Abstract
Two experiments were conducted to determine the effect of adding coarse wheat bran with reduced crude protein level in diets without pharmacological levels of zinc oxide on the growth performance and fecal dry matter of nursery pigs. Our objective was to determine if a low-crude protein diet with an added fiber source might provide similar growth performance and reduce the incidence of scours in weanling pigs compared to a typical, high-protein diet with added Zn. A total of 300 and 350 pigs (DNA 241 × 600), initially 15.4 and 13.7 lb body weight (BW), were used in Exp. 1 and 2, respectively. There were 5 pigs per pen and 12 and 14 replicates per treatment in Exp. 1 and 2, respectively. After weaning, pigs were fed a common pelleted diet with pharmacological levels (3,000 ppm Zn) of ZnO for 10 d in Exp. 1, and without pharmacological levels of ZnO for 14 d in Exp. 2. Then, pens were assigned to one of 5 dietary treatments in a randomized complete block design with BW as the blocking factor. In Exp. 1 and 2, treatment diets were offered in mash form and in one dietary phase. All dietary treatments contained 4% coarse wheat bran and consisted of: 1) positive control with ZnO (2,000 ppm Zn) and 21% crude protein (CP) formulated to 1.35% standardized ileal digestible (SID) lysine; 2) a diet with 110 ppm added Zn and 21% CP (1.35% SID lysine); 3) a diet with 110 ppm added Zn formulated to 18% CP (1.20% SID lysine); 4) an 18% CP diet with 110 ppm added Zn formulated to 1.35% SID lysine by the addition of feed grade amino acids; and 5) diet 4 with the addition of non-essential amino acids (glycine and glutamic acid). A common post-treatment pelleted diet was fed for 14 d in Exp. 2 but not in Exp. 1. Data were analyzed using the lmer function from the lme4 package in R. In Exp. 1, pigs fed diets with 21% CP had increased (P < 0.05) ADG and heavier (P < 0.05) final BW; however, treatment means did not separate when Tukey adjustment was applied during statistical analysis. Pigs fed diets with 21% CP had improved (P < 0.05) feed efficiency similarly to pigs fed 18% CP diets with the addition of non-essential amino acids. During the experimental period in Exp. 2, pigs fed high CP diets
Highlights
Weaned piglets often experience a lag in growth post-weaning, which can be attributed to a change in diet, decreased feed intake, a reduction in intestinal absorptive capacity, and an immature immune and digestive system.3 Post-weaning diarrhea (PWD) can be initiated by these factors in addition to the proliferation of Escherichia coli, exacerbating the reduced growth performance and economic loss
All dietary treatments contained 4% coarse wheat bran and consisted of: 1) positive control with zinc oxide (ZnO) (2,000 ppm Zn) and 21% crude protein (CP) formulated to 1.35% standardized ileal digestible (SID) lysine; 2) a diet with 110 ppm added Zn and 21% Crude protein (CP) (1.35% Standardized ileal digestible (SID) lysine); 3) a diet with 110 ppm added Zn formulated to 18% CP (1.20% SID lysine); 4) an 18% CP diet with 110 ppm added Zn formulated to 1.35% SID lysine by the addition of feed grade amino acids; and 5) diet 4 with the addition of non-essential amino acids
In Exp. 1, pigs fed diets with 21% CP had increased (P < 0.05) ADG and heavier (P < 0.05) final body weight (BW); treatment means did not separate when Tukey adjustment was applied during statistical analysis
Summary
Weaned piglets often experience a lag in growth post-weaning, which can be attributed to a change in diet, decreased feed intake, a reduction in intestinal absorptive capacity, and an immature immune and digestive system. Post-weaning diarrhea (PWD) can be initiated by these factors in addition to the proliferation of Escherichia coli, exacerbating the reduced growth performance and economic loss. Coarse wheat bran has been observed to decrease the ability of Escherichia coli to attach to the intestinal mucosal of nursery pigs, while regulating the microbiota and improving fermentation.. Various studies have demonstrated that a low crude protein diet with crystalline essential amino acids decreases incidences of PWD and promotes intestinal health; decreased growth performance has been observed.. In low crude protein diets, it is hypothesized that deficiencies in lysine or other amino acids, either essential or non-essential, cause reductions in pig performance.. Coarse wheat bran has been observed to decrease the ability of Escherichia coli to attach to the intestinal mucosal of nursery pigs, while regulating the microbiota and improving fermentation. High levels of crude protein in post-weaning diets have been shown to increase the risk of PWD due to undigested protein and increased microbial fermentation. Various studies have demonstrated that a low crude protein diet with crystalline essential amino acids decreases incidences of PWD and promotes intestinal health; decreased growth performance has been observed. In low crude protein diets, it is hypothesized that deficiencies in lysine or other amino acids, either essential or non-essential, cause reductions in pig performance. the objective of these experiments was to determine the effect of dietary crude protein level and the supplementation of crystalline essential or non-essential amino acids in diets containing coarse wheat bran on the growth performance and fecal characteristics of nursery pigs fed diets without pharmacological levels of ZnO
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call