Abstract
Effects of Added Calcium Carbonate on Weanling Pig Growth Performance
Highlights
Acid binding capacity (ABC), or buffering capacity, is a feed ingredient’s ability to change gastrointestinal pH
A total of 695 barrows (DNA Line 200 × 400; initially 12.9 lb) were used in two groups in a 28-d study to evaluate the effects of added dietary calcium carbonate on phase 1 nursery pig growth performance and fecal dry matter
Dietary treatments were formulated to provide 0, 0.45, 0.90, 1.35, and 1.80% calcium carbonate added at the expense of corn
Summary
Acid binding capacity (ABC), or buffering capacity, is a feed ingredient’s ability to change gastrointestinal pH. The ABC – 4 is the amount of acid in Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service milliequivalents (mEq) required to lower the pH of 1 kg of feed to 4. ABC – 4 of diets is indicative of a low stomach pH which may improve protein digestion and growth performance. Some minerals have been shown to have high ABC in comparison to common ingredients used in swine diets such as cereal grains, vegetable proteins, fat sources and crystalline amino acids.[3] Calcium, in the form of calcium carbonate, is one such mineral with a relatively high ABC due to its cationic properties that would increase the ABC of the diet and increase stomach pH. Because calcium carbonate is the main source of Ca in most swine diets, lowering dietary Ca may improve growth performance due to a decrease in ABC. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of calcium carbonate level immediately post-weaning on growth performance and fecal dry matter of nursery pigs
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
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
