One of the mistakes that hog owners make is to assume that if a little protein is good then a lot of protein must be better. The purpose of this article is to show that such thinking can kill your pigs.

We recently became aware of a ten week old piglet that died from a burst bladder. The postmortem revealed that the piglet had several urea stones in its kidneys and bladder and it was thought that the stones caused an ulcer and rupture of the bladder. Further investigation revealed the piglet was fed a very high protein diet, around 30% total protein.

Protein is the diet is broken down into amino acids. These are vital for the health and growth of pigs. But a pig’s kidneys and liver can only process a limited amount of protein. Excess protein can cause the urine to become acidic and, in the kidneys, this can contribute to the development of urea stones. If you have ever had kidney stones you know what a very painful condition this is. Stones that are so large that they cannot pass through the kidney and bladder can cause excruciating pain and ulcers and, as seen in this piglet, even death.

Protein in a pig’s diet contributes to muscle growth but there is a limit to the amount of protein that a pig can utilize. Studies have shown that pigs only need a diet with 12% protein to maintain weight. A total dietary protein mix of more than 20% is wasteful and unhealthy even for a lactating sow.

So save your money and the health of your hogs. Limit the protein intake of your hogs to no more than 16% for the needs of pregnant and lactating sows and their piglets. Your mature boars and feeders will do fine on a 12% mix.