Effects of branched chain amino acids on sow and litter performance

Three hundred-six sows were used to evaluate effects of the interrelationship among valine, isoleucine, and leucine on sow and litter performance. Eight dietary treatments were arranged as a 2x2x2 factorial with two levels of valine (.80 and 1.20%), isoleucine (.68 and 1.08%), and leucine (1.57 and 1.97%). Litter weaning weight, litter weight gain from d 2 to weaning, and sow backfat loss increased as dietary valine increased but were not affected by dietary isoleucine or leucine. Increasing dietary valine, isoleucine, or leucine did not affect milk fat, DM, CP, or lactose. These results confirm the importance of dietary valine for increased litter weaning weight, independent of either additional dietary isoleucine or leucine.; Swine Day, Manhattan, KS, November 19, 199

Effects of branched chain amino acids on sow and litter performance

Three hundred-six sows were used to evaluate effects of the interrelationship among valine, isoleucine, and leucine on sow and litter performance. Eight dietary treatments were arranged as a 2x2x2 factorial with two levels of valine (.80 and 1.20%), isoleucine (.68 and 1.08%), and leucine (1.57 and 1.97%). Litter weaning weight, litter weight gain from d 2 to weaning, and sow backfat loss increased as dietary valine increased but were not affected by dietary isoleucine or leucine. Increasing dietary valine, isoleucine, or leucine did not affect milk fat, DM, CP, or lactose. These results confirm the importance of dietary valine for increased litter weaning weight, independent of either additional dietary isoleucine or leucine.; Swine Day, Manhattan, KS, November 19, 199

Determining the Influence of KemTRACE Cr and/or Micro-Aid on Growth Performance and Carcass Composition of Pigs Housed in a Commercial Environment

A study was conducted to determine the interactive effects of chromium propionate (KemTRACE Cr; Kemin Industries Inc., Des Moines, IA) and Micro-Aid (Yucca schidigera-based product; Distributors Processing Inc., Porterville, CA) on growth performance and carcass composition of finishing pigs housed in a commercial environment. There were a total of 1,188 pigs (PIC 337 × 1050; initial BW = 60.3 lb) with 27 pigs/ pen and 11 pens/treatment. Pigs were split by gender upon arrival at the facility, with 5 blocks of each gender and a final mixed sex gender block. Gender blocks were randomly allotted to groups of 4 pen locations within the barn. Diets were corn-soybean meal-dried distillers grains with solubles-based and were fed in 5 phases. All nutrients were formulated to meet or exceed NRC (2012) requirement estimates. Treatments were arranged as a 2 × 2 factorial with main effects of Cr (0 vs 200 ppb) or Micro-Aid (0 vs 62.5 ppm). There were no Cr × Micro-Aid interactions observed for growth or carcass measurements. Overall, ADG and F/G were not influenced by treatment. Adding Cr alone increased (P = 0.048) ADFI, and inclusion of Micro-Aid resulted in a marginally significant increase (P = 0.076) in ADFI. For carcass characteristics, HCW, loin depth, and percentage carcass yield were not influenced by treatment. Backfat depth tended to increase (P = 0.055) and lean percentage was decreased (P = 0.014) when Cr was added to diets. In summary, no synergistic effects were observed from feeding Cr and Micro-Aid in diets fed to finishing pigs housed in a commercial environment. Only marginal differences were observed from adding Cr or Micro-Aid with increased ADFI observed from feeding either. Finally, diets containing added Cr tended to be associated with carcasses having more backfat and less lean suggesting the increased ADFI was not utilized for increased muscle deposition

Influence of Chromium Dose and Feeding Regimen on Growth Performance and Carcass Composition of Pigs Housed in a Commercial Environment

A study was conducted to determine the effects of increasing chromium propionate (KemTRACE Cr; Kemin Industries Inc., Des Moines, IA) and feeding regimen on growth performance and carcass characteristics of finishing pigs housed in a commercial environment. There were a total of 1,206 pigs (PIC 337 × 1050; initial BW = 63.2 lb) with 27 pigs/pen and 9 pens/treatment. Pigs were split by gender upon arrival at the facility, with 4 blocks of each gender and a final mixed gender block. Gender blocks were randomly allotted to groups of 5 pen locations within the barn. Diets were corn-soybean meal-dried distillers grains with solubles-based and were fed in a 5-phase feeding program. Treatments were arranged as a 2 × 2 + 1 factorial with a control diet containing no added Cr, or diets containing either 100 or 200 ppb of Cr fed during the grower (dietary Phases 1 and 2; 63 to 138 lb BW) and/or finisher (dietary Phases 3, 4, and 5; 138 to 307 lb BW) periods. For growth performance, there was no effect of changing Cr supplementation between the growing and finishing periods. Therefore, only linear and quadratic effects of increasing Cr within growth period were considered using all treatments, as well as linear and quadratic effects of the 3 treatments fed increasing Cr for the full duration of the study. Increasing Cr during the grower period decreased (quadratic, P \u3c 0.001) ADG and worsened F/G. During the finisher period, increasing Cr tended (quadratic, P = 0.061) to improve F/G, with the best F/G observed in pigs fed 100 ppb. Overall, increasing Cr had no impact on ADG or ADFI; however, F/G was optimized (quadratic, P = 0.018) when pigs were fed 100 ppb of added Cr. Carcass characteristics were not influenced by added Cr level or Cr feeding regimen. In summary, increasing dietary Cr supplementation elicited minor changes in growth performance with the best F/G observed with 100 ppb of added Cr

Effects of different specialty protein sources on growth performance of starter pigs

Two hundred and ten weanling pigs were fed diets containing either soybean meal, spray-dried blood meal, spray-dried red blood cells, select menhaden fish meal, or synthetic amino acids. From d 0 to 7 postweaning, pigs fed either spray-dried whole blood meal or red blood cells had greater ADG and ADFI than pigs fed select menhaden fish meal or added synthetic amino acids. However, from d °to 14 and 0 to 21, no differences in growth performance occurred among pigs fed the various protein sources. However, pigs fed added synthetic amino acids had poorer ADG compared with the mean for pigs fed the other protein sources.; Swine Day, Manhattan, KS, November 21, 199

First Observations of Long-Lived Meteor Trains with Resonance Lidar and Other Optical Instruments

In November 1998 the earth passed through a maximum in the cometary material responsible for the yearly Leonids meteor shower. The meteor storm event produced numerous examples of long-lived chemiluminescent trails--visible to the naked eye over New Mexico, where a major observation campaign was centered. One trail was detected for over an hour with a CCD camera employing a narrow sodium filter, and many others were observed for over ten minutes each. For the first time, sodium densities in such trails were measured while also being imaged in sodium light. We have verified one source of long-lived light emissions--a sodium-catalyzed reaction involving ozone--but it is far too weak to explain the visibility of such trails. In addition, we present a new explanation for the cylindrical shell appearance long reported for chemiluminescent trails and show that ozone depletion by chemical processes is a possible explanation for this phenomenon

An evaluation of several diet acidifiers commonly utilized in pig starter diets to improve growth performance

Early-weaned pigs (weaned at 14 d of age) that are managed in a conventional one-site production system and fed a complex segregated early-weaning diet will benefit from the inclusion of a diet acidifier during the first week. However, the data indicate no benefit from including a diet acidifier in semicomplex diets fed during subsequent growth phases.; Swine Day, Manhattan, KS, November 21, 199

Determining the optimal threonine:lysine ratio for the 25 to 50 lb pig

A 21-day growth trial was conducted to determine the threonine: lysine ratio necessary to optimize growth performance of the 25 to 50 Ib pig reared in a high-health, segregated early-weaning (SEW) system. Ten experimental diets, including two levels of lysine (.75% and 1.10% apparent digestible lysine) and five apparent digestible threonine:lysine ratios (40, 47.5, 55, 62.5, and 70%), were used in a 2 x 5 factorial arrangement. Growth performance was improved by feeding 1.10% rather than.75% digestible lysine. Also, results indicated that the apparent digestible threonine requirement for the SEW:-reared, 25 to 50 lb pig is approximately 55% of digestible lysine.; Swine Day, Manhattan, KS, November 21, 199

The effects of increasing dietary energy density on growing-finishing pig growth performance and carcass characteristics

Eighty crossbred gilts were used in a growth trial to evaluate the effects of increasing dietary energy density on growing-finishing pig growth performance and carcass characteristics. In this trial, adding fat to corn-soybean meal diets with a constant calorie: lysine ratio to increase the energy density during the growing phase (98 to 160 lb) improved feed efficiency with no influence on growth rate. However, increasing the energy content of the diet by adding fat had no benefit during the finishing phase (160 to 233 lb).; Swine Day, Manhattan, KS, November 16, 199

Performance of weanling pigs fed diets containing various lactose sources

Two growth trials were conducted to evaluate the effects of replacing the lactose provided by dried whey in the phase II diet with either deproteinized whey or an alternative lactose source, DairyLac 80®. No differences in performance observed among pigs fed diets containing 10% dried whey or deproteinized whey or DairyLac 80®. These trials indicate that deproteinized whey and DairyLac 80® can be used to replace the lactose contained in dried whey for starter pig diets.; Swine Day, Manhattan, KS, November 21, 199