Kunekune Diet
Kunekunes are a grass grazing pig and can cope with a high fibre diet, with adult Kunekunes being able to maintain body condition on good quality pasture alone. As pasture quality varies, however, it is normal to supplement their diet when pasture is in short supply. If you don’t want to use commercial rations, be careful that the supplement or scraps are of sufficient quality for what the pig needs.
Pregnant and lactating sows should always be fed at a higher rate, as their nutritional needs are greater. For young pigs a good quality supplement should be used up until about 9 months of age during their growing phase.
Different foods contain different ratios of protein, carbohydrate, and fibre: pasture contains about 3% protein, bread up to 8% protein but with high carbohydrate, potatoes 0.5% protein, milk 3.5-5% protein. Cheese is also an excellent supplement, but like milk can cause diarrhoea because of the fat content.
The main commercial pellet rations vary from 12 to 16.5% protein, but not all contain the essential vitamins and amino acids of a nutritionally complete food.
Suggested rate of feeding commercial pellets when some pasture is available:
adult boar or sow – 1 to 1.5 Kg per day
lactating sow – 1 to 1.5 Kg + 0.2Kg/piglet/day
piglets 2-4 months – 0.5 Kg per day
pigs 4-9 months – 0.75 Kg per day
Pigs should be fed twice a day when needing to be supplemented, and have ready access to clean water. Adult sows can drink up to 5 litres of water a day during lactation, particularly during hot weather.
Creep feed is not normally provided for Kunekune piglets unless the sow is not producing sufficient milk.