Abstract
Thirty-six gilts were bred and given 2 kg feed daily through pregnancy. Three diets were used, one a control (C) containing 70% clean wheat, another (M) containing 35% clean and 35% DON-contaminated wheat and the third (H) containing 70% DON-contaminated wheat. The DON content of the diets was 0.2, 3.8 and 6.2 mg kg−1 respectively. Six of the gilts (1C, 2M, 3H) were found to be nonpregnant and one (M) was removed because of lameness. Of the 29 that farrowed five (2C, 1M, 2H) would not eat; the remaining 24 gilts completed a 21-d lactation. The diets were offered up to a maximum of 5 kg daily during lactation. Body weight data for pregnancy and lactation showed no evidence of a dietary effect. Body weight, length (crown to rump) and carcass composition of the piglets did not show any effects of the DON-contaminated diets fed to their dams. Chemical analysis of the gilts' milk showed no effect of the diet on milk quality; DON was detected only in trace or < 2 μg kg−1 concentrations. Necropsy data for the gilts, their pigs at weaning and at market weight showed no significant (P > 0.05) differences among diets; however, evidence of linear (gilts) and quadratic (weaned and market pigs) trends were found for uterus weight. The feeding of diets containing up to 6.2 mg DON kg−1 (calculated to be 0.1 mg kg−1 body weight daily) to gilts during pregnancy and lactation did not appear to have any deleterious effects upon the gilts, or their progeny at weaning and at market weight. Key words: Deoxynivalenol, pregnancy, lactation, milk, gilts, pigs
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