4-H Market Swine Planning Guide
This Planning Guide is designed to help with your swine project as you work to get those pigs market
ready. A key to a successful swine 4-H project is to “begin with the end in mind”. Think about what
your end goal for the project is (i.e. a market ready hog at county fair), and then outline the steps
necessary to help you obtain that goal.
I.
II.
Number of Days to Feed
Date of your Show
Date of Starting Weight of your Hog
Number of Days Hog is on Feed
___________
___________
___________
Estimating Finished Weight
Pigs today typically weigh between 240-270 lbs. when they are at their finished market weight and will
gain between 1.5 – 1.8 lbs. per day. In some instances, a show pig will gain 2.0 lbs. or greater, and so an
increased average daily gain needs to be accounted for. Let’s work through an example of how to make
sure that we are starting with a pig that will be finished by county fair (in terms of their starting
weight) and that that pig gains the correct amount of weight each day in order to achieve that goal
through a sound nutrition program.
Goal for finished weight of hog: 250 lbs.
Days until County Fair: 106 days
Example #1: Weight of pig needed at the start of project to reach market weight by
county fair if average daily gain is 1.5 lb.
1.5 lbs. X 106 d. = 159 lbs.
250 lbs. – 159 lbs. = 90 lb. pig at the start of the project
Example #2: Weight of pig needed at the start of project to reach market weight by
county fair if average daily gain is 1.8 lb.
1.8 lbs. X 106 d. = 191 lbs.
250 lbs. – 191lbs. = 59 lb. pig at the start of the project
As you can see, a 0.3 lb. increase in average daily gain, SIGNIFICANTLY decreases the
starting weight of the pig needed at the beginning of the swine project!
Feeding your pig
Feeding your pig is a HUGE part of the swine 4-H project. Pigs can be classified into two weight
types: grower (40-125 lbs.) and finisher (125-250 lbs.). Pigs in each of these weight groups have
specific nutrient needs that must be met. Below are some sample diets for growing and finishing
pigs from Michigan State University Extension.
Nutrient Requirements of Growing and Finishing Swine
Nutrient (in
percentages)
Grower (40-125
lbs.)
Finisher
(125lbs. to
Market Weight)
Protein
16.00
14.00
0.75
0.62
Calcium
0.75
0.60
Phosphorus
0.65
0.50
Lysine
As can be seen by the nutrient requirements of growing and finishing pigs above, as an animal
gets older and increases in weight, its nutrient requirements change. As a young pig, the animal is
growing and building body frame and muscle, thus their nutrient requirements are higher. As the
pig gets older and heavier, their nutritional requirements decrease as the ration goes from
growing to finishing.
Suggested Diets for Growing and Finishing Pigs
Plan A1
Plan B2
Ingredients (in
lbs.)
Grower
Finisher
Grower
Finisher
Corn
77
83
72
80
Supplement
23
17
28
20
TOTAL
100
100
100
100
140%
crude protein supplement, 2.63% lysine, 3.93% Calcium, 2.02% Phosphorus
234%
crude protein supplement, 2.20% lysine, 3.10% Calcium, 1.65% Phosphorus
Remember to always give your pig ad-libitum (free choice) access to
feed and water at all times!!!
Calculated Nutrient Composition of Suggested Growing and
Finishing Swine Diets
Plan A
Plan B
Nutrient, %
Grower
Finisher
Grower
Finisher
Protein
16.00
14.00
16.00
14.00
Lysine
0.78
0.64
0.79
0.63
Calcium
0.91
0.67
0.87
0.63
Phosphorus
0.66
0.55
0.64
0.53
Normal Daily Feed Intake of Growing and Finishing Swine
Pig Weight, lbs.
Feed Intake, lbs.
Intake as a % of
Body Weight
40
2.7
6.67
60
3.8
6.3
80
4.7
5.83
100
5.6
5.55
120
6.3
5.37
140
6.8
4.84
160
7.4
4.66
180
7.8
4.27
200
8.3
4.18
Source: Michigan State University Extension