Hi everyone!! I've been away for a while, been very busy with life stuff, but thought I would chime in on this. I switched to Sherwood pellets about a week and a half ago, and I also greatly reduced the amount of veggies I was giving. I have "spoken" with Dr. Sherwood and his assistant, Bob, through emails, throughout the transition. At first the pigs were resistant to the Sherwood pellets, as expected, they missed that sugary mollases, it's akin to taking candy from a child and putting brussels sprouts in front of him.
Anyway, over the course of a few days I managed to transition them, in the end, I just took the Oxbow pellets out completely, and when they realized the Sherwood was all they had, they happily ate them. I too was dubious about the Alfalfa, but Dr. Sherwood assures me, it's carbonate and not calcium that causes stones, and the alfalfa is a much better alternative to soy, wheat, and other crappy fillers. Everything they need nutritionally is in the pellet, and along with plenty of hay, it's apparently all the nutrition they need. I have done a lot of research on these pellets myself, and I am more than willing to give them a try.
Now for my personal findings.....All pigs look great, they do drink more water, but that's because they are eating more hay, and it's helping to flush out any nasties from their urinary tracts, their poops are consistently perfectly formed ( I had been having a problem with Snickers poops being wet and malformed before), they are much more active, and calcium spots in their kitchen area have diminished drastically, all I see now are very faint spots.
I realize everyone will have their own experiences and takes on this diet, but so far, I am delighted with the results. As with everything, time will tell. I wish those of you who are trying the transition all the luck in the world
, and I fervently hope this could be the answer so many of us have been looking for to keep our pigs healthy and happy.
PS I have cut out the green leaf lettuce too, and give reduced radicchio, peppers, and cherry tomatoes, just to be sure they're getting enough vitamin C