Better feed quality, healthier pigs: a farmer breaks new ground

Marcus Fattinger took over his parents' farm in 2018 and has been looking after 110 breeding pigs in St. Marienkirchen/Polsenz in the Upper Austrian district of Eferding ever since. The farm, which is located at an altitude of almost 300 meters, includes around 35 hectares of arable land. “I grew up with pig farming and enjoyed watching my parents as a child and later helping them out,” he says. “My parents

had slightly fewer breeding pigs at the beginning. Since 2010, they have increased their numbers to 110.” According to Marcus Fattinger, anything less than 100 breeding pigs is now too few to make a living from. “In the past, it might have been possible with fewer animals, but now the pressure from the butchers to deliver large batches is so great that this quantity requirement ultimately falls back on me as a breeder.”

Marcus Fattinger took over his parents' farm in 2018 and has been looking after 110 breeding pigs in St. Marienkirchen/Polsenz in the Upper Austrian district of Eferding ever since. The farm, which is located at an altitude of almost 300 meters, includes around 35 hectares of arable land. “I grew up with pig farming and enjoyed watching my parents as a child and later helping them out,” he says. “My parents

had slightly fewer breeding pigs at the beginning. Since 2010, they have increased their numbers to 110.” According to Marcus Fattinger, anything less than 100 breeding pigs is now too few to make a living from. “In the past, it might have been possible with fewer animals, but now the pressure from the butchers to deliver large batches is so great that this quantity requirement ultimately falls back on me as a breeder.”

Learned from an early age

The father still supports his son occasionally on the farm. “He mainly helps me in the stable and with insemination. But I do most of it on my own. Among other things, the piglet births. I already have so much routine here, after all I've learned a lot from my father.” As much as Marcus Fattinger loves pig breeding, he notes that the demands of the job have changed over the years - the bureaucratic workload in particular has increased significantly. “There are more and more legal requirements and managing the farm has become much more time-consuming.

At the same time, however, I have to say that output is constantly increasing.” In 2023, his farm recorded an average of 28 weaned piglets per square meter.” In previous years, the average was around 25 pigs.

The father still supports his son occasionally on the farm. “He mainly helps me in the stable and with insemination. But I do most of it on my own. Among other things, the piglet births. I already have so much routine here, after all I've learned a lot from my father.” As much as Marcus Fattinger loves pig breeding, he notes that the demands of the job have changed over the years - the bureaucratic workload in particular has increased significantly. “There are more and more legal requirements and managing the farm has become much more time-consuming.

At the same time, however, I have to say that output is constantly increasing.” In 2023, his farm recorded an average of 28 weaned piglets per square meter.” In previous years, the average was around 25 pigs.

Getting mold infestation under control

Marcus Fattinger was repeatedly faced with a challenge: the feed went off quickly. “Blue mold would form and the feed had to be destroyed. This was a particular problem in summer when our supplies were low.” Acid was regularly used to mash the feed. The farmer looked for alternatives several times. “But I never thought of probiotics.” Until his sister recommended Multikraft products. “I had little hope, but it worked straight away.”

The feed is well preserved. Since then, I have only had to add FHE to the feed. The pigs have an increased appetite and the animals appear much more vital. “In particular, the piglets' diarrhoea has significantly reduced since then.” The overall climate in the stable has noticeably improved. He also secretly hopes that the fertility of the breeding sows will increase as a result of using FHE.

Marcus Fattinger also uses around two litres of FHE per cubic meter to preserve the feed. “The CCM silage is a good source of energy for my animals.” The piglets are fed a different feed to the breeding sows and fattening pigs.

“I experiment with the composition and make sure to supply the piglets with Multikraft mineral feed.” He is one of the few people in his area to work with FHE, but he can feel that more and more colleagues are interested in his feeding methods. Marcus Fattinger is convinced that “the health of my animals is important to me and optimal feed conversion is a cornerstone of healthy pigs.”