Tool · Feed industry
Reference rations
Rations from the technical articles: composition by phase, chart and analytical data.
Technical tool · Feed industry
Reference rations
The rations published in technical articles written by Alpha’s technical service and in related studies: composition by phase, stacked bar chart and analytical data, with a link to the original article.
Ration composition
Analytical data · 40/80 kg
Danish finishing pigs on whole-ear maize silage Table 1, % of dry matter
Ration used on a farm in the Lodi area (about 4,000 Danish pigs): no wheat bran or beet pulp, the fibre comes from the whole-ear maize silage.
For pigs: biscuit meal, former foodstuffs and distillers’ grains only for pigs outside the Parma ham PDO circuit.
Composition % of dry matter
| Component | 40/80 kg | 80/120 kg | 120/165 kg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whole-ear maize silage (5.8% crude fibre) | 33.0 | 33.0 | 33.0 |
| Solvent-extracted soya bean meal | 17.0 | 14.0 | 11.0 |
| Whey | 12.0 | 11.0 | 12.0 |
| Wheat distillers’ grains | 8.0 | 12.0 | 14.0 |
| Broken biscuits (biscuit meal) | 27.0 | 27.0 | 27.0 |
| Mineral feed | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| Total | 100.00 | 100.00 | 100.00 |
Analytical data
| Parameter | 40/80 kg | 80/120 kg | 120/165 kg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crude protein % DM | 18.04 | 17.71 | 17.09 |
| Crude fat % DM | 5.57 | 5.72 | 5.81 |
| Crude fibre % DM | 4.48 | 4.34 | 4.20 |
| Crude ash % DM | 6.50 | 6.55 | 6.60 |
| Total lysine % DM | 1.07 | 1.00 | 0.92 |
| Digestible energy kcal/kg DM | 3,875 | 3,875 | 3,875 |
Source: M. Rizzi, “Pastone integrale: un tesoro in azienda” (Whole-ear maize silage: a treasure on the farm), Suinicoltura no. 1, January 2014, pp. 44–46, Table 1. Read the article (PDF, Italian)
PDO heavy pig: maize and bran or whole-ear maize silage Table 2, % of dry matter
A whole-ear maize silage with 4.8% crude fibre used at 50% of the ration replaces the wheat bran entirely; the ration should be corrected for the slight drop in protein.
Composition % of dry matter
| Component | Maize + bran | Whole-ear maize silage |
|---|---|---|
| Maize meal | 53.5 | 15.0 |
| Barley | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Solvent-extracted soya bean meal | 15.0 | 16.0 |
| Wheat bran | 12.5 | – |
| Mineral feed | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| Lard | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Whole-ear maize silage (4.8% crude fibre) | – | 50.0 |
| Total | 100.00 | 100.00 |
Analytical data
| Parameter | Maize + bran | Whole-ear maize silage |
|---|---|---|
| Crude protein % DM | 16.80 | 16.45 |
| Crude fat % DM | 4.25 | 4.17 |
| Crude fibre % DM | 4.75 | 4.70 |
| Crude ash % DM | 5.25 | 4.90 |
| Total lysine % DM | 0.87 | 0.86 |
| Digestible energy kcal/kg DM | 3,635 | 3,650 |
Source: M. Rizzi, “Pastone integrale: un tesoro in azienda” (Whole-ear maize silage: a treasure on the farm), Suinicoltura no. 1, January 2014, pp. 44–46, Table 2. Read the article (PDF, Italian)
Lactating sows: standard diet and diet with biscuit meal Table 7, % of feed (analysis as fed)
Biscuit meal partly replaces the raw cereals: with the other ration parameters unchanged, sugars double. In the chart, herring meal and soya oil are combined.
For pigs: biscuit meal, former foodstuffs and distillers’ grains only for pigs outside the Parma ham PDO circuit.
Composition % of feed (analysis as fed)
| Component | Standard diet | Biscuit meal diet |
|---|---|---|
| Maize | 38.5 | 30.8 |
| Barley | 15.0 | 10.0 |
| Solvent-extracted soya bean meal | 13.0 | 12.0 |
| Wheat bran | 25.0 | 25.0 |
| Herring meal | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| Soya oil | 2.5 | 1.2 |
| Mineral supplement | 3.5 | 3.5 |
| Biscuit meal | – | 15.0 |
| Total | 100.00 | 100.00 |
Analytical data
| Parameter | Standard diet | Biscuit meal diet |
|---|---|---|
| Crude protein % as fed | 16.8 | 16.9 |
| Crude fat % as fed | 5.5 | 5.5 |
| Crude fibre % as fed | 5.3 | 5.3 |
| Ash % as fed | 5.5 | 5.5 |
| Lysine % as fed | 0.95 | 0.95 |
| Sugars % as fed | 3.1 | 6.2 |
| Digestible energy kcal/kg | 3,190 | 3,195 |
Source: D. Cevolani, V. Massa, M. Rizzi, “Biscotti nella razione di scrofe e suinetti” (Biscuit meal in sow and piglet rations), Suinicoltura no. 9, 2007, pp. 54–58, Table 7. Read the article (PDF, Italian)
Heavy pig: control and diet with 10% bakery products Table 2, % as fed
Isoproteic diets, estimated to be isocaloric, for heavy pigs from 40 to 160 kg; in the chart, calcium carbonate, dicalcium phosphate, sodium chloride and supplement are combined as “Minerals and supplement”.
For pigs: biscuit meal, former foodstuffs and distillers’ grains only for pigs outside the Parma ham PDO circuit.
Composition % as fed
| Component | Control 40–80 kg | Control 80–120 kg | Control 120–160 kg | PDPF 40–80 kg | PDPF 80–120 kg | PDPF 120–160 kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maize meal | 41.90 | 44.50 | 48.00 | 32.16 | 35.00 | 41.00 |
| Barley meal | 14.00 | 21.00 | 26.40 | 14.00 | 21.00 | 23.86 |
| Solvent-extracted soya bean meal 44% | 24.00 | 18.70 | 13.00 | 24.00 | 18.50 | 12.70 |
| Soft wheat bran | 12.00 | 13.00 | 10.00 | 12.00 | 13.00 | 10.00 |
| Flaked maize | 5.00 | – | – | 5.00 | – | – |
| Calcium carbonate | 1.50 | 1.70 | 1.70 | 1.40 | 1.60 | 1.50 |
| Dicalcium phosphate | 1.00 | 0.30 | – | 0.80 | 0.10 | – |
| Sodium chloride | 0.30 | 0.30 | 0.40 | 0.30 | 0.30 | 0.40 |
| Bakery products and by-products (PDPF) | – | – | – | 10.00 | 10.00 | 10.00 |
| Vitamin-mineral supplement | 0.30 | 0.50 | 0.50 | 0.30 | 0.50 | 0.50 |
| Total | 100.00 | 100.00 | 100.00 | 99.96 | 100.00 | 99.96 |
Analytical data
| Parameter | Control 40–80 kg | Control 80–120 kg | Control 120–160 kg | PDPF 40–80 kg | PDPF 80–120 kg | PDPF 120–160 kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Protein % as fed | 17.72 | 16.55 | 14.14 | 17.82 | 16.47 | 14.24 |
| Fat % as fed | 3.49 | 3.29 | 3.16 | 3.94 | 3.38 | 3.69 |
| Starch % as fed | 44.57 | 41.85 | 45.20 | 42.80 | 42.93 | 42.68 |
| Digestible energy (Whittemore, 1989) kcal | 3,416 | 3,384 | 3,412 | 3,406 | 3,390 | 3,408 |
| Net energy (Noblet, 1994) kcal | 2,569 | 2,503 | 2,523 | 2,565 | 2,509 | 2,526 |
| Linoleic acid C18:2 % DM | 1.49 | 1.36 | 1.53 | 1.89 | 1.62 | 1.77 |
Source: A. Prandini, M. Morlacchini, C. Cerioli, G. Piva, “Derivati della lavorazione di prodotti da forno nella razione di suini pesanti” (Bakery by-products in heavy pig diets), Suinicoltura no. 5, 2007, pp. 81–86, Table 2. Read the article (PDF, Italian)
This tool is also on the page Whole-plant high-moisture maize.
Transparency
How it works and sources
The rations are given as published in the articles, with the basis stated (dry matter or as fed) and the analytical data from the tables. The stacked bar chart shows the composition of each phase or diet; the selected phase is highlighted and its analytical data appear below the chart.
Data sources
- M. Rizzi, “Pastone integrale: un tesoro in azienda” (Whole-ear maize silage: a treasure on the farm), Suinicoltura no. 1, January 2014, pp. 44–46
- D. Cevolani, V. Massa, M. Rizzi, “Biscotti nella razione di scrofe e suinetti” (Biscuit meal in sow and piglet rations), Suinicoltura no. 9, 2007, pp. 54–58
- A. Prandini, M. Morlacchini, C. Cerioli, G. Piva, “Derivati della lavorazione di prodotti da forno nella razione di suini pesanti” (Bakery by-products in heavy pig diets), Suinicoltura no. 5, 2007, pp. 81–86
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