Can Feeding Piglets Seaweed Improve the Quality of Pork Meat?

A recent article in the Irish Examiner showed the heavy financial strain upon pig producers in Ireland. Persistent supply chain issues and rising feed prices result in thousands of euros in losses with the potential for a 1,000-sow unit to lose almost €70,000 a month.

Until finance ministers decide on a rescue package to address the problem, pig farming operations need to find ways to control costs, improve outcomes, and/or justify an increased asking price. If they’re clever enough, they might be able to do all of them.

One starting point is with your feed supplements. Finding an ingredient that covers all your nutritional needs is rare, but there are some with greater value per euro to support your swine. Here’s what to know about using seaweed animal feed like our Titan® for Animals products to improve the health and performance of piglets during the early stages of their growth so your customers receive a higher quality of pork meat.

Greater Performance Starts with Healthy, Low-Stress Piglets

Piglets often struggle with post-weaning stress. They leave the comfort of a sow’s side and are placed in new environments with an unfamiliar hierarchy, which would put pressure upon most living things. For piglets specifically, this can result in reduced feed consumption, increased diarrhea, slimmer weight gains and even higher mortality rates.

The actions farmers take during the post-weaning process can influence whether piglets grow into hearty, high-performing adults or sweat to achieve even moderate gains. This is where the right feed supplements, given in careful amounts, can help pigs grow into sturdy and healthy animals.

Seaweed Trials for Post-Weaning Piglets

Some studies are putting seaweed to the test. Research into the potency of brown seaweed on the immune system and weight gains of dozens of post-weaning piglets offered insight into how well this marine resource worked as a feed supplement.

At 24 days, piglets were provided with feed regimens that included fucoidan, laminarin or a combination of the two to determine their effectiveness against the basal diet during the post-weaning process. When researchers looked at the results, they found that, in addition to reduction of E. coli populations in the piglets’ GI tracts, there was also a hike in their daily weight gains and feed-to-grain ratios.

In these indispensable early stages, piglets that received seaweed feed supplements might be able to grow into hogs with a greater carcass quality and increased marketability. Making an investment in the health and production of your piglets by feeding them seaweed can simplify your swine health management in ways that last their lifetime and boost hog prices even in demanding markets.