Starfish (Asterias rubens) as feed ingredient for piglets

tThe effects of including starfish meal (SM) as an alternative protein source in diets for pigletson performance, faeces characteristics and plasma parameters were investigated. Four dietswere formulated to contain different protein sources: fish meal (FM), extruded soybeanmeal (ESBM) and two levels of SM (SM50 and SM100). All diets contained 174.4 g soybeanmeal/kg feed and were supplemented by up to 166-172 g standardised ileal digestible crudeprotein/kg feed with either FM, ESBM, SM or a combination giving rise to two SM + ESBMdiets with different levels of SM and ESBM. One wk after weaning, 96 pigs with a bodyweight of 9.6 ± 0.4 kg were housed individually and allocated to one of the four diets (n = 24)and fed ad libitum for a 14 d period. Average daily feed intake (ADFI), average daily gain(ADG) and gain to feed ratio (G:F) were determined. Pigs fed the SM100 diet had a 23–28%lower (P < 0.001) ADG than pigs fed the FM, ESBM and SM50 diets, despite the fact thatthey ate the same amount of feed. Faeces characteristics were evaluated by scoring during5 d, and no differences were observed, indicating no effect of the diet on diarrhoea. Bloodsamples were collected on d 15. Plasma urea nitrogen in SM100 was higher (P < 0.003) thanthe concentrations in ESBM and SM50 but not FM. Plasma Ca concentration was higher(P < 0.001) in pigs receiving SM100 compared to FM, ESBM and SM50. The opposite was thecase with P where the concentration was lower (P < 0.001) in SM100 compared to FM, ESBMand SM50. In conclusion, feeding 50 g SM/kg resulted in a performance equal to pigs fedthe control diets. Inclusion of 100 g SM/kg in the diet affected performance negatively dueto a wide Ca:P affecting digestibility and absorption of P negatively. Thus, the determiningfactor for the maximum inclusion level of SM in diets for piglets may be the dietary Ca leveland the resulting Ca:P in relation to the nutritional requirements

Compensatory growth in slaughter pigs reared under organic conditions

BACKGROUND: Compensatory growth is the physiological process leading to accelerated growth following a period of growth retardation. This study assessed different feeding strategies thatmay induce compensatory growth. Pigs from two sire breeds, reared under organic conditions, were subjected to: (1) ad libitum feeding; (2) 0.7× ad libitum feeding; (3) 0.7× ad libitum feeding for 25 days followedby adlibitum feeding toslaughter; and(4) as (3) butfinished with an energy- andvitamin E-enriched diet. RESULTS: Compared to the performance of ad libitum fed pigs, re-alimentation was not capable of fully compensating the effect of the imposed feed restriction either in the number of days used to reach the same slaughter weight (+4% to 7%) or in the slaughter weight achieved in the same number of feeding days (−0.5% to 2.0%, P = 0.65 and 0.11). CONCLUSION: It is reasonable to propose that although compensatory growth does occur by re-alimentation after feed restriction, the compensation is far from always complete. The latter is a crucial aspect that has to be taken into account when considering the application of feeding strategies expected to lead to compensatory growth in organic pig production. The expectation of compensatory growth alone does not necessarily justify the application of these strategies

Ileal digestibility of sunflower meal, pea, rapeseed cake, and lupine in pigs

The standardized ileal digestibility (SID) of CP and AA was evaluated in soybean (Glycine max) meal, sunflower (Helianthus annuus) meal, rapeseed cake, and field pea (Pisum sativum) using 10 pigs and in lupine (Lupinus angustifolius) using 7 pigs. Pigs were fitted with either a T-cannula or a steered ileocecal valve-cannula. Diets contained 170 to 186 g CP/kg DM. Endogenous losses of CP and AA were estimated by feeding a N-free diet. The SID was calculated using the average of Cr2O3 and TiO2 as indigestible markers and corrected for type of cannula. The SID of CP was greater (P < 0.05) for soybean meal and pea compared to sunflower meal, rapeseed cake, and lupine. The SID of Lys and His were lowest (P < 0.05) in sunflower meal, and the SID of Met and Val were lowest (P < 0.05) in lupine. These results imply soybean meal and pea to be a high-digestible protein source relative to sunflower meal, rapeseed cake, and especially lupine, although all tested feedstuffs seem appropriate for inclusion in diets for organic pigs

Grass intake of sows quantified by plasma metabolites

Outdoor sows ingest grass during the summer, but the digestibility and intake of grass is unknown. Currently, feed for outdoor sows is therefore formulated based on nutrient recommendations for indoor sows even though the energy- and protein requirements differ substantially between these production systems. Ignoring the energy and nutrients supplied from grazing may lead to poor feed efficiency and nitrogen leaching. Digestibility of dry matter, organic matter, nitrogen and energy in grass was high (64 to 72%). Grass intake in sows was found to be highly correlated with plasma Pipecolic acid (Y = 0.93X+0.29; r=0.91) and with plasma Bisnorbiotin (Y = 5921X-232; r=0.90)

Effect of postweaning feed intake on performance, intestinal morphology, and the probability of diarrhoea in piglets

Changes in gastrointestinal architecture, high incidence of diarrhoea, and low feed intake (FI) are commonly observed around weaning of pigs, but the relationship between postweaning FI and diarrhoea is unclear. This study aimed to determine the effect of low or high FI during the first days after weaning on growth performance, diarrhoea probability, intestinal permeability, and morphology in pigs until postweaning day (PWD) 28. A total of 120 pigs (7.20 ± 0.26 kg) weaned at 28 days of age (PWD 0) were randomly allocated to five diets and housed individually until PWD 28. Two diets differed in CP and three diets differed in threonine and tryptophan levels. At PWD 4, pigs with the 25% lowest accumulated FI (LOW; n = 30) and 25% highest accumulated FI (HIGH; n = 30) were selected for the study. Faecal consistency was evaluated daily using a 4-scale visual scoring system. Blood was collected at PWD 4, 14, 21 and 28, and small intestinal and colonic tissue was obtained at slaughter on PWD 28. Until PWD 4, LOW pigs consumed approximately 20% (35.7 ± 5.9 g/day) of the FI of HIGH pigs (181 ± 5.75 g/day; P  0.10). The systemic inflammatory markers haptoglobin and C-reactive protein were higher for HIGH pigs at PWD 4 (P = 0.005), but not affected in the following periods (P > 0.10). Pigs in the HIGH group had an increased area of acidic mucin-producing cells in the small intestine compared with LOW pigs (P < 0.05), but other intestinal morphology measurements at PWD 28 were unaffected by the level of FI. In conclusion, high FI just after weaning was associated with higher growth performance but also higher probability of diarrhoea and more frequent use of antibiotics until PWD 28