Stimulating estrus and ovulation in lactating sows and consequences for pig growth

Doctor of PhilosophyDepartment of Animal Sciences and IndustryDuane L. DavisJim L. NelssenA total of 188 sows and their litters were used in 2 experiments to evaluate methods to induce estrus and ovulation in lactating sows and effects on pig growth. In Exp. 1, an altered suckling method (ALT) was designed to combine split-weaning and intermittent suckling as a means to reduce the suckling stimulus in primi- and multiparous sows during the last week of lactation (d 18 to 25). The ALT sows were also removed for daily boar exposure. The ALT treatment produced lactational estrus in 75% and 95% of primiparous and multiparous sows, respectively. The ALT sows were in estrus earlier (P < 0.01) than controls post-farrowing, with no effect on subsequent reproductive performance. From d 18 to 32, the ALT treatment benefited (P < 0.01) growth of lightweight pigs but decreased (P < 0.01) BW gain of heavyweight pigs, resulting in overall similar growth. However, variation in BW was reduced (P < 0.01) by 50% for ALT litters. In Exp. 2, varying suckling reduction strategies were applied to boar-exposed lactating sows. Overall, 76% of sows in suckling reduction treatments expressed estrus in lactation. Split-weaned and ALT sows performed reproductively similar to controls, whereas sows with daily litter separation or a single 24 h litter removal tended (P < 0.10) to have reduced conception rates versus controls or split-weaned sows. Reduced suckling treatments differed in their ability to induce lactational estrus and impact on pig BW gain immediately post-weaning. However, no evidence was found of benefit for pig growth to market weight or litter BW variation. Four additional experiments using 902 nursery pigs were conducted to test the efficacy of potential detoxifying agents against deoxynivalenol (DON) in swine diets. The effects of DON were not offset by adding an algae-modified montmorillonite clay nor by a proprietary blend of preservatives and clays. However, hydrothermally treating DON-contaminated diets with sodium metabisulfite modified the structure of DON to a non-toxic DON-sulfonate adduct and restored nursery pig growth via improved (P < 0.05) ADG, ADFI and G:F

The effects of feed budgeting, complete diet blending, and corn supplement blending on finishing pig growth performance in a commercial environment

A total of 808 pigs (PIC 337 x 1050, initially 78.4 ± 1.4 lb BW) were used to compare different feed-blending strategies for finishing pigs using the FeedPro system (Feedlogic Corp., Willmar, MN). There were 3 experimental treatments: (1) a standard-phase complete feed program, (2) blending a high- and low-lysine complete diet (curve), and (3) blending ground corn and a supplement. FeedPro is an integrated feed dispensing system that can deliver and blend 2 separate diets while dispensing. Treatment diets were fed over 4 phases (78 to 231 lb BW) with a common complete diet containing Paylean fed during the fifth phase. The 5 phases were from 78 to 115, 115 to 157, 157 to 191, 191 to 239, and 239 to 281 lb. Each treatment had 10 replicate pens and 26 to 27 pigs per pen. Overall (d 0 to 78), pigs phase-fed complete diets had greater (P < 0.01) ADG than pigs fed blended diets and tended to have greater (P < 0.07) ADG than those fed the ground corn-supplement blend. Pigs fed the blended diets had lower (P < 0.001) ADFI than pigs phase-fed complete diets or fed the corn-supplement blend. However, pigs fed blended diets had improved (P < 0.001) F/G compared to pigs phase-fed a ground corn-supplement blend and tended to have improved (P < 0.07) F/G compared to pigs fed standard-phase diets. Pigs fed standard-phase diets had heavier (P < 0.03) HCW than pigs fed the corn-supplement blend and tended to have heavier (P < 0.03) HCW than pigs fed diets on a lysine curve. However, there were no differences (P ≥ 0.11) in percentage yield, percentage lean, fat depth, or loin depth among treatments. There were no differences (P ≥ 0.11) in total revenue or income over feed costs (IOFC) across treatments. However, standard phase-fed pigs held a numerical advantage in total revenue, mainly driven by a heavier HCW over other treatments. Also, pigs fed a ground corn-supplement blend had numerically the lowest IOFC compared to other treatments. In conclusion, feeding using the FeedPro system is competitive with standard phase-fed diets on a net return basis, while feeding a ground corn-supplement blend adversely affected net returns

Effects of PepSoyGen processing method on nursery pig growth performance

Swine Industry Day, 2014 is known as Swine Day, 2014A total of 292 weanling pigs (PIC 327 × 1050; 13.3 ± 2.4 lb BW and 21 d of age) were used in a 31-d experiment evaluating the effects of alternative PepSoyGen processing methods for nursery pig diets. There were 11 replicate pens per treatment and 6 or 7 pigs per pen. At weaning, pigs were allotted to pens by initial weight to 1 of 4 treatments in a completely randomized design. A 3-phase diet series was used with treatment diets fed during Phase 1 (d 0 to 7) and Phase 2 (d 7 to 21), with a common diet fed from d 21 to 31. Diets were: (1) negative control (corn, soybean meal, and dried whey), (2) positive control (4% DPS 50 + 1% PepSoyGen), (3) PepSoyGen processing method 1 (PSG1; 5%), and (4) PepSoyGen processing method 2 (PSG2; 5%). The alternative PepSoyGen processing methods incorporated increasing levels of a proprietary additive post-fermentation (PSG2 > PSG1) aimed at further breakdown of anti-nutritional factors associated with soybean meal. Nutrient analyses generally matched formulated levels for negative and positive control diets, but for both PSG1 and PSG2, CP and amino acid concentrations were lower than formulated, with PSG1 generally 10% lower than PSG2. In Phase 1, pigs fed the positive control diet had improved (P < 0.01) ADG and feed efficiency compared with pigs fed the negative control, whereas pigs fed PSG1 and PSG2 diets were intermediate for feed efficiency but tended (P < 0.07) to have increased ADG compared with those fed the negative control. For Phase 2, there were no significant differences in growth performance between treatment diets. For the overall experimental period (d 0 to 21), pigs fed the positive control diet and PSG2 diet had improved ADG (P < 0.05), whereas pigs fed the positive control, PSG1, and PSG2 diets had improved feed efficiency (P < 0.05) compared with pigs fed the negative control diet. Also, pigs fed PSG1 tended (P < 0.06) to have lower ADG compared with pigs fed the positive control diet. During the Phase 3 common period, no difference in growth performance was observed. Overall (d 0 to 31), ADG was greater (P < 0.01) for pigs fed the positive control diet and tended to be greater (P < 0.07) for pigs fed diets containing PSG2 than the negative control diet, with pigs fed PSG1 intermediate. In conclusion, pigs fed the PSG1 or PSG2 diets had similar performance to pigs fed the positive control diet. Numerically, the PSG2 diet elicited greater performance than the PSG1 diet, but it is unclear whether this response is reflective of the reduced CP and amino acid content in the PSG1 diet or if the differences in processing method affected growth response

Effects of potential detoxifying agents on growth performance and deoxynivalenol (DON) urinary balance characteristics of nursery pigs fed DON-contaminated wheat

Citation: Frobose, H. L., Stephenson, E. W., Tokach, M. D., DeRouchey, J. M., Woodworth, J. C., Dritz, S. S., & Goodband, R. D. (2017). Effects of potential detoxifying agents on growth performance and deoxynivalenol (DON) urinary balance characteristics of nursery pigs fed DON-contaminated wheat. Journal of Animal Science, 95(1), 327-337. doi:10.2527/jas2016.0664Two experiments were conducted to evaluate potential detoxifying agents on growth of nursery pigs fed deoxynivalenol (DON)-contaminated diets. Naturally DON-contaminated wheat (6 mg/kg) was used to achieve desired DON levels. In a 21-d study, 238 pigs (13.4 +/- 1.8 kg BW) were used in a completely randomized design with a 2 x 2 + 1 factorial arrangement. Diets were: 1) Positive control (PC; < 0.5 mg/kg DON), 2) PC + 1.0% Product V (Nutriquest LLC, Mason City, IA), 3) Negative control (NC; 4.0 mg/kg DON), 4) NC + 1.0% Product V, and 5) NC + 1.0% sodium metabisulfite (SMB; Samirian Chemicals, Campbell, CA). There were 6 or 7 replicate pens/treatment and 7 pigs/pen. Analyzed DON was decreased by 92% when pelleted with SMB, but otherwise matched formulated levels. Overall, a DON x Product V interaction was observed for ADG (P < 0.05) with a tendency for an interaction for ADFI (P < 0.10). As anticipated, DON reduced (P < 0.001) ADG and ADFI, but the interaction was driven by even poorer growth when Product V was added to NC diets. Pigs fed NC diets had 10% poorer G: F (P < 0.001) than PC-fed pigs. Reductions in ADG due to DON were most distinct (50%) during the initial period. Adding SMB to NC diets improved (P < 0.01) ADG, ADFI, and G: F, and improved (P < 0.02) ADG and G: F compared to the PC diet. A urinary balance study was conducted using diets 3 to 5 from Exp. 1 to evaluate Product V and SMB on DON urinary metabolism. A 10 d adaptation was followed by a 7 d collection using 24 barrows in a randomized complete block design. Pigs fed NC + SMB diet had greater urinary DON output (P < 0.05) than pigs fed NC + Product V, with NC pigs intermediate. Daily DON excretion was lowest (P < 0.05) in the NC + SMB pigs. However, degradation of DON-sulfonate back to the parent DON molecule was observed as pigs fed NC + SMB excreted more DON than they consumed (164% of daily DON intake), greater (P < 0.001) than pigs fed the NC (59%) or NC + Product V (48%). Overall, Product V did not alleviate DON effects on growth nor did it reduce DON absorption and excretion. However, hydrothermally processing DON-contaminated diets with 1.0% SMB restored ADFI and improved G: F. Even so, the urinary balance experiment revealed that some of the converted DON-sulfonate can degrade back to DON under physiological conditions. While further research is needed to discern the stability of the DON-sulfonate, SMB appears promising to restore performance in pelleted DON-contaminated diets

The effects of Biomin Product A and vomitoxin on growth performance of nursery pigs

A total of 340 barrows (PIC 1050, initially 25.7 lb ± 0.2 lb BW and 35 d of age) were used in a 28-d growth trial examining the effects on nursery pig growth performance of adding Biomin Product A (Biomin; Herzogenburg, Austria) to diets contaminated with deoxynivalenol (DON), or vomitoxin on nursery pig growth performance. Also, 5% water was added in a diet with Biomin Product A as a means of potentially enhancing the activity of the product. Pigs were allotted to pens by weight, and pens were assigned to 1 of 8 treatments in a randomized complete block design with location in the barn serving as the blocking factor. There were 9 replications per treatment (pens) and 4 to 5 pigs per pen. Initial mycotoxin analyses were conducted on the primary ingredients at Romer Labs5 and served as the basis of diet formulation. Eight dietary treatments were formulated to contain: (1) no vomitoxin or Biomin Product A, (2) 1.5 ppm vomitoxin and no Biomin Product A, (3) 1.5 ppm vomitoxin and 0.15% Biomin Product A (3 lb/ton), (4) 1.5 ppm vomitoxin and 0.30% Biomin Product A (6 lb/ton), (5) 3.0 ppm vomitoxin and no Biomin Product A, (6) 3.0 ppm vomitoxin and 0.30% Biomin Product A (6 lb/ton), (7) 3.0 ppm and 0.45% Biomin Product A (9 lb/ton), and (8) 3.0 ppm vomitoxin and 0.45% Biomin Product A with 5% water added to the diet. Dried distillers grains with solubles containing vomitoxin were used to increase concentrations in the treatment diets. After feed manufacturing, ingredients and diets were analyzed at Romer Labs and NDSU6. DON levels for the low- (1.5 ppm) and high- (3.0 ppm) vomitoxin diets were determined to average 2.5 and 5.2 ppm, respectively. Experimental diets were fed in meal form from d 0 to 21, and a common diet was fed from d 21 to 28 to evaluate performance immediately after removing vomitoxin from the diet. Overall (d 0 to 21), pigs fed high-vomitoxin diets had decreased (P \u3c 0.01) ADG and ADFI compared to pigs fed diets lower in DON concentration. Adding Biomin Product A to diets containing vomitoxin had no effect (P \u3e 0.24) on ADG; however, adding Biomin Product A to low-vomitoxin diets increased (quadratic, P \u3c 0.01) ADFI, resulting in poorer (quadratic, P \u3c 0.01) F/G. Furthermore, there were no differences (P \u3e 0.39) in performance or feed efficiency when 5% water was added to the diet containing Biomin Product A. In conclusion, adding Biomin Product A to the diet did not improve nursery pig performance during the 3-week period during which diets containing low or high concentrations of vomitoxin were fed.; Swine Day, Manhattan, KS, November 18, 201

The progression of deoxynivalenol-induced growth suppression in nursery pigs and the potential of an algae-modified montmorillonite clay to mitigate these effects

Citation: Frobose, H. L., Erceg, J. A., Fowler, S. Q., Tokach, M. D., DeRouchey, J. M., Woodworth, J. C., . . . Goodband, R. D. (2016). The progression of deoxynivalenol-induced growth suppression in nursery pigs and the potential of an algae-modified montmorillonite clay to mitigate these effects. Journal of Animal Science, 94(9), 3746-3759. doi:10.2527/jas2016-0663Two experiments were conducted to characterize the progression of deoxynivalenol (DON)-induced growth suppression and to investigate algae-modified montmorillonite clay (AMMC) as a means to alleviate the effects of DON in nursery pigs. In both experiments, naturally DON-contaminated wheat was used to produce diets with desired DON levels. In Exp. 1, 280 barrows and gilts (10.0 +/- 0.2 kg BW) were used in a 28-d experiment arranged in a 2 x 2 + 1 factorial design with 8 replicates per treatment. The 5 treatments consisted of 2 positive control (PC) diets with DON below detection limits and with or without 0 or 0.50% AMMC and 3 negative control (NC) diets with 5 mg/kg of DON and containing 0, 0.25, or 0.50% AMMC. No DON x AMMC interactions were observed. Overall, pigs fed DON had decreased (P < 0.001) ADG and final BW regardless of AMMC addition. Feeding DON-contaminated diets elicited the most severe depression (P < 0.001) in ADFI and G:F from d 0 to 3, remaining poorer overall (P < 0.01) but lessening in severity as exposure time increased. Pigs fed DON diets had greater (P < 0.05) within pen BW variation (CV) on d 28. Although the addition of 0.50% AMMC to diets restored (P < 0.05) ADFI from d 14 to 21 to levels similar to the PC, no other differences were observed for AMMC inclusion. In Exp. 2, 360 barrows (11.4 +/- 0.2 kg BW) were used in a 21-d experiment with 9 dietary treatments arranged in a 3 x 3 factorial design with DON and AMMC inclusion as main effects. There were 8 replicate pens per treatment. Treatments consisted of 3 PC diets without DON, 3 low-DON (1.5 mg/kg DON) NC diets, and 3 high-DON (3 mg/kg DON) NC diets with 0, 0.17, or 0.50% AMMC incorporated at each DON level. No DON x AMMC interactions were observed. As DON level increased, ADG and final BW decreased (quadratic, P < 0.05), driven by decreased (quadratic, P < 0.01) ADFI and poorer (quadratic; P < 0.05) G:F. At both 1.5 and 3 mg/kg DON, reductions in ADG were most marked from d 0 to 7 (15 to 22% lower) and were least distinct from d 14 to 21 (5 to 6% lower). Incorporating AMMC at increasing levels had no effect on ADG, ADFI, G:F, or final BW. Overall, these experiments reinforce DON effects on feed intake but also indicate that the effects of DON on G: F may be more severe than previously thought. Furthermore, some pigs appear to develop tolerance to DON, as effects on ADFI and G: F lessen over time. However, the addition of AMMC did not offset the deleterious effects of DON

Nursing Reduction Strategies to Enhance Estrus in Lactating Sows and Effects on Performance of Pigs to Market Weight

A total of 135 sows (PIC 1050), ranging from parity 1 to 5 (2.6 ± 1.4), were used in 5 consecutive farrowing groups (February to August). The objectives were to evaluate different suckling reduction strategies for inducing lactational estrus and the effects on sow fertility and piglet growth. Litter size was equalized within parity (11.5 ± 1.1 piglets) at d 2 after farrowing. At d 18, sows were assigned to 1 of 5 treatments (n = 26 to 28) based on parity, farrowing date, and suckled litter size. Treatments were: 1) control; 2) sows that were paired within parity and placed in adjacent stalls, on d 18 all but 5 of the lightest piglets were weaned, and the remaining piglets were combined and alternated between sows at 12 h intervals until d 25 (ALT); 3) piglets separated from sows for 12 h/d from d 18 to 25 (SEP); 4) all but the 5 lightest piglets weaned on d 18, split-weaning (SW); and 5) piglets separated from sows for 24 h on d 18 (24HR). Controls were weaned at d 21 with other treatments weaned at d 25. All sows were provided nose-to-nose contact with a mature boar for 5 min/d from d 18 until weaning without removing them from farrowing crates. Creep feed and water were provided from d 14 to weaning. Offspring ADG was recorded to market for 2 farrowing groups. Sow backfat and BW losses during lactation were similar across treatments. Of the 106 sows subjected to reduced suckling, 80 (76%) expressed estrus during lactation. The SEP and 24HR sows were in estrus earlier (P \u3c 0.05) than SW sows. A tendency for reduced conception rate was observed in SEP and 24HR sows (P \u3c 0.10) versus control and SW sows. Creep feed disappearance was greatest (P \u3c 0.01) for SEP and 24HR litters, and pig ADG from d 18 to 32 was reduced (P \u3c 0.05). No negative effects (P \u3e 0.05) on final BW or carcass composition were observed for the reduced suckling treatments. Altered suckling treatments differed in their ability to induce lactational estrus and their impact on gain immediately post-weaning. However, no benefits were observed for pig growth to market weight

Effects of Potential Detoxifying Agents on Growth Performance and Deoxynivalenol (DON) Urinary Balance Characteristics of Nursery Pigs Fed DON-Contaminated Wheat

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of detoxifying agents on the growth performance of nursery pigs fed diets contaminated with deoxynivalenol (DON). Naturally DON-contaminated wheat (6 ppm) replaced noncontaminated wheat in diets to achieve desired dietary DON concentrations. Basal ingredients were tested for mycotoxin and amino acid content prior to diet manufacturing. Diets were pelleted at 180˚F with a 45-s conditioning time. A total of 238 barrows and gilts (PIC 327 × 1050; initially 29.6 ± 5.6 lb and 42 d of age) were used in a 21-d growth study. Pens of pigs were allotted by BW to 1 of 5 treatments in a completely randomized design with a 2 × 2 + 1 factorial arrangement. The 5 experimental diets included the following components, 1) positive control (PC; \u3c0.5 mg/kg DON); 2) PC + 1.0% Product X (Nutriquest LLC, Mason City, IA); 3) negative control (NC; 4.0 mg/kg DON); 4) NC + 1.0% Product X; and 5) NC + 1.0% sodium metabisulfite (SMB; Samirian Chemicals, Campbell, CA). There were 6 or 7 replicate pens per treatment and 7 pigs per pen. Chemical analysis indicated a low level of fumonisin (\u3c1 ppm) was present but that all DON concentrations matched calculated values. Analyzed DON concentrations were decreased by 92% when pelleted with SMB. Overall (d 0 to 21), a DON × Product X interaction was observed for ADG (P \u3c 0.05) and ADFI (P \u3c 0.10). Adding Product X to PC diets had no effect on ADG or ADFI; however, when added to NC diets, ADG, and ADFI became worse. As anticipated, DON reduced (P \u3c 0.001) ADG, ADFI, and F/G by 24, 16, and 10%, respectively. Deoxynivalenol-associated reductions in ADG were most distinct (50%) during the initial period (0.42 vs. 0.84 lb from d 0 to 7). Adding SMB to NC diets improved (P \u3c 0.01) ADG, ADFI, and F/G compared to pigs fed the NC alone, and also improved (P \u3c 0.02) ADG and F/G compared to pigs fed PC diets. A concurrent urinary balance experiment was conducted using diets 3 to 5 from Exp. 1 to evaluate Product X and SMB on DON urinary metabolism. A 10-d adaptation was followed by a 7-d collection using 24 barrows in a randomized complete block design. Pigs fed NC + SMB diet had greater urinary output (P \u3c 0.05) than pigs fed NC + Product X, with NC pigs intermediate. Daily DON excretion was lowest (P \u3c 0.05) in the NC + SMB pigs. However, as a percentage of daily DON intake, NC + SMB fed pigs excreted more DON than they consumed (164%), greater (P \u3c 0.001) than pigs fed the NC (59%) or NC + Product X (48%), and indicative of degradation of DON back to the parent DON molecule. Overall, Product X did not alleviate DON effects on growth nor did it reduce DON absorption and excretion. However, hydrothermally processing DON-contaminated diets with 1.0% SMB restored ADFI and improved F/G. Even so, the urinary balance experiment revealed that some of the converted DON-sulfonate could degrade back to DON under physiological conditions. While SMB appears promising to restore performance in pelleted DON-contaminated diets, additional research needs to address handling and long-term supplementation concerns and to evaluate the stability of the DON-sulfonate conversion

Evaluation of Bovine Plasma Source and a Dried Milk Product on Nursery Pig Growth in a Commercial Environment

A total of 360 barrows and gilts (PIC 359 × C29; initially 13.7 ± 3.1 lb and 19 d of age) were used in a 24-d experiment evaluating the effect of different specialty ingredients on nursery pig growth performance. This experiment was conducted in a commercial research nursery (Cooperative Research Farm Nursery; Sycamore, OH). At weaning, pigs were allotted to pens by initial BW and to one of four dietary treatments in a completely randomized design. There were 9 pens per treatment with 10 pigs per pen. Experimental diets were fed from d 0 to 10, with a common diet fed from d 10 to 24. Experimental diets were: 1) Negative control (NC); 2) NC + 5% bovine Plasma A (AP920, APC Inc.; Ankeny, IA); 3) NC + 5% bovine Plasma B (Promax; Protena S.A., Nicaragua); and 4) NC + 5% dried milk (Nutrigold; International Ingredients Corporation Inc., St. Louis, MO). All diets contained 5% fishmeal and were balanced for SID lysine, lactose, and salt. Diets were fed in pellet form. From d 0 to 10, pigs fed either Plasma A or B had greater (P \u3c 0.01) ADG and ADFI than pigs fed the NC or Nutrigold diets. Pigs fed Nutrigold had increased (P \u3c 0.01) ADG compared to pigs fed the NC diet. Also, F/G was improved (P \u3c 0.001) for pigs fed either Plasma A or B and Nutrigold diets compared to those fed the NC. During the common period (d 10 to 24), there were no differences for ADG or ADFI, although the pigs previously fed NC had improved (1.24 vs. 1.31; P \u3c 0.01) F/G compared to those previously fed Plasma A. Overall (d 0 to 24), pigs fed Plasma A and B had greater (P \u3c 0.02) ADG and ADFI than NC pigs. Pigs fed Plasma B had increased (P \u3c 0.04) ADG relative to pigs fed Nutrigold. In summary, both plasma sources increased feed intake and growth with no differences among sources. Nutrigold also improved performance compared to the NC