Summary
Hot Weather Feeding: Practical Strategies to Keep Your Pigs Eating
When temperatures rise, pigs eat less — and that hurts growth performance and sow reproduction. CDPQ agronomists have compiled practical strategies to help limit these effects.
Two main approaches are recommended. First, adjust feeding management: split meals into smaller portions and shift feeding times to cooler periods, ideally between 9 p.m. and 9 a.m. Second, revisit feed composition: reduce crude protein and fibre — which generate more body heat during digestion — and increase fat content to compensate for lower feed intake. Additives like vitamin E, betaine, and sodium bicarbonate may also help counter the metabolic effects of heat stress.
For producers, these adjustments are practical and can be applied right away. Nutritional changes are most effective when planned ahead — before summer heat arrives.