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The goal of pig production during the finishing phase is to efficiently convert dietary nutrients into high-protein meat. However, this efficiency, especially regarding protein utilization—one of the most expensive nutrients in feed—is often not optimized. Currently, only 15% to 33% of ingested protein is converted into body protein, resulting in significant nitrogen losses. These losses not only increase production costs but also directly impact the environment, making them one of the sector's major challenges.
In conventional feeding systems, all animals receive the same feed for relatively long periods, defined by the number of feeding phases. This approach does not take into account individual variability among animals or the evolution of their nutritional needs over time. In fact, in finishing pigs, appetite increases faster than their nutritional requirements, which means that, as the days go by, the optimal concentration of nutrients in the diet should decrease. However, when working with standard feeds, this is not always adjusted correctly, leading to inefficiencies.
This is where individual precision feeding (IPF) comes into play, an innovative strategy that seeks to adapt nutrition to the actual needs of each animal. Through mathematical models that integrate data such as daily intake and body weight, it is possible to estimate nutritional requirements in real time and adjust feed composition daily, especially for key nutrients such as lysine.
The results obtained in various studies show that this approach significantly improves nutrient use efficiency, reducing costs and environmental impact. IPF therefore represents a step forward towards more efficient and sustainable pig production, aligned with the current demands of the industry.
This infographic, created from this article published on Pig333 aims to visually demonstrate the benefits that individual precision nutrition can offer.
