Evaluation of Micro Plus, a Fermentation Product in Diets of Growing-Finishing Pigs

Under the nutritional and environmental conditions encountered in this experiment, the fermentation product (Micro Plus) did not modify the performance of growingfinishing pig

Effect of Inedible Egg Product on Growth Performance of Weanling Pigs

Inedible egg product was evaluated as a replacement for soybean meal and soybean oil in diets fed to weanling pigs. Increasing egg product concentrations of 0, 3, 6, and 9% linearly decreased average daily gain and gain:feed ratio, but not average daily feed intake

Interaction of Nursery and Growing—Finishing Space Allocation for Pigs

Although feed intake and growth rate data were inconclusive, pigs that were crowded for floor space in the nursery period may have been less negatively affected by crowding in the growing–finishing period than were pigs that had adequate floor space during the nursery period

Condensed Porcine Solubles in Diets Fed to Growing-Finishing Pigs

Condensed porcine solubles (CPS) was a suitable source of energy and protein when fed at 5% of the diet as a partial replacement of corn and soybean meal. Therefore, its use in growing-finishing diets should be based on relative ingredient costs and convenience of incorporation of a liquid material at the mixer

Effects of Clinoptilolite on Growth Performance and Carcass Composition of Growing-Finishing Pigs and on Fecal Nitrogen and Phosphorus Content

For both period and cumulative growth performance data, there were trends for increased feed intake and increased feed to gain ratios associated with increasing concentrations of dietary clinoptilolite. If, however, efficiency was expressed as daily intake of megacalories of metabolizable energy, there were no treatment effects. This lack of treatment response is illustrated by overall cumulative efficiencies of 4.39, 4.39, 4.40, and 4.31 Mcal. metabolizable energy/pound of weight gain for pigs fed diets containing 0, 2, 4, and 8% clinoptilolite. The decreased carcass backfat and increased carcass lean content associated with increasing concentrations of dietary clinoptilolite are responses that were probably caused by the concomitant increases in dietary protein (amino acid) to metabolizable energy ratios. Chemical analyses of feces for nitrogen and phosphorus revealed two relationships with dietary clinoptilolite concentration. First, both nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations in feces decreased with increasing dietary clinoptilolite concentrations. These responses likely resulted because the clinoptilolite increased the volume of feces. Second, the ratio of nitrogen to phosphorus increased with increasing dietary clinoptilolite concentration. This response probably resulted because ammonia nitrogen was sequestered by clinoptilolite because of its ion exchange properties

Dietary Available Phosphorus Needs of Pigs Experiencing a Moderate and High Level of Antigen Exposure

Pigs experiencing a moderate and a high level of antigen exposure were self-fed one of six dietary concentrations (.30, .40, .50, .60, .70, .80%) of available phosphorus (AP) from 14 to 60 pounds body weight. Pigs reared via a management scheme that resulted in a moderate level of antigen exposure consumed more feed daily, gained body weight faster, required less feed per unit of gain, and accrued more body protein daily than pigs reared in a high antigen exposure environment. Over the duration of the study, dietary AP concentrations of .6 to .7% and .4 to .5% in the moderate and high antigen exposure pigs, respectively, were needed to maximize daily body weight gains, gain:feed ratios, and body protein deposition. Based on these data, the dietary available phosphorus needs expressed as a percentage of the diet for 14 to 60 pound pigs experiencing a moderate or high level of antigen exposure are about 2.4 and 1.7 times greater, respectively, than current NRC (1988) estimates

Evaluation of a Byproduct from Hydrolyzed Porcine Small Intestines as an Ingredient in Pig Starters

Partial replacement of dried whey with dried hydrolysate of pig intestines resulted in a delayed positive growth performance response in three experiments. In weeks three and four, average daily gain and average daily feed intake were increased an average of 23.9 and 17.6%, respectively, by feeding intestinal hydrolysate in weeks one and two. The active component(s) in the product may speed the maturation of the pig’s ability to digest and/or assimilate nutrients

Effect of Ergot-Contaminated Barley on GrowingFinishing Pig Performance

Barley samples from Allamakee County were used in a swine feeding study. Pigs fed a barley-corn and soybean meal (SBM) diets containing up to 0.18% ergot (1.62 ppm ergot alkaloids) performed similarly to pigs fed a basal corn-SBM diet. In general, the level of ergot contamination in the final diets was insufficient to depress the performance of growing and finishing pigs

Lysine Requirement of the Gestating Sow Determined by Using Plasma Urea Nitrogen as a Rapid Response Criterion

Lysine requirements at two stages of gestation were estimated in adult sows who had been fed either low (LL) or high lysine (HL) diets in the previous lactation period. Sows fed LL lost more weight during lactation that sows fed HL. Also, sows fed LL diet had more days of anestrus than sows fed HL. There were no differences, however, in litter weight gain of sows fed LL and HL. Estimates of gestation lysine requirements for sows fed LL were 9.6 ± 1.5 and 12.2 ± 1.7 g/d for early gestation and late gestation, respectively. The plasma urea nitrigen (PUN) technique did not accurately or precisely estimate the lysine requirement of the sows fed the HL diet in lactation

Effects of Feeding Conjugated Linoleic Acid to Nursery Pigs of Low- and High-Health Status on Growth and Immune Competence

Early weaned pigs allotted either into “clean” or into “dirty” environmental conditions and potentially subject to high or low levels of antigen exposure, respectively, were used to determine the impact of 0, .67, 1.33, and 2% conjugated linoleic acid (CLA-60) on the immune status and growth performance. CLA levels modulate immune status in weanling pigs by decreasing the CD4 + :CD8 + ratio due to an increase in CD8 + and a decrease in CD4 + %. If the result of that ratio is favorable to the numerator, it means that the animal has a greater immune potential to fight against bacterial-type infections (serum antibodies produced by plasma cells) than against viral or other intracellular-type infections. The increase in CD8 + indicates a potential increase in cytotoxic T lymphocytes. These cells play an important role in the development of the response of the animal against viral infections. CLA caused an increase in alpha-1-acylglycoprotein (AGP), a serum acute-phase protein produced in the liver in response to stimulation from specific cytokines. No statistical significance in feed efficiency was attributed to CLA. Pigs placed into the clean environment utilized feed more efficiently than those placed in the dirty environment. Growth performance was shown to be independent of dietary treatments, but after a period of 42 days, pigs fed CLA become more viral immune competent than control animals