Hybrid Rye for Pigs

Hybrid Rye for Pigs

Hybrid rye grain is an excellent nutrient source and provides many functional attributes to pigs of all ages. Whether you are looking for a solid nutritional profile, improved animal health and welfare, excellent meat quality or environmental sustainability, hybrid rye is an excellent fit on your farm.

Hybrid rye offers consistent crude protein content (9-10%) with an excellent amino acid profile (increased SID lysine and methionine vs. corn, similar to wheat and barley). The fibre portion of hybrid rye is made up of a high level of soluble fibre, containing 2.1% β-glucans, 1.1% fructans and 8.2% arabinoxylans which are lacking in corn and wheat. The energy dense starch component of hybrid rye, combined with the fermentation of soluble fibre, provides an excellent energy source for pigs. Hybrid rye also has a very high level of intrinsic phytase, making dietary phosphorus more digestible to the animals, leading to less phosphorus excretion into the environment.

Average Nutrient Composition of KWS Hybrid Rye Grain

Composition, as fed basis	Hybrid Rye	Corn	Wheat (hard)	Wheat (soft)	Barley
Proximate Components, %
Dry Matter	89.07	88.31	88.67	86.38	89.9
Crude Protein	9.77	8.24	14.46	10.92	11.33
Crude Fibre	2.22	1.98	2.57	2.4	3.9
Ether Extract	1.8	3.48	1.82	1.36	2.11
Ash	1.84	1.3	1.98	3.55	2.38
Carbohydrate Components, %
Neutral Detergent Fibre	14.47	9.11	10.6	10.6	18.29
Acid Detergent Fibre	3.34	2.88	3.55	3.55	5.78
Starch	57.04	62.55	59.5	60.04	50.21
Beta-Glucans²	2.1	0.2	-	0.8	4.4
Fructans²	1.1	0.1	-	0.2	0.4
Arabinoxylans²	8.2	3.3	-	6.2	3.3
Minerals, %
Calcium	0.05	0.02	0.06	0.03	0.06
Phosphorus	0.29	0.26	0.39	0.3	0.35
Phytate P	0.17	0.21	0.22	0.2	0.22
STTD of P³	59	34	56	56	45
Amino Acids, %
Lysine	0.43	0.25	0.39	0.35	0.4
SID Lys^2,3	64	74	82	82	75
Methionine	0.27	0.18	0.22	0.22	0.2
SID Met^2,3	78	83	88	90	82
Threonine	0.24	0.28	0.4	0.35	0.36
SID Thr^2,3	66	77	84	85	76
Tryptophan	0.12	0.06	0.17	0.14	0.13
SID Trp^2,3	76	80	88	88	82
Energy, Kcal/kg
Gross Energy	3,806	3,933	3,788	4,295	3,939
Digestible Energy	3,515	3,451	3,313	3,450	3,150
Metabolizable Energy	3,503	3,395	3,215	3,376	3,073
Net Energy	2,567	2,672	2,472	2,595	2,327
Other
Iodine Value Product (IVP)⁴	16.24	46.39	23.03	17.91	21
Intrinsic Phytase, FTU⁵	2,833	<70	580	580	490

¹ Unless otherwise noted, hybrid rye data was collected from 16 samples used in Canadian Research Trials between 2016-2024 (not all studies reported all values). Corn, wheat and barley data obtained from NRC, 2012.
² Hybrid rye data obtained from McGhee and Stein, 2018.
³ STTD = standardized total tract digestibility, SID = standardized ileal digestibility
⁴ Calculated based on reported fat profile in INRA feed tables, 2024
⁵ FTU = phytase units per kilogram; McGhee & Stein, 2019

Research conducted across Europe and North America has built confidence and strong feeding recommendations for hybrid rye, which has become an established component of swine feed in countries such as Denmark, Germany, Poland and Spain and is gaining traction in North America. Inclusion levels ranging from 5-70% can be used depending on the stage of animal production.

Average Nutrient Composition of KWS Hybrid Rye Grain(1)

Composition, as fed	Average	Standard Deviation
Proximate Components, %
Dry Matter	89.07	1.34
Crude Protein	9.77	1.61
Crude Fibre	2.22	0.53
Ether Extract	1.80	0.74
Ash	1.84	0.89
Carbohydrate Components, %
Neutral Detergent Fibre	14.47	3.35
Acid Detergent Fibre	3.34	0.68
Starch	57.04	5.69
Beta-Glucans²	2.1	0.06
Fructans²	1.1	0.12
Arabinoxylans²	8.2	0.28
Minerals, %
Calcium	0.05	0.01
Phosphorus	0.29	0.04
Phytate P	0.17	0.01
STTD of P³	59	4.10
Amino Acids, %
Lysine	0.43	0.16
SID Lys^2,3	64	3.46
Methionine	0.27	0.20
SID Met^2,3	78	1.52
Threonine	0.24	0.07
SID Thr^2,3	66	4.20
Tryptophan	0.12	0.02
SID Trp^2,3	76	3.97
Energy, Kcal/kg
Gross Energy	3,806	55
Digestible Energy	3,515	200
Metabolizable Energy	3,503	117
Net Energy	2,567	41
Other
Iodine Value Product (IVP)⁴	16.24	-
Intrinsic Phytase, FTU⁵	2,833	473

Like other cereal grains, particle size should be 500-600 microns for hybrid rye. Hybrid rye has also been shown to improve pellet quality when replacing wheat in swine rations. It is best practice to include an exogenous fibre degrading enzyme in rations with hybrid rye.

Swine Feeding Advantages

Highest yielding cereal crop so you can feed more pigs per acre
High in energy, nutrient dense and highly digestible
Excellent amino acid profile, including high levels of lysine, methionine and threonine
Rich in high-quality, soluble fibre and resistant starch that promote animal health and well-being
High phosphorus digestibility due to very high levels of intrinsic phytase
Lowest Iodine Value Product (IVP) of all cereal crops, making it an ideal choice for meat quality and firmness
Can be included in all stages of swine production

Early pollination and KWS PollenPLUS® technology means that KWS Hybrid Rye is less susceptible to fusarium and ergot contamination compared to conventional rye and other cereal grains. It is always best practice to test your feed grains for mycotoxins before use. If mycotoxins are present work with your nutritionist to manage feeding levels, especially in your breeding herd.

References:

NRC, 2012; McGhee and Stein, 2018; McGhee and Stein, 2019

More Hybrid Rye for Pigs Pages

Hybrid Rye for Sows

Hybrid rye can replace up to 50% of the diet in gestating and lactating sow diets without impacting sow performance or growth and performance of piglets.

Hybrid Rye for Nursery Pigs

For maximum performance and efficiency hybrid rye can be included at up to 40% of the diet DM in nursery diets.

Hybrid Rye for Growing/Finishing Pigs

Hybrid rye can replace corn with minimal to no impact on performance, feed efficiency, carcass characteristics, and meat quality.

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