One of the most critical moments in a pig’s life is the transition from a liquid-based sow milk diet to a dry, cereal grain-based diet post-weaning. At this time, the young pig faces multiple stressors—leaving the sow, mixing with unfamiliar pen mates, adapting to a new environment, and often being transported long distances, all while in a highly energy-dependent stage of growth. It’s during this window small management decisions can have a big impact. Finding simple, effective ways to maximize feed intake in newly weaned pigs is essential for supporting growth performance, gut development, and overall health.
Mat Feeding: Turning Curiosity Into Intake
When it comes to getting young pigs off to a strong start, sometimes the simplest strategies are the most effective. Enter mat feeding—a low-tech, high-impact approach that taps directly into a pig’s natural curiosity.
Dry feed is placed directly on a clean rubber or wooden mat. By bringing feed down to their level, where pigs can see, smell, and explore, you tap into their natural curiosity, sparking interest and encouraging early intake.
Who Benefits?
Mat feeding is designed for all pigs during their first 3 to 10 days post-placement, a critical window for establishing feeding behavior.
How It Works
Consistency and layout matters:
- Spread approximately 3 pounds of dry feed per feeding.
- Lay the feed in a straight line across the mat.Why? Pigs are social eaters. This setup promotes nose-to-nose feeding behavior, drawing more pigs in and reinforcing group eating habits.
- Timing Is Everything
- Offer feed 3 to 4 times daily to keep pigs engaged and ensure fresh product is always available. Frequent feeding maintains interest and reduces waste.
Location Matters
Close to the main feeder to help pigs associate both areas with feeding
Away from water sources to keep feed dry and appealing
Mat feeding isn’t just about putting feed on the floor, it’s about working with pig behavior, not against it. By making feed visible, accessible, and social, you create an environment where pigs are more likely to engage, eat sooner, and transition smoothly into feeder-based intake.
Gruel Feeding: Smoothing the Weaning Transition
The shift from sow’s milk to dry feed can be one of the biggest hurdles young pigs face. Gruel feeding helps bridge that gap by mixing dry feed with water to create a slurry that’s both familiar and easy to consume. This approach encourages early intake while also supporting hydration during a critical transition period.
Who Benefits?
Gruel feeding is best suited for the bottom 10% of pigs at weaning and fallback pigs in hospital pens that need extra support to get started.
How It Works
Consistency is key, and it should adjust over time:
- Days 0–3: 75% water / 25% feed
- Days 4–6: 50% water / 50% feed
- Days 7–9: 25% water / 75% feed
- Day 9+: Transition to 100% dry feed
- Delivery methods include Rotecna bowls (1 per ~20 pigs) or trough feeders, depending on pen setup.
Timing Is Everything
Offer gruel 3 to 4 times daily, ensuring it is fully consumed within 45 minutes to prevent spoilage.
Location Matters
Place feeders in the center of the pen near the main feeder
Keep them away from water sources to maintain proper consistency
Gruel feeding isn’t just about adding water, it’s about making feed more accessible when pigs need it most. By easing the transition and supporting hydration, you help vulnerable pigs get on feed faster and stay on track.
Pipeline: A Pelleted Pre-Starter
The goal of a pre-starter is to target the bottom 10% of pigs, or groups of pigs that are hard starting (wean age under 20 days, from a health challenged farm, etc.). While most pre-starters are in micro pellet form, recent research has demonstrated that pigs prefer a larger pellet diameter (Wensley et al. 2022).
Pre-starters work well for mat feeding but are not typically recommended for gruel because the pellets do not dissolve well in water.
The Pipestone Nutrition team has recently developed Pipeline, a pelleted pre-starter, formulated to contain the same sugar content as sow’s milk to smooth the dietary transition for young pigs. Pipeline contains several research validated gut health promoting products. It’s porcine product free, making it an option to be used in sow farms as creep feed. A recent study from the Pipestone Nutrition team demonstrated reduced mortality from light wean weight pigs fed Pipeline. While the majority of weaned pigs do not need a pre-starter feed, it can be to support the small pigs that need a little extra help to become a full value pig.
