Grass clover intake and effects of reduced dietary protein for organic sows during summer

Energy spent on thermoregulation and locomotive activity may increase the energy requirements of outdoor relative to indoor housed sows, whilst their protein requirement most likely is comparable on a daily basis but lower per kg of feed. The purpose of this study was to quantify the energy and protein intake from compound feed and grazing and the energy and protein needed for maintenance, maternal retention, milk production, thermoregulation and locomotive activity in organic sows during summer, to understand how nutrition of organic sows could be improved. A total of 41 2nd parity sows (Landrace x Yorkshire; 239 kg at insemination) were reared outdoor under organic conditions for six months. Sows were fed one of two iso-energetic diets, either commercial available gestation and lactation diets (control strategy), or a 12% lower protein supply obtained by diluting the control diets with a low protein supplement. Sows had ad libitum access to a plentiful grass clover sward and were supplied similar amounts of metabolizable energy (ME) from compound feed equivalent to 10% above the energy recommended for indoor sows. Collections of plasma and urine were performed on d 60 and d 100 of gestation and plasma, urine and milk was collected on d 5, 20 and 40 of lactation. On all sample collection days, sows (and piglets; n=671) were weighed individually, sows were back fat scanned and heart rate and locomotive activity was registered with a global positioning system (GPS) tracker. Sow body composition was estimated using a deuterium dilution technique, which allowed retention or mobilisation of protein and fat to be calculated. Grass intake was estimated via plasma pipecolic acid. Daily grass clover intake was on average 420 g DM/d during gestation, 574 g DM/d at peak lactation and 472 g DM/d on d 40 of lactation, corresponding to 2.4, 3.2 and 2.6 kg of fresh grass. There was an increased grass clover intake in the low protein group, as they consumed 14% more grass (37 g DM/d extra) than the sows fed the normal protein compound feed (P=0.007). Estimated milk yield peaked at 16.3 kg/d on d20. This experiment showed no effects of dietary protein level on urinary pH, urea or creatinine and no effects on plasma glucose, urea, lactate, triglycerides, creatinine or NEFA concentrations. It was possible to reduce the protein content of organic compound feed in the summer time as grazing pregnant sows obtained 16-17% of their daily SID lysine requirement from the sward in mid and late gestation. In conclusion, the daily protein- and amino acid requirements were met by feed and grass consumption during pregnancy but not in early and at peak lactation due to insufficient feed intake. The total energy requirement of high yielding second parity outdoor sows during a normal Danish summer was found to be around 32 MJ ME/d during gestation and approximately 130 MJ ME/d at peak lactation

Feeding monogastrics 100% organic and regionally produced feed

The transition to 100% organic feed ingredients for organic livestock is expected to take effect from January 1st 2020 in Europe. In order to contribute to the goal of 100% use of organic and regional feed for monogastrics, this knowledge synthesis “Feeding monogastrics 100% organic and regionally produced feed“ aims to describe: • the protein need for organic monogastric animals (pigs, layers and broilers), including different breeds and rearing conditions • different protein feed resources, mostly new or not commonly used protein sources, their nutrient content, production prerequisites, and their potential feeding value • small-scale, on-farm equipment for feed processing • different feeding strategies. The knowledge synthesis should enable participants in Innovation groups (IG) and Thematic groups (TG) to choose feed materials, feeding strategies, breeds and perhaps even small-scale on-farm equipment for testing when aiming at 100% organic and regionally produced feed for monogastrics. In the knowledge synthesis it is concluded: When feeding pigs and poultry 100% organic and regionally produced feed, getting enough protein and specific amino acids is a challenge. There are two ways to go and they can be combined. One is to utilize by-products, for example waste from various productions, and explore new protein sources e.g. marine products or to refine already known products such as grass. The other way is to feed the animals less intensively and for this feeding strategy slow-growing breeds fit better. Some slow-growing breeds are already known, some are rediscovered old breeds. The challenge with the slow-growing and less-yielding breeds is that the production is getting smaller and either the farmer will earn less or the prices of eggs and meat will increase. However, the possibilities for combinations of regionally grown feed, low-yielding breeds with different feeding strategies are many and they need to be explored. Finally, the knowledge synthesis identify needs for new knowledge on: • nutritional requirements of alternative breeds. Precise nutrient recommendations for organically produced pigs and poultry do not exist. • nutritional value of new protein sources for monogastric animals • various combinations of breeds, grazing and supplemental feed. Small-scale on-farm equipment to refine locally produced raw materials needs to be developed

Fresh grass clover intake and energy metabolism in organic sows fed a control or a low protein compound feed in winter and summer

A control and a low dietary protein strategy was tested in 47 organic 1st and 2nd parity sows in winter and summer under Danish weather conditions. Sows on the low protein strategy ingested more fresh grass clover than the control group in summer (2.60 kg/d vs. 2.29 kg/d; P = 0.007). The mean SID lysine intake from grass clover amounted to 21 g/d in gestation, which is well above the daily SID lysine requirement throughout pregnancy. There were no differences between the two dietary regimens on sow productivity, body composition, locomotive activity or blood- and urine metabolites (data not shown; P>0.05) in both seasons. The daily intake of protein- and amino acid exceeded the requirements during pregnancy, also when sows were fed the low protein compound feed, but the low protein diet supplied insufficient SID lysine during lactation, which compromised the milk production. Sows lost 794 g/d of body fat in the period from d5 to d40 in lactation and the energy requirement amounted to 120 MJ ME/d at peak lactation. In conclusion, sows with access to pasture can be fed lower protein during gestation and also in lactation during summer

Heat production in free-range sows estimated by heart rate recordings

Indirect calorimetry is not an applicable approach to estimate heat production (HP) in free-ranging sows. However, oxygen consumption is a main determinant of HP and linearly related to heart rate (HR). Thus, the objective was to investigate the relationship between sow HR and HP as a method to estimate HP of free-ranging sows. Sow HR was recorded and HP was estimated in eight second parity sows during gestation (day 30, 60, 80 and 104) and during lactation (day 10, 17 and 24) using indirect calorimetry (Dataset-1). Two groups of free-ranging second parity sows (n=41) were used to record HR and distance covered on day 60 and 100 of gestation and on day 5, 20 and 40 of lactation using activity gauges (Dataset-2). Daily HR was calculated as an overall mean of each day and HR during inactivity was obtained as an average of HR when distance = 0 meter/minute. The 24-hour HR was then estimated as a weighted average of the daily HR (sunrise to sunset) and HR during the night (sunset to sunrise represented by HR during inactivity). The mixed procedure (SAS 9.3) was applied to analyze the two datasets. Sow HP, MJ/d (R2=0.62) = 0.323 (±0.025; P<0.001) × HR, bpm – 2.4 (±2.3; P=0.33) during gestation and: HP, MJ/d (R2=0.25) = 0.118 (± 0.034; P=0.003) × HR, bpm + 26.7 (± 3.4; P<0.001) during lactation. The HP of free-ranging sows was calculated from these equations and was found to increase from 27 to 30 MJ/day from day 60 to 100 in gestation (P<0.001). Sow HP increased slightly from 38 MJ/day on day 5 to 39 and 40 MJ/day on day 20 and 40 in lactation (P<0.001). In conclusion, HR was linearly related to HP, and was found to increase by 48% from mid-gestation to late-lactation in free ranging sows

Net Absorption and Metabolism of β-Hydroxy- β-Methyl Butyrate during Late Gestation in a Pig Model

The leucine metabolite, &beta;-hydroxy-&beta;-methyl butyrate (HMB), is widely used in human nutrition and animal production as a nutritional supplement. Although the HMB usage during late gestation has been demonstrated to have a positive effect on fetal development, knowledge on net absorption and metabolism of HMB and impact of HMB on branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) metabolism is lacking. To address this, we conducted a study using pigs during the perinatal period as a model organism. Eight-second parity sows were fitted with indwelling catheters in the femoral artery and in the portal, hepatic, femoral, and mesenteric veins. Eight hourly sets of blood samples were taken starting 30 min before the morning meal on day &ndash;10 and day &ndash;3 relative to parturition. Four control (CON) sows were fed a standard lactation diet from day &ndash;15 and throughout the experiment, and 4 HMB sows were fed the control diet supplemented with 15 mg Ca(HMB)2/kg body weight mixed in one third of the morning meal from day &ndash;10 until parturition. Blood gases, plasma metabolites, milk compositions, and apparent total tract digestibility of nutrients were measured. Arterial plasma concentrations of HMB (p &lt; 0.001), Cys (p &lt; 0.001), and Lys (p &lt; 0.10) were increased in HMB supplemented sows, while arterial plasma triglycerides concentration was decreased (p &lt; 0.05). The net portal recovery of Ala and Asp were increased in HMB sows (p &lt; 0.05). Sows fed HMB had increased hepatic vein flow and net hepatic fluxes of Met, Asn, and Gln (p &lt; 0.05). In contrast, the femoral extraction rates of Ala and Ser were decreased by dietary HMB supplementation (p &lt; 0.05). Dietary HMB treatment and sampling time relative to feeding had an interaction on arterial concentrations, net portal fluxes, and femoral extraction rates of BCAAs. The net portal recovery of HMB was 88%, while 14% of supplemented HMB was excreted through urine and 4% through feces. Moreover, the gastrointestinal tract metabolized 8% while the liver metabolized 12%. Finally, 26% of the daily intake of HMB was secreted via colostrum at the day of farrowing. This study demonstrated that dietary HMB supplementation increased net uptake of amino acids and increased fatty acid oxidation through improving blood flow and insulin sensitivity during the late gestation. Most importantly, oral HMB administration could maintain a stable postprandial absorption and altered metabolism in BCAAs. Net portal flux of HMB at 5.5 to 6.5 h after feeding approached zero, indicating that HMB ideally should be administrated two or three times, daily

Impact of substituting compound feed with increasing levels of fresh grass-clover on nitrogen metabolism and plasma metabolites of sows

The purpose of this study was to identify biomarkers for fresh grass-clover intake and determine the digestibility and energy value of fresh grass to estimate voluntary fresh grass-clover intake in sows kept on pasture according to organic production practice. A total of sixteen multiparous dry sows (Danish Landrace x Danish Yorkshire) were housed in metabolism cages for 2 periods of 5 d. To study dietary effects, sows were fed one of four mixed treatments where increasing proportions of a basal commercial organic sow compound feed was partly replaced with 0, 2, 4, or 6 kg fresh grass-clover collected 3 wk after the previous cut. Sows were fed similar amounts of metabolizable energy (ME). Total collection of urine and feces was performed on a daily basis for 5d, and blood samples were collected from the jugular vein on the last day of feeding. Plasma metabolites were analyzed using a non-targeted liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LCMS) approach. Analyzed plasma metabolites (area under the curve in arbitrary units from the LCMS) were screened for correlation with grass intake. Data on nutrient digestibility and plasma metabolites were analyzed using a MIXED procedure while accounting for repeated measurements. Apparent total tract digestibilities of dry matter, organic matter, nitrogen, and energy of fresh grass-clover were 72, 64, 71, and 68%, respectively, using the regression method. The N intake increased linearly with increasing fresh grass-clover intake (P 0.05). There was a linear increase in plasma urea content (2.64 to 4.39 mM) when grass intake increased from 0 to 6 kg/d (P = 0.02). Plasma glucose, lactate, creatinine and NEFA, and triglycerides were not affected by increased grass-clover intake. The daily ME contribution from fresh grass-clover (MJ/d) was found to be highly positively correlated with plasma pipecolic acid (Y = 0.0289 X; r2 = 0.91; P < 0.001) and a metabolite tentatively identified as plasma bisnorbiotin (Y = 0.482 X; r2 = 0.92; P < 0.001). In conclusion, fresh grass-clover intake of sows was highly correlated with plasma pipecolic acid and plasma bisnorbiotin concentration and apparent total tract digestibility of DM, OM, N, and energy estimated for 100% fresh grass-clover intake in dry sows was 64 to 72% using the regression method