Sorting growing-finishing pigs by weight fails to improve growth performance or weight variation

A trial was conducted to determine the effects of sorting pigs by body weight at placement on growth performance and weight variation at finishing. Unsorted pigs and heavy sorted pigs had higher ADG than medium or light sorted pigs. By the end of the trial, final body weights ranked in the following descending order: heavy sorted, unsorted, medium sorted, and light sorted. Final weights of unsorted pigs were heavier than the average final weight of all sorted pigs. Additionally, differences in body weight variation were not detectable by the end of the study. These data suggest that sorting pigs uniformly by weight to pens has little effect on final variability in individual body weights and placing pigs into pens regardless of weight may increase the amount of pork produced from a system and reduce turnaround time in barns

Evaluation of irradiation and Termin-8® addition to spray-dried animal plasma, base mix and/or whole diet on growth performance of nursery pigs

Two studies were conducted to evaluate the effects of irradiation of spray-dried animal plasma and Termin-8 treatment to spray-dried animal plasma, base mix (specialty protein products, milk products, ground oat groats, soy flour, flow agent, vitamins, and minerals), or whole diet on nursery pig performance. Overall (d 0 to 14) in Exp. 1, pigs fed diets containing irradiated plasma had increased ADG and pigs fed Termin-8® treated plasma had increased ADG and ADFI compared to pigs fed diets with regular plasma or whole diets (containing either regular or irradiated plasma) treated with Termin-8. No differences in F/G were observed among treatments. In Exp. 2, pigs fed diets that contained either animal plasma or base mix treated with Termin-8 in the SEW diet had increased ADG and F/G from d 0 to 13 compared to no Termin-8 treatment, but no differences were observed overall (d 0 to 40). Therefore, the use of irradiated spray-dried animal plasma and Termin-8 treated spray-dried animal plasma and base mix improves growth performance in nursery pigs during the initial period after weaning

Low protein corn does not influence finishing pig performance

A total of 150 pigs was used to evaluate the effects of corn with different crude protein content on growth performance of finishing pigs. Our objective was to determine if low protein corn might result in poorer pig performance compared with pigs fed diets containing corn with a normal protein content. Control pigs were fed a diet containing corn with a crude protein content of 8.5% and formulated with soybean meal to 14.6% crude protein (.70% lysine). Pigs were also fed a diet with low crude protein corn (7.5%), which was substituted on an equal weight basis for normal corn resulting in a diet containing 13.5% crude protein. Pigs were fed a third diet using low protein corn, but formulated to 14.6% crude protein by increasing the level of soybean meal in the diet. No differences were observed in average daily gain (ADG) and average daily feed intake (ADFI) of the pigs fed any of the experimental diets; however, pigs fed the low protein corn diet without added soybean meal were the most efficient. These results indicate that low crude protein corn (7.5%) will not adversely affect finishing pig growth performance. In addition, supplemental protein apparently is not necessary when using low protein corn in diets for finishing pigs

Effects of different soybean meal processing techniques on growth performance of pigs

A 35-d growth trial was conducted to determine the influence of different soybean meal processing techniques on starter pig growth performance. From d 0 to 14 after weaning, all pigs were fed a common diet. Then pigs were fed six experimental diets from d 14 to 35 after weaning. Three treatment comparisons were made. Pigs fed a diet containing extruded-expelled soybean meal (SBM) without hulls (Insta-Pro) were compared to those fed solvent-extracted SBM (46.50/0 CP) and 3.21% soy oil. Pigs fed a diet containing extruded-expelled SBM with hulls (lnsta-Pro) were compared to those fed a diet containing 44% CP SBM and 4.57% soy oil. Pigs fed a diet containing a second expelled SBM product with hulls (Soyplus) were compared to those fed a diet containing 44% CP SBM and 1.61% soy oil. Pigs fed either Insta-Pro extruded-expelled diet had similar growth performance to pigs fed diets containing conventionally processed soybean meal and added oil. Pigs fed diets containing Soyplus had numerically lower ADG and higher F/G than pigs fed any other treatment. These data suggest that Insta-Pro extruded-expelled SBM can replace conventionally processed SBM and added soy oil on a lysine and energy basis without affecting growth performance

Ovulation and fertilization rate of gilts provided additional L-carnitine and chromium nicotinate

We determined the effects of L-carnitine (200 ppm), chromium nicotinate (CrNic; 200 ppb), a combination of L-carnitine and CrNic, or flushing (11 Ibid of complete diet fed for 14 d prior to breeding) on ovulation and fertilization rates in gilts. All gilts (n = 105) were administered PG600 to aid in the synchronization of estrus. After detection of estrus, gilts were assigned randomly to dietary treatments and were fed at 4 Ibid with the exception of gilts on the flushing treatment. Treatments were continued until breeding at the third estrus. Surgeries were performed on d 2 to 3 after third estrus was detected to determine ovulation rate and collect embryos and unfertilized eggs. An increase (P<.10) in ovulation rate was observed for gilts in the flushing or L-carnitine treatment. Supplemental L-carnitine decreased (P =.10) fertilization rate of embryos recovered. No differences were observed for number of empty zonae or number of unclassifiable eggs. Increased ovulation rates for L-carnitine-treated gilts warrants further evaluation to determine whether L-carnitine increases number of pigs farrowed

Effects of increased dietary lysine on sow and litter performance

Three hundred arid fifty three lactating sows were used to determine the effects of increased dietary lysine on sow and litter performance. At farrowing, sows were assigned to com-soybean meal lactation diets consisting of either 1.0 or 1.3% total lysine. A treatment by parity interaction was observed, with first parity sows fed 1.3% lysine having heavier litter weaning weights than sows fed 1.00/0 lysine. Surprisingly, third and fourth parity sows fed 1.3% lysine had lower litter weaning weights than those fed 1.0% lysine. No other treatment by parity interactions existed. No differences were observed in the number of pigs weaned or pig survivability. Sows fed 1.3 % lysine tended to consume less feed in the first week of lactation than sow fed 1.0% lysine (9.6 vs 10.0 Ibid), with no differences observed during week 2 or overall. No differences were observed in subsequent performance of the sows on days to estrus; farrowing rate; or number of pigs born, born alive, stillborn, or born mummified. This experiment showed that increasing dietary lysine from 1.0% to 1.3% increased litter weaning weights for parity 1 sows but not for older sows

Effects of select menhaden fish meal fed during lactation on sow and litter performance

A total of 317 lactating sows was fed either a corn-soybean meal diet (l.0%lysine) or a diet with a portion of the soybean meal replaced with 5% select menhaden fish meal on an equal lysine basis. Adding 5% select menhaden fish meal had no overall effect on sow or litter performance. Composition of milk samples collected between d 14 and 16 of lactation was not affected by dietary treatment

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

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