Effects of fish protein hydrolysate and dried whey in starter pig diets

Four experiments were conducted to evaluate Fish Protein Hydrolysate (FPH) as a protein source in starter diets for pigs. A total of 552 weaned pigs were used in three growth trials and one digestion study. All three growth trials were designed to determine the effect of FPH with and without dried whey on starter pig performance. The digestion study was designed to determine the effect of FPH with and without dried whey on nutrient digestibility. Adding 3% FPH to starter pig diets resulted in an improvement (8-17%) in average daily gain (ADG) over a corn-soybean meal basal diet. Feed efficiency and average daily feed intake (ADFI) were not affected by the addition of FPH. Dried whey additions with or without FPH resulted in no improvement over performance observed with the 3% FPH diet in either Trial 1 or Trial 3. In Trial 4, 20% dried whey added to a corn-soybean meal diet improved performance for all criteria measured to a level equal to that with 3% FPH alone. Growth responses to the addition of dried whey were inconsistent from trial to trial, possibly because whey utilization may have been impaired by heat damage to the dried whey. Therefore, conclusions regarding dried whey additions with or without FPH may be confounded with dried whey quality

Effect of a select menhaden fish meal in starter diets for pigs

A growth study was conducted to evaluate the effect of a select menhaden fish meal (SMFM) as a protein source in starter diets for pigs. A total of 150, 3-week old weaned pigs were utilized. Diets were formulated by replacing soy protein with protein from SMFM. The replacement of soy protein with SMFM elicited a quadratic response in average daily gain (ADG) and average daily feed intake (ADFI) by the end of week 5. Inclusion of SMFM at 8% yielded the maximum observed ADG, whereas ADFI was maximized with the 12% SMFM diet. Addition of SMFM did not affect feed conversion. These results suggest that SMFM may have potential as a protein source in starter diets for the early weaned pig

Effect of select menhaden fish meal and dried whey in starter diets for pigs

A growth trial was conducted to examine the effects of select menhaden fish meal (SMFM) and dried whey (DW) in starter diets for pigs. A total of 240, 3-wk-old, weaned pigs averaging 12.1 lb were utilized. Pigs did not receive creep feed and were introduced to the experimental diets immediately upon weaning. The trial was conducted for 4 wk. A factorial design with 3 levels of SMFM (0, 4, and 8%) and 2 levels of OW (10 and 20%) was employed. Analysis of the data indicated no SMFM x DW interaction by the end of wk 4. Inclusion of SMFM resulted in a linear response (P<.0l), improving average daily gain (ADG) and feed efficiency (F/G) by the end of wk 4. Although SMFM increased average daily feed intake (ADFI) (P<.10) by the end of wk 2, this effect had dissipated by the end of wk 4. Dried whey had an effect (P<.01) on ADG and ADFI, but no effect on F/G by the end of wk 4. These results show that SMFM and DW work well together in starter diets for the early-weaned pig

Effects of heat stress, dietary energy density and exogenous porcine somatotropin on tile growth performance of finishing pigs

This experiment was conducted to determine the interactive effects of environmental temperature porcine somatotropin (pST) and dietary energy density on the growth performance of finishing pigs. Forty-eight barrows were allotted randomly to four environmental chambers (EC) in a split plot design with two EClwhole plot (WP). Each EC (12 barrows/EC) represented one subplot (SP). The WP 24-h environmental cycles were: thermal neutral (TN), 8 h at 75°F and 50% relative humidity (RH)-1 h transition-14 h at 68°F and 60% RH-1 h transition; and heat stress (HS), 8 h at 95°F and 60% RH-1 h transition-14 h at 82°F and 80% RH-1 h transition. Each SP was a 2 x 3 factorial with two treatments (pigs were injected daily with either 4 mg pST (+) or placebo (-)) and three dietary energy densities (lA8, 1.60, and 1.71 Mcal ME/lb). Diets were formulated to contain 19.2% crude protein and at least 200% of NRC (1988) recommendations for essential nutrients. The study was conducted for 32 d. There were no interaction effects for ADG, average daily feed intake, d-14 respiration rate, or d-14 rectal temperature. Differences in respiration rate and rectal temperature were observed between the HS and TN environments (respiration rate 76 vs 28; rectal temperature, 103.8 vs lO1.8°F). There was an environment x pST interaction for feed efficiency (F/G). The F/G of barrows administered pST was similar in HS (2.23) and TN (2.29) environments. The F/G of placebo-treated barrows increased in HS (3.09) compared to the TN (2.80) environment. These results show that "the growth response of finishing pigs treated with pST is similar in the HS and TN environments