Lucerne as pig feed

Three batches of pigs were raised with different rations to evaluate lucernes potential as pig feed. Two of the three batches had access to lucerne silage and the third had access to lucerne hay. In each batch, subdivisions are made with different percentage of ration feeding. The hypothesis: by reducing feed availability, pigs will eat more lucerne. All three treatment batches were compared with the control group, who were fed only classic feed rations. Results show variable consumption of fodder (from 50 to 1060 g/pig/day). Lucerne consumption didn’t permit to compensate rationing on pig development. But at the end, there is no impacts on pig performances at slaughterhouse and lucerne feeding allow to rationing concentrates without deteriorate pig welfare. This tool can be used by organic farmers and advisors to discover the possibilities of introducing lucerne in pig feeding. This tool is not location specific and can be applied anywhere lucerne can be grown