Influence of Porcine Plasma Supplementation on Gestating Sow Serum IGF-1 Concentration and Litter Weights

The objective of this pilot study was to determine the effect of dietary porcine plasma on circulating insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) concentrations in gestating sows and characteristics of their litters. Primiparous and multiparous sows were randomly allocated to two treatment groups of sows fed a basal diet or sows fed the basal diet plus 6 g of porcine plasma throughout gestation. On 4 periods during gestation and farrowing, blood was collected for IGF-1 analysis. After farrowing, gestation length, number born, birth weight, and total litter weight were recorded. There were no three-way or two-way interactions between treatments, day of gestation, or parity for sow IGF-1 concentration (P\u3e0.142). Treatment also did not affect (P=0.117) sow IGF-1 concentration. There were no treatment × parity or treatment effects on litter measures (P=0.170). Feeding porcine plasma at the low level employed in the study did not improve sow IGF-1 or litter measures. Keywords: Piglets, Fetal Growth, Porcine Plasm

Evaluation of different oil sources for nursery pigs

A total of 210 pigs (PIC 327 × 1050, initially 28.9 lb BW) were used in a 21-d trial to evaluate the effects of increasing oil sources on nursery pig growth performance. The 2 oil sources included a commercial source of soybean oil and a proprietary source of corn oil originating from the ethanol industry (Corn Oil ONE, Feed Energy Co., Pleasant Hill, IA). The 5 experimental diets included: a control diet without added oil, diets with 2.5 or 5% added soybean oil, or diets with 2.5 and 5% added corn oil. Diets were formulated with an identical standardized ileal digestible lysine:calorie ratio and were fed in meal form. There were 6 pens per treatment with 7 pigs per pen. Overall, from d 0 to 21, no oil source × level interactions were observed. Increasing corn oil or soybean oil had no effect on ADG or final BW. Increasing corn oil or soybean oil decreased (linear, P \u3c 0.05) ADFI, which resulted in improved (linear, P \u3c 0.01) F/G. Caloric efficiency was not affected by oil source or level. Feed cost per pig tended to decrease (linear, P = 0.066) for pigs fed increasing levels of soy oil. Cost per pound of gain decreased for both Corn Oil ONE (linear, P = 0.032) and soybean oil (linear, P = 0.008) as oil level increased. Value of the weight gain and income over feed cost was similar for pigs fed diets with Corn Oil ONE and soybean oil (P = 0.833). This study shows the benefits of adding a dietary oil source in late-phase nursery diets to achieve improved feed efficiency. Corn Oil ONE is a suitable alternative for soybean oil, and cost and availability should dictate which source is used.; Swine Day, Manhattan, KS, November 20, 201

Effects of distillers dried grains with solubles and added fat fed immediately before slaughter on growth performance and carcass characteristics of finishing pigs

Citation: Coble, K. F., DeRouchey, J. M., Tokach, M. D., Dritz, S. S., Goodband, R. D., & Woodworth, J. C. (2017). Effects of distillers dried grains with solubles and added fat fed immediately before slaughter on growth performance and carcass characteristics of finishing pigs. Journal of Animal Science, 95(1), 270-278. doi:10.2527/jas2016.0679The addition of dietary fat has been shown to increase HCW and carcass yield in pigs fed low-fiber corn-soy diets; however, data on added fat in high-fiber, low-energy diets is less available. Therefore, the potential for dietary fat to ameliorate the negative effect high-fiber diets have on carcass yield during the last 3 wk before slaughter is of high importance. This experiment was conducted to determine the interactive effects of 30% distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) and 5% added fat fed before slaughter on growth performance and carcass characteristics. A total of 1,258 pigs in 2 groups (initially 105.8 +/- 0.1 kg BW; group 1 PIC 337 x 1,050; group 2 PIC 327 x 1,050) were used in a 20-d experiment. All pigs were fed a common diet with 30% DDGS until 20 d before slaughter. Then, all pens were weighed and allotted to treatments with 20 replicate pens per treatment. Dietary treatments were arranged in a 2 x 2 factorial with 2 diet types (corn-soybean meal-based with or without 30% DDGS) and added fat (0 or 5%; group 1 = tallow; group 2 = choice white grease). Diets were formulated to a constant standardized ileal digestible Lys: NE ratio. There were no treatment x group interactions for any response criteria. Thus, data for the 2 groups were combined for analysis. Overall, there was a tendency for a diet type x added fat interaction for ADG (P = 0.054), whereas this was significant for G: F (P = 0.008). This was a result of 5% added fat increasing ADG and G: F to a greater magnitude for pigs fed the diet containing 30% DDGS (8.6 and 10.4%, respectively) than for pigs fed the corn-soy diet (2.0 and 2.9%, respectively). Although diet type did not affect final live BW, pigs fed the diet containing DDGS had decreased HCW and carcass yield (P < 0.05). Adding 5% fat did not affect carcass yield. In conclusion, adding 5% fat to finishing pig diets containing 30% DDGS approximately 20 d before slaughter improved ADG and G: F but did not overcome the reduction in carcass yield from feeding DDGS

Evaluating the efficacy of a novel phytase source

Citation: Flohr, J. R., DeRouchey, J. M., Tokach, M. D., Dritz, S. S., Woodworth, J. C., & Goodband, R. D. (2016). Evaluating the efficacy of a novel phytase source. Journal of Animal Science, 94, 111-112. doi:10.2527/msasas2016-236A total of 350 nursery pigs (PIC 1050 barrows, initially 15.1 kg BW) were used in a 21-d study to determine the available phosphorus (aP) release curve for a novel phytase product (Microtech 5000, VTR Bio-tech Co., Guangdong, China). Pigs were randomly allotted to pens at arrival to facilities and on d 0 of the trial pens were allotted to 1 of 7 treatments in a randomized complete block design. There were 5 pigs per pen and 10 pens per treatment. Pigs were fed corn-soybean meal-based diets formulated to contain 1.25% SID Lys. Experimental treatments consisted of 3 diets formulated to 0.12, 0.18, and 0.24% aP with the only source of added P being an inorganic source (monocalcium P). Then, phytase was added to the diet formulated to 0.12% aP at 4 levels (250, 500, 750, and 1000 FTU/kg). Diets were analyzed for phytase using the AOAC method, and analyzed concentrations were lower than formulated. Diets formulated to contain 250, 500, 750, and 1000 FTU/kg had analyzed concentrations of 155, 335, 465, and 780 FTU/kg, respectively. On d 21, one pig per pen was euthanized and fibulas were collected to determine bone ash weight and percentage bone ash. From d 0 to 21, increasing P from inorganic P or increasing phytase increased ADG (linear, P < 0.01), G:F (linear, P < 0.01 for inorganic P; quadratic, P < 0.03 for phytase), and final BW (linear, P < 0.01). Bone ash weight and percentage were increased (linear, P < 0.01) with increasing inorganic P and increasing phytase. Response criteria, which remained in the linear portion of the quadratic phytase curve (ADG, bone ash weight, and percentage bone ash), were used to calculate aP release curves. When analyzed phytase values and percentage bone ash are used as the predictor variables, aP release percentage for up to 780 FTU/kg of Microtech 5000 phytase can be predicted by the equation (y = 0.000002766761x– 0.000000002225x2– 0.000201841391; r2 = 0.948), where x is the phytase concentration in the diet (FTU/kg)

Development of equations to predict the influence of floor space on average daily gain, average daily feed intake, and gain-to-feed ratio of finishing

Citation: Flohr, J. R., Woodworth, J. C., Tokach, M. D., Dritz, S. S., DeRouchey, J. M., & Goodband, R. D. (2016). Development of equations to predict the influence of floor space on average daily gain, average daily feed intake, and gain-to-feed ratio of finishing. Journal of Animal Science, 94, 7-7. doi:10.2527/msasas2016-015Data from existing literature examining the influence of floor space allowance on the growth of finishing pigs was used to develop prediction equations for ADG, ADFI, and G:F. Two databases were used: the first included information from studies examining the influence of floor space allowance, and the second included the aforementioned papers along with papers examining the impact of floor space after pigs were removed from the pen. The first database included 27, 25, and 25 papers for ADG, ADFI, and G:F, respectively, and the second database contained 30, 28, and 28 papers for ADG, ADFI, and G:F, respectively. The predictor variables tested were floor space (m2/pig), k (floor space/final BW0.67), initial BW, final BW, feed space (pigs per feeder hole), water space (pigs per waterer), group size (pigs per pen), gender, floor type, and study length (d). Floor space treatments within each experiment were the experimental unit and random effects of decade, paper within decade, and experiment within paper × decade interactions were included in the statistical model. A weighted variance term was included in the statistical model to account for heterogeneity of experimental designs and replication across the existing literature. The statistical significance for inclusion of terms in the model was determined at P < 0.10. Further evaluation of models with significant terms was then conducted based on the Bayesian information criterion (BIC). Once the ADG and ADFI models for each respective database were determined, then the G:F model was evaluated as the predicted ADG/predicted ADFI. The optimum equations to predict finishing ADG, ADFI, and G:F for the first database were ADG, g = 395.57 + (15,727 × k) ? (221,705 × k2) ? (3.6478 × initial BW, kg) + (2.209 × final BW, kg) + (67.6294 × k × initial BW, kg); ADFI, g = 802.07 + (20,121 × k) ? (301,210 × k2) ? (1.5985 × initial BW, kg) + (11.8907 × final BW, kg) + (159.79 × k × initial BW, kg); and G:F = predicted ADG/predicted ADFI. The optimum equations to predict ADG, ADFI, and G:F for the second database were ADG, g = 337.57 + (16,468 × k) ? (237,350 × k2) ? (3.1209 × initial BW, kg) + (2.569 × final BW, kg) + (71.6918 × k × initial BW, kg); ADFI, g = 833.41 + (24,785 × k) ? (388,998 × k2) ? (3.0027 × initial BW, kg) + (11.246 × final BW, kg) + (187.61 × k × initial BW, kg); and G:F = predicted ADG/predicted ADFI. All multiterm models improved BIC values compared with single-term predictor models, signifying that multiterm models proved to better fit their respective databases

Effects of diet form and type on growth performance, carcass yield, and iodine value of finishing pigs

Citation: Nemechek, J. E., Tokach, M. D., Dritz, S. S., Goodband, R. D., DeRouchey, J. M., & Woodworth, J. C. (2015). Effects of diet form and type on growth performance, carcass yield, and iodine value of finishing pigs. Journal of Animal Science, 93(9), 4486-4499. doi:10.2527/jas2015-9149Two experiments were conducted to determine the effects of pelleting, diet type (fat and fiber level), and withdrawal of dietary fiber and fat before marketing on growth performance, carcass yield, and carcass fat iodine value (IV) of finishing pigs. Each experiment used 288 pigs (initially 49.6 and 48.5 kg BW, respectively) with 6 dietary treatments arranged as 2 x 3 factorials. In Exp. 1, main effects were diet form (meal vs. pellet) and diet regimen. Diet regimens were 1) a low-fiber, low-fat (corn-soybean meal) diet from d 0 to 81, 2) a high-fiber, high-fat (30% dried distillers grains with solubles [DDGS] and 19% wheat middlings [midds]) diet from d 0 to 64 followed by the low-fiber, low-fat diet from d 64 to 81 (fiber and fat withdrawal), and 3) the high-fiber, high-fat diet fed from d 0 to 81. Pigs fed pelleted diets had increased (P < 0.05) ADG and G:F compared with those fed meal diets. Pigs fed pelleted diets had increased belly fat IV (2.9 mg/g) compared with those fed meal diets, with a greater increase when fed high-fiber, high-fat diets throughout the entire study (interaction, P < 0.05). Pigs fed the low-fiber, low-fat diet throughout had increased (P < 0.001) G:F compared with pigs fed the other 2 treatments. Pigs fed low-fiber, low-fat diets throughout the study or pigs withdrawn from high-fiber, high-fat diets had increased (P < 0.001) carcass yield compared with pigs fed high-fiber, high-fat diets throughout. In Exp. 2, treatment main effects were diet form (meal vs. pellet) and diet type (corn-soybean meal-based control, the control with 30% DDGS and 19% midds, or the control diet with 3% corn oil). The diet containing corn oil was calculated to produce carcass fat IV similar to diets containing DDGS and midds. Overall, pigs fed pelleted diets had increased (P < 0.05) ADG, G:F, and belly fat IV (1.3 mg/g) compared with those fed meal diets. Pigs fed the diets containing DDGS and midds had decreased (P < 0.05) ADG, carcass yield, and HCW compared with pigs fed the control or corn oil diets and decreased (P < 0.001) G:F compared with pigs fed added corn oil. Belly IV was greatest (P < 0.001) for pigs fed diets with DDGS and midds and lowest for pigs fed the control diet, with pigs fed the corn oil diets intermediate. In conclusion, pelleting diets improves pig ADG (approximately 3%) and G:F (approximately 6%); however, a novel finding of this study is that pelleting diets fed to finishing pigs also increases belly fat IV