Question about doughnuts.

[Irishmankentuckian]

Hi everyone, this is my first post on byh... Glad to be here. I have a question about feeding my pigs. It would probably help to give a little background information wouldn't it? I have two Large Blacks I bought in early January. Right now they're sitting at around #160. I have them in confinement as I don't have a pasture to put them in (it's a long story). The pen they're in is about 30x30, I clean it twice a week. This is the first time I'm raising pigs, so please be patient with me. I've been feeding them wheat shorts (soured), corn, bran, a few eggs each day, and some scraps from my kitchen... until now. My buddy can get me day old doughnuts from a doughnut shop in town. Yesterday I brought home about 50 pounds of old doughnuts, bagels, muffins etc... I'm wondering what the problem is with feeding them said doughnuts in conjunction with the shorts and bran. I know they're fattening, but my main concern is how the doughnuts will affect the taste of the meat if at all. Feed in these parts is REALLY expensive, and so far this is the only cost cutting measure I've been able to come up with. All the grocery stores, breweries, dairies, bakeries etc.. already have deals with larger (livestock) farms nearby. So that's the situation I'm in. To put things in perspective, a bag of shorts is $10.50, and they'll burn through that in about a week depending on the weather. What do y'all think? Will doughnuts affect meat taste? I'm not really too worries about fat... We'll make chicharones (pork rinds).

 

[jhm47]

Donuts shouldn't be a problem. I would assume that they are mostly made from flour, sugar and eggs, with a little yeast to make them raise. Probably will be a better balanced feed source than what you're giving them now.

 

[Cornish Heritage]

Welcome to BYT

LOL! Well I will probably offend someone here so apologize in advance. Large Blacks are the wrong kind of breed to feed in confinement. Large Blacks are a heritage breed that thrive on pasture. They grow slower than the regular commercial pig & when attempted to feed out faster they put on a LOT of fat & can have health issues.

Saying all that you have them now & I know you will enjoy them when made into sausage & bacon

When feeding pigs it is important as to what you are feeding them. Pigs need lysine. Good sources of lysine are soy, dairy products, nuts etc. Without the correct amount of lysine in their diet they will not put on muscle. SO yes you can feed doughnuts & they will love you for it but they are mainly empty calories.

Eggs are an extremely good source of food for them as eggs are a complete protein but should be fed cooked in any great quantities. It has been proven that cooked eggs are more easily digestible & when cooked they do not bind up the biotin in the body. Alfalfa hay is another good option too.

Liz