Feed Conversion Ratio Of Pigs Research Articles

Apparent ileal amino acid digestibility and the nutritive value of the triticale cultivars Moreno and Ulrika for growing-finishing pigs

Both digestibility and performance experiments were carried out to evaluate the nutritive value of triticale for growing-finishing pigs.In experiment 1,the apparent ileal and faecal digestibility of nutrients in barley (Hordeum vulgare cv.Viivi)and two triticale (Tritico secale cultivars, Moreno and Ulrika, were measured using six cannulated barrows with a body weight (BW)of 82-107 kg.In experiment 2,132 pigs were used over 25-100 kg BW to study the effects of replacing barley in a barley-soyabean meal-based diet with graded amounts of triticale cv.Moreno (25,50,75,or 100%) and cv.Ulrika (50 or 100%).The apparent ileal and faecal digestibilities of dry matter and organic matter were higher for both triticale cultivars than for barley (P 0.05).The apparent ileal digestibility of lysine averaged 65.6, 70.8, and 70.5% for barley and triticale cv.Moreno and Ulrika,respectively.The net energy content of triticales (11.5 MJ kg-1 DM)was 0.4 MJ kg -1 DM higher than that of barley.The replacement of barley with the triticale cultivars Moreno and Ulrika exerted a positive quadratic effect on daily weight gain and the feed conversion ratio of pigs from 50 to 100 kg and from 25 to 100 kg BW (P

Effects of phosphorus level and microbial phytase supplementation on the performance and bone mineralization in pigs

An experiment was conducted with 192 growing and finishing pigs in order to evaluate the phosphorus (P) requirement of the pigs and the efficacy of Aspergillus niger phytase on a barley based diet, and to study phase feeding of P and phytase. The performance of the pigs and certain chemical and physical parameters of their tibia and fibula bones were used as criteria for the effectiveness of the treatments. The variables in diet formulation were microbial phytase addition of 500 FTU kg−1 (‐/+ ) and three P levels—high (HP), medium (MP) and low (7.7, 6.1 and 4.5 g of total P kg−1 dry matter, respectively). Two additional diets were combinations of the former: MP—LP—and MP + LP —. The medium P level was sufficient for the pigs from 30 kg up to slaughter at 100 kg with the growth level of 900 g day and feed conversion ratio (FCR) of 2.60, but the lowest P level led to an impaired average daily gain (ADG) and FCR. Microbial phytase improved the ADG (P < 0.05) and FCR of pigs (P < 0.05) on LP diet. No signs of leg weakness were observed in the pigs on any of the diets. The tibia densities decreased with decreasing dietary P. The ash content of fibula bones increased and their P content decreased with declining dietary P. Lowering the P content of the diet, using an appropriate phase feeding of P, and adding phytase into the diet could support the normal growth rate of the pigs and reduce the amount of P excretion in faeces.

Blood meal as a source of protein for grower/finisher pigs

In the first of four experiments five dietary levels of ring-dried blood meal (0, 3.0, 5.9, 8.9 and 11.8%) were used for pigs of 21–70 kg live weight at two levels of feeding (restricted and ad libitum). Pigs receiving either 5.9 or 8.9% blood meal grew more efficiently than pigs receiving either 0 or 11.8%. The feed conversion ratio of pigs given 3.0% blood meal was of intermediate value. There were significant interactions; when feeding was ad libitum, a reduced intake at the higher levels of blood meal resulted in a slower growth rate at the 11.8% level of blood meal, but with restricted feeding, up to 11.8% blood meal could be included without adverse effects on feed intake or growth rate. In the second and third experiments grower pigs fed ad libitum, between 22 and 50 kg live weight, were used to investigate the effects of the addition of a feed flavour or of isoleucine to a diet containing 12% blood meal. Experiment 2 involved two levels of blood meal (0 and 12%) and two levels of a feed flavour (0 and 50 p.p.m.). The feed flavour failed to prevent the reduction in feed intake and growth caused by 12% blood meal. In the third experiment the addition of 0.1% isoleucine to the 12% blood meal diet significantly increased both intake and growth rate but not to the level of a diet containing no blood meal. In Experiment 4 the digestible energy (± SE) content of blood meal was determined to be 20.8 (± 2.15) MJ/kg dry matter.

Mineral and vitamin supplementation of diets for growing pigs. 1. Wheat-based diets and the effect of preventing cross-coprophagy on the response to supplementation

Two factorial experiments examined the effects of mineral and or vitamin supplementation on the performance of 64 growing pigs. The wheat-based diets contained either meat-and-bone meal (with some fish meal up to 32 kg liveweight) or solvent-extracted soybean meal (SBM). A basal supplement of vitamins A and D2 was added to all diets. The pigs were individually fed at restricted intakes between 18 and 73 kg liveweight and housed as mixed treatment groups. In a third factorial experiment, 32 growing pigs were restrictively fed a wheat/SBM diet from 20 kg liveweight to 75 kg or for 20 weeks. The pigs were individually housed to prevent cross-transfer of vitamins from supplemented to unsupplemented pigs by way of the faeces (cross-coprophagy). Mineral supplementation of the wheat/animal protein diet (experiment 1) did not affect pig performance, but improved the growth rate and feed conversion ratio of pigs fed the SBM diet (experiment 2) by 45 and 32 per cent respectively. Omitting the mineral supplement from the SBM diet caused loss of appetite, soft bones, joint and foot abnormalities and lameness in many pigs; 5 out of 16 pigs did not reach slaughter weight. Gilts fed the SBM diet were less tolerant of mineral deficiencies than barrows. They also stored less calcium in their bones when minerals were added to the diet. There was no response to vitamin supplementation even though both diets, but especially the SBM diet, were apparently deficient in a number of vitamins. The SBM diet provided 76, 83 and 53 per cent respectively of the pigs' estimated requirements for riboflavin, pantothenic acid and vitamin B12. In experiment 3 the SBM diet supplied 64, 80 and 28 per cent of the pigs' riboflavin, pantothenic acid and vitamin B12 requirements. As in experiment 2, there was no response to vitamin supplementation. Cross-coprophagy was thus most unlikely to have caused the lack of response to vitamin supplementation in the group-housed pigs of experiment 2. Mineral supplementation improved growth rate by 108 per cent and feed conversion ratio by 40 per cent.

Decorticated safflower meal as a protein supplement in diets fed either restrictively or ad libitum to barrow and gilt pigs over 45 kg liveweight

Twenty barrow and twenty gilt Berkshire x Large White pigs were fed barley based diets containing protein supplements of either 13 per cent soybean meal, 9 per cent fishmeal, 14.5 per cent safflower meal plus 0.2 per cent I-lysine mono hydrochloride plus 0.1 per cent methionine or 14.5 per cent safflower meal plus 4.5 per cent fishmeal from 46.4 to 87.0 kg liveweight. All diets were fed individually at a restricted feeding scale. The safflower meal diets were also fed ad libitum. Barrows and gilts fed ad libitum recorded a 65 and 27 per cent improvement respectively in average daily gain and had slightly fatter carcases than those fed comparable diets restrictively. Feed conversion ratio was not significantly affected by level of feeding. Growth and carcase attributes of pigs fed diets restrictively were similar apart from the feed conversion ratio of pigs fed the amino acid supplemented safflower meal diet, which was inferior (P &lt; 0.05) to those fed the soybean meal supplemented diets. Barrows grew faster and produced fatter carcases than gilts, A significant sex x diet interaction occurred from which it was concluded that gilts, but not barrows, could be fed ad libitum without detriment to the quality of the carcase.

The effect of variation of protein quality and protein level in diets on the performance of young pigs

1. A feeding trial was conducted on 64 individually-fed pigs given diets varying in crude protein content, and containing as a protein supplement either white-fish meal or groundnut meal alone, or groundnut meal with L-lysine monohydrochloride or DL-methionine or both.2. Daily live-weight gain and feed conversion ratio of pigs given diets containing fish meal were best when the diet provided 18% crude protein on an air-dry basis (15·7% white-fish meal).3. Additions of L-lysine monohydrochloride to a diet providing 18% crude protein and containing 21% groundnut meal as the main source of protein produced highly significant (P&lt;0·001) improvements in daily gain and feed conversion ratio and these measures were not significantly different from those of pigs given the control (fish meal) diet which provided similar total lysine and crude protein levels. The white-fish meal diet containing 18% crude protein produced pigs whose half carcasses were of higher specific gravity (P&lt;0·05) and rib cuts with more protein and less fat (each P&lt;0·05) than did the groundnut meal diet at the same protein level.4. DL-methionine did not significantly affect live-weight gain, feed conversion, fat or protein content of the rib cut or the specific gravity of the half carcass.5. Pigs on a 12% crude protein diet containing groundnut meal supplemented with lysine grew at the same rate as pigs on an 18% crude protein diet in which no lysine supplement was added to the groundnut meal. Their rib cuts contained more protein and less fat.