By Eduardo Beltranena, North Carolina State University

During a recent meeting, someone asked, “Should you still feed lactating sows by hand?” My initial reaction was, “No! Why stick with the old methods?” But then I reconsidered and gave a more cautious answer: “Well, it depends.” Feeding lactating sows depends on multiple factors, including sow parity, week in the farrowing room, diet form, feeding behavior and more. However, the biggies are feeder type, feed quantity and location of the water source.

In a recent experiment with lactating sows in an old facility equipped with traditional bowl feeders, I saw firsthand the amount of labor involved in hand feeding. Feeding three times a day wasn’t feasible as staff were already stretched thin. When fed twice daily, the feeders couldn’t hold more than 7 pounds, making it hard to achieve high feed intakes. Generally, the more the sow eats in lactation the less weight she loses, the sooner she rebreeds, and the larger her litter size at the next parity.

Sows were often so hungry shortly before feeding time that a portion of feed scooped onto them, fell on the sow snout, and she scattered it all over. Some sows nicknamed “crazy eaters,” would eat with their head up tossing feed around or root feed out of the feeder bowl, and waste even more. Others would fill their feeder bowl with water, leading staff to feed them less to avoid wasting floating feed or having to return later to clean out uneaten waterlogged feed. This feed wastage cycle would repeat, adding to labor and increasing feed costs.

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Lactating sow feeder technology has advanced considerably, and you don’t necessarily need state-of-the-art computerized feeders. Even a simple fixed PVC pipe ending inches above the trough, filled from a hopper or an auger, can progressively supply smaller amounts by gravity and greatly reduce feed wastage. Shelf feeders allow feed to flow in small amounts onto a dry shelf that the sow reaches and drops into the wet/dry trough or are equipped with a sow-activated lever. Wet/dry feeders help sows eat more and more quickly, reducing dry feed spillage. Computerized feeders can maximize feed intake by delivering large meals at specific times like early AM and late PM, plus small "teaser" meals throughout the day or when a sow triggers a switch. These feeders also alert staff if a sow isn’t eating. If you’re considering retrofitting or building a new barn, researching new technologies is well worth time and money, as reducing feed wastage and labor costs can free up resources for other tasks.

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My takeaway is that producers should focus on feeder management rather than hand feeding sows. Equipment can undoubtedly deliver feed, but only people can observe, judge and adjust for each sow’s needs. Troubleshooting feeders yields the greatest returns on labor investment. Let equipment handle the feeding; human oversight is best used in managing the feeders and ensuring each sow's well-being.