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Swine nutrition
Pigs require a number of essential nutrients to meet their needs for maintenance, growth, reproduction, lactation, and other functions. However, factors such as genetic variation, environment, availability of nutrients in feedstuffs, disease levels, and other stressors may increase the needed level of some nutrients for optimal performance and reproduction.
Swine require six general classes of nutrients: water, carbohydrates, fats, protein (amino acids), minerals, and vitamins. Energy, although not a specific nutrient, is an important nutritional component and is primarily derived from the oxidation of carbohydrates and fats. In addition, amino acids (from protein) that exceed the animal’s requirements for maintenance and tissue protein synthesis provide energy when their carbon skeletons are oxidized. Antibiotics, chemotherapeutic agents, microbial supplements (prebiotics and probiotics), enzymes, and other feed additives are often added to swine diets to increase the rate and efficiency of gain, to improve digestibility, and for other purposes, but they are not considered nutrients.
Pigs require a more concentrated diet and should be fed a less-fibrous feed than cattle, sheep, or horses. As they grow, their nutritional requirements change and the diet should meet their needs in various phases of growth and stages of production.
Phytogenic concepts in piglets - benefits of a proven approach Phytogenics represent a promising category of naturally-derived growth promoters originating from herbs and spices. Many phytogenic agents are well known from human nutrition, where they have a...
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With costs of pig production under increasing pressure, the nutrition of young pigs is of increasing interest, as this period is critical to the subsequent performance of the animals through to market. Optimising growth rate and feed efficiency at this time are therefore key requirements for success in today's animal production systems. While antibiotics are available to assist in improving growth during this phase, there are a range of concerns from world-wide pig producers about their use,...
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Dr. Robert Gauthier, Technical Director of the Canadian company JEFO, talks to Engormix.com about the use of enzymes in swine production at the II Simpósio Brasil Sul de Suinocultura e I Brasil Sul Pig Fair in Brazil....
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The Australian conference Recent Advances in Animal Nutrition (12-15 July, Armidale) brought together experts to discuss issues of importance to the livestock industry. Tony Edwards from ACE Livestock Consulting spoke about significant breakthroughs in pig nutrition over the past 30 years and looked at future challenges for the industry.
Pig production worldwide has advanced remarkably during the past three decades. In the 1970s in Australia, pigs grew with 450 g/d;...
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Isoleucine Plays a Critical Role in Low-Protein Diets
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Free radicals cause problems and can affect the pig's immune system and subsequent performance. Antioxidants can ‘mop-up' these free radicals. Thanks to recent research and advancements in nutrition, a finely-tuned ‘team' of carefully balanced antioxidants can protect the pig from the damaging effects of free radicals and can help enhance fertility, immunity and growth rates. The production of free radicals is an inevitable result of...
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Porcine Intestinal Adenomatosus (PIA), or more commonly known as pig ileitis, comprises a disease complex with a group of conditions involving pathological changes in the small intestine associated with the intracellular bacterium Lawsonia intracellularis. The organism affects the mucosal epithelium of the small intestine, mostly the ileum and sometimes even the colon, causing hypertrophy with or without haemorrhage. The disease affects grower and finisher...
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The feeding of food waste or garbage to swine and other livestock animals is a common practice throughout the world and is often concentrated around metropolitan centers. Food plate waste (formerly referred to as garbage) may be fed to other livestock species, but has most often been used as a source of feed for swine. High disposal costs and fees encourage the feeding of food/plate waste.
Food waste can be defined as any...
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Will feeding pigs with beans and maize only promote growth?...
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A major technological breakthrough will help pork producers use canola meal more efficiently and give them the potential to use more of it in pig feeding rations.
The breakthrough came in a joint research project conducted by Pork CRC and the Australian Oilseeds Federation and could save the industry more than $450,000 annually through using canola meal more efficiently.
Using Near Infrared (NIR) technology, the research developed rapid analysis technology to assess how well...
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The project aimed to estimate the net energy (NE) content of canola meal (CM) and full-fat canola seeds (FFCS) in swine and to validate these values, through growth studies using diets containing graded levels of CM or FFCS. No difference in average daily gain and feed conversion ratio was observed between the treatments. This confirms that the estimation of the NE content (CM 2.41 and FFCS 3.53 Mcal/kg DM) was correct and that it is possible to formulate balanced diets for growing pigs that...
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How potent is hydroenzime in pig production? ...
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What is the best way to feed a sow during lactation? It is a question that continues to be asked by researchers and producers alike. Survey data from a number of research...
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Isoleucine Plays a Critical Role in Low-Protein Diets
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A relatively cheap ethanol byproduct mixed with an old nutritional standby might help pork producers cut feed costs.
Gary A. Apgar, an animal scientist at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, has been testing a blend of distillers' grains - the fat, minerals, vitamins and fiber remaining after corn's starch becomes fuel - and soybeans, a traditional protein source for swine. The combination turns out to be every bit as nutritious as soybean meal and, because grains cost less than...
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Feed costs represent 65%-75% of the variable costs of swine production. As a result, feed costs play a major role in determining the profitability of a swine enterprise. While corn and soybean meal are the industry standards for supplying energy and protein, there are many suitable alternatives that meet nutritional requirements while reducing the cost of the ration.
Price relationships vary greatly depending on seasonal variability, global and local markets. Pork producers must be...
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Ever since segregated early weaning (SEW) arrived on the North American swine scene some 10 years ago, researchers and producers alike have been trying to figure out the best way to feed these early-weaned pigs. Weaning pigs at 14-17 days of age, and sometimes younger, became popular from the perspective of disease control. However, post-weaning management of these SEW pigs has evolved and changed over the years as the industry has struggled to understand the challenges associated with the...
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Oats are not a major feed grain for swine diets, but they can be used effectively with some limitations. Oats are highly palatable to all classes and ages of swine, and are higher in protein and lysine than corn ( see Table 1 ).
Lysine content is important because swine, like most simple-stomached (non-ruminant) animals, do not require protein per se , but instead require specific levels of certain compounds that make up protein. These compounds are called amino acids....
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With feed equalling 60% to 75% of the cost of producing a pig it is important to get the most out of every feed dollar. Particle size is the term that refers to the average diameter of individual particles of feed or simply the feed's fineness of grind. Since, grain represents the primary energy source in most on-farm mixed diets, producers should be concerned with not only the nutritional quality of the grain but also with how it is processed. It is well documented that reducing...
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Growing concern about antibiotic growth promoters in animal nutrition has created efforts to use different plant compounds as possible natural alternatives. Phytogenic feed additives (phytogenics) are an extremely heterogeneous group...
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Due to their strong antimicrobial effect, acidifiers assist in improving feed and water hygiene standards. BIOMIN GmbH provides Biotronic® acidifier line, a family of products, combined from selected blends of organic acids. The latest know-how technology enables BIOMIN GmbH to create the highly effective acidifier products and to assure their continual functionality through feed and water into animals’ gastro-intestinal tract. The effects of Biotronic® products...
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NEXT Enhance® 150 is a standardised combination of thymol and cinnamaldehyde, an active ingredient of cinnamon extract. This combination acts to optimise gut flora equilibrium in the piglet and sow, leading to better feed efficiency and growth for the animal. Continuing to understand the mechanisms behind the consistent benefits in animal trials, Carotenoid Technologies SA (CaroTech®) has worked exclusively with the Zootechnical Department at the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia.,...
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