the potbellied pig and other animal species, potbellied pigs are classified as monogastrics -- meaning they have a single chambered stomach similar to humans. Other monogastric species are humans, horses, dogs, and cats. Potbellied pigs are ominivores -- meaning they can digest both plant and animal material. Humans and opossums are omnivores; horses and cats are not. Do you see some pattern as to why other species diets may not be appropriate for a pig?
Furthermore, an omnivore generally has a longer intestinal tract (after the stomach) than a carnivore. This plays a role in retention time and absorption of nutrients. Potbellied pigs are a colon fermenting species rather than cecal fermentors, such as the horse. Hence, most of a pig’s microbial digestion of plant material takes place during the transportation of feed stuffs through the large colon.
What are nutrients?
Nutrients are chemical compounds or elements that supply a source of nourishment. Nutrients can be classified in five categories: water, minerals, vitamins, energy and proteins.
WATER
Water may be one of the most important nutrients in your potbellied pig's diet. Pigs can consume on average 7-20% of the body weight/day in water. Water is used to regulate body temperature, aid in the removal of waste products and assist in digestion, absorption, transportation and utilization of nutrients. Lack of water intake can be one reason why constipation occurs in your pig.
As the environmental temperature rises, it is imperative to have fresh, clean water available at all times. During cold weather, water is just as important and needs to be offered at a comfortable drinking temperature. If your pig is consuming a high salt or mineral diet, have water available to as well as encourage increased water intake. Finally, it is always a good idea to have your pig's water tested to ensure a safe water supply.
MINERALS
Here is a list of minerals and their general functions within the body. Please remember that any deficiency and/or toxicity symptom listed is not exclusive to just a mineral imbalance--other factors may be involved. Note: Do not diagnose a mineral deficiency/toxicity yourself. Contact your veterinarian.
Calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, copper and manganese have an important relationship with bone and soft tissues. Calcium to phosphorus ratio in the diet should be 1calcium:1phosphorus. Protein synthesis utilizes phosphorus, sulfur and zinc. Oxygen transport utilizes iron and copper. Sodium, chloride and potassium are important for internal fluid balance.
Mineral Toxicities:
Excess calcium in the diet can bind zinc making it less available to the animal.
Excessive salt (sodium and chloride) can cause nervousness, weakness, seizure and death. Salt toxicity can be a problem if there is not enough water available for consumption by the pig.
Selenium toxicity (20-30 times the required level) can cause reduced feed intake, loss of hair and separation of hooves at coronary band. Selenium should be no greater than 0.3 ppm in the diet; regardless of weight, age and/or production level.
As with minerals, vitamins are also elements that work together within the body. There are two classes of vitamins: water-soluble and fat-soluble. Water-soluble vitamins cannot be stored in body tissues for long. Vitamins B and C are classified as water-soluble vitamins. On the contrary, fat-soluble vitamins can be stored in fat reserves of the body. Vitamins A, D, E and K are fat-soluble vitamins. Vitamins A and D are important in bone formation. The required level of Vitamin D can be obtained from exposure to sunlight where as Vitamin A is found in forages such as grasses and legumes. Vitamin E serves the role of antioxidant and offering structure to muscle. This vitamin can be found in forages and certain seeds. Vitamin K is important in blood clotting and can be found in forages and fishmeal. The B vitamins serve as coenzymes and can be found in animal proteins, forages, and yeasts. Finally, Vitamin C is vital to collagen formation and can be found in citrus fruits and forages. Note: Do not diagnose a vitamin deficiency/toxicity yourself. Contact your veterinarian.
Vitamin Toxicities: Toxicity can occur for fat soluble vitamins (A,D,E,K) but are not that common if feeding a well balanced diet formulated for potbellied pigs. Vitamin toxicity is not common in water-soluble vitamins (B and C) because the body will excrete any excess.
Carbohydrates serve as a source of energy for the pig and can be classified as either structural (fiber) or nonstructural. Structural carbohydrates include cellulose, hemicellulose and undigestable lignin. Forages such as grass and hay have high concentrations of these items. Nonstructural carbohydrates include sugars (glucose, fructose, sucrose, lactose) that are found in high concentrations within cereal grains such as corn, oats and wheat.
Lipids, another energy source for the pig, are also known as fats. Lipids can provide 2.25 times more energy than carbohydrates or proteins and are a safe way to increase energy in the diet without compromising the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Added fat to the diet can improve palatability of the feed, improve feed efficiency and reduce feed consumption. But please keep in mind that even though feed consumption may be reduced, it is still imperative to have an adequate intake of the other nutrients in the diet. These other nutrients may need to be added to a high fat diet in greater amounts because of a dilution factor that can occur with added fat. Sources of lipids include, but are not limited to, corn oil, soybean oil, canola oil, flax seed and rice bran. However, it is important to note that too much fat in the diet can result in a disturbance of the GI tract leading to loose stools and possibly diarrhea.
What is the 'hub-bub' about protein? The quality of feed is thought to be determined by the protein content. Actually it is the quality of the protein that needs to be considered above the quantity of the protein. Let's start with what a protein is and its function.
A protein is comprised of amino acids linked together in different orders. There are ten essential amino acids that the body cannot synthesize fast enough to meet its needs. These ten essential amino acids must be supplied by the diet or from gut bacteria. Nonessential amino acids can be produced in body tissues and are not warranted in the diet.
Lysine is the limiting amino acids in swine diet and its level should always be considered when formulating a diet for your pig. Protein is utilized for body structures such as hair, hooves, skin, muscle, blood cells, soft tissue and muscle. Protein is also a component of hormones and enzymes that are regulators of chemical reactions. Lastly, protein can be used as an energy source if given beyond its needed dietary requirements.
Now, back to quality versus quantity. A quality protein has a favorable amino acid profile that offers most of the essential amino acids needed by the pig. Soybean meal has a high quality amino acid profile. Quantity is a term that constitutes that total amount of protein in a feed. This means that large quantities of 'poor quality protein' may not meet amino acid requirements for your pig! It is more correct to say the amino acid requirement has been met rather than the protein level is adequate. Commonly known feed ingredients that contain protein are cereal grains such as corn and oats as well as forages. Forages such as legumes (alfalfa) contain a greater quantity of protein over grasses (fescue). Always keep in mind that quality of the protein needs to be considered above quantity of the protein in a feed.
What levels of these nutrients should be included in your potbellied pig diet? Once again we go to the problem of lack of nutritional research on potbellied pigs. However, based on testimonials and years of experience, we have been seeing crude protein levels for adult maintenance pigs between 10-14% (but what is the quality of protein?) and fat levels have been between 2-5%. Higher quality protein levels are warranted for growing and geriatric pigs with crude protein levels reaching 14-20%.
Complete diets are fortified with the adequate amounts of nutrients including vitamins and minerals to accommodate your pigs' requirements without any need to give other ingredients or supplements.