100 Hybrid Rye May Replace Corn in Diets for Nursery Pigs Without Negatively Affecting Average Daily Gain, but gain:feed May Be Reduced

Abstract

Abstract Two experiments were conducted to test the hypothesis that replacing corn with hybrid rye in diets for weanling pig diets will not influence growth performance. In experiment 1, 160 pigs (6.0 ± 0.7 kg) were allotted to 40 pens and 5 treatments (Phase 1 (day 1–7): 0, 3, 6, 9, or 12% hybrid rye; Phase 2 (day 8–21): 0, 5, 11, 16, or 21% hybrid rye; Phase 3 (day 22–34): 0, 15, 30, 45, or 60% hybrid rye). In experiment 2, 128 pigs (5.6 ± 0.5 kg) were allotted to 32 pens and 4 treatments (Phase 1: 0, 8, 16, or 24% hybrid rye; Phase 2: 0, 16, 32, or 48% hybrid rye; Phase 3: 0, 20, 40, or 60% hybrid rye). Individual body weights were recorded at the start and end of each phase, and diarrhea incidence was recorded every other day. Diarrhea incidence was analyzed using proportions with SAS Proc Glimmix, whereas other data were analyzed in SAS Proc Mixed using linear and quadratic contrast statements. In experiment 1, body weights and average daily gain (ADG) did not differ among treatments (Table 1), but in experiment 2, ADG in phase 1 increased (linear, P < 0.05) as rye inclusion increased. In both experiments, overall average daily feed intake increased (experiment 1, quadratic, P < 0.05; experiment 2, linear, P < 0.05) with greater rye inclusion and in both experiments overall gain:feed decreased (quadratic, P < 0.05) as rye replaced corn in diets. Diarrhea incidence decreased (quadratic, P < 0.05) with 6 or 9% rye inclusion in phase 1 of experiment 1, but not experiment 2. To conclude, hybrid rye may replace the majority of corn in diets for nursery pigs without impacting ADG, but gain:feed will be reduced due to greater feed intake.