The Influence of Flushing During Estrus on Ovulation and Embryo Survival to 30 Days Gestation

English workers have reported that doubling the feed from 4 to 8 lb. for one feeding after breeding tended to increase the number of ovulation sites and the number of pigs born. Workers at Kentucky have also found similar results when gilts were fed ad libitum for a 12-hour period following breeding. Previous work done at this station has failed to confirm these reports. The experiment reported here is a further attempt to substantiate this work under South Dakota conditions

Simple and Complex Diets for Early Weaned Pigs

During recent years many swine producers have adopted the practice of weaning pigs between 21 and 28 days of age. This allows for a shorter interval between farrowings, resulting in more litters per sow per year. Most research has indicated early weaned pigs perform better when fed complex diets containing some milk product, sugar, fat, oats or other ingredients compared to simple corn-soybean meal fortified diets. However, the economics of cost of feed per unit of gain has often favored the simple diets. The objective of this experiment was to evaluate pig starter diets equalized in lysine content but varying in protein content and source of ingredients when fed to pigs of approximately 28 days of age

Effect of Virginiamycin on Growth and Carcass Characteristics of Barrows and Gilts

Antibiotics have been used as additives to swine diets for approximately 30 years. Various antibiotics have been shown to improve growth performance and efficiency of feed utilization. In addition, antibiotics have reduced low order infection. Since different organisms are sensitive to different antibiotics, the antibiotic of choice may vary depending on the organisms present. The effect of antibiotics on carcass characteristics has been less conclusive. This experiment was conducted to determine the effect of the antibiotic, virginiamycin, on performance and carcass characteristics of barrows and gilts fed separately

The Effect of Pen Space and Vitamin C Addition to the Diet on Weanling Pig Performance

It is assumed that there is no dietary requirement for vitamin C by the pig. However, recently there has been some indication that, under certain conditions, vitamin C or ascorbic acid may boost pig performance. Vitamin C is involved in development of the immune response. Therefore, if a requirement for dietary vitamin C exists, it should be demonstrated with pigs under stressed conditions. The study reported in this paper is a part of a cooperative project by the NCR-89 Committee on Confinement Management of Swine. It is designed to evaluate the response of weaned pigs to a vitamin C addition to the diet when placed under the stress of reduced pen space and feeder space

Sunflower Seeds in Growing-Finishing Swine Diets

South Dakota has become a leader in the production of sunflowers during the past few years. Sunflowers are an excellent oil. crop as they may contain 40% oil that is highly unsaturated in nature. In swine diets, the addition of sunflower seeds would replace mainly the grain or carbohydrate source in the diet, This would increase the energy content of the diet and shift the energy source from carbohydrate to a mixture of carbohydrates and fat. A previous experiment reported in the 1982 South Dakota Swine Day proceedings indicated that 20% dietary sunflower seeds reduced rate of gain and produced softer carcasses but 4id not affect the eating quality of the pork. The study reported herein was designed to further evaluate different levels of sunflower seeds in swine diets on swine performence and carcass characteristics

The Effects of One Day Flushing and Early Gestation Energy Levels on Reproductive Performance of Gilts

The experiment reported here was conducted to determine what effect one-feed flushing and energy level during the first third of gestation had on reproductive performance

Effects of Various Levels of Sunflower Seeds on Growing-Finishing Swine

Sunflowers are becoming a very important crop in South Dakota. Currently, most seeds are used to produce confectionary seeds or sunflower oil and sunflower meal. For various reasons, some sunflower seeds may not be suitable for these purposes. Feeding these seeds to livestock is one possible way to utilize them. Although at the present time sunflower seeds are not considered an economically feasible feed ingredient, prices may change, making them a more practical substitute for the common feed grains. For these reasons, this study has been conducted to determine growth and carcass characteristics of swine fed diets containing various levels of sunflower seeds

Effects of Excess Arginine on Lysine Utilization in Weaned Pigs

This research was conducted to evaluate the effect of excess arginine on the growth, feed efficiency, and plasma and arginine levels of weanling pigs

Preventing Selenium Poisoning in Growing and Fattening Pigs

The condition commonly referred to as alkali disease has been known for a number of years to be the result of chronic poisoning by selenium. South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station bulletin 311, published in 1937, explained the cause for this disease and thoroughly described the symptoms exhibited by various farm animals. The work reported here was started in 1953. At that time effective and practical control measures had not been found