Three experiments were conducted to evaluate the phosphorus (P) utilization responses of pigs and broiler chickens to dietary supplementation with antimicrobials and phytase and to determine if P digestibility response to phytase is affected by supplementation with antimicrobials. Experiment 1 used 4 diets (a basal negative control formulated to contain 0.41% total P and 0.71% calcium [Ca] without added antimicrobials, basal negative control with added carbadox, basal negative control with added tylosin, or basal negative control with added virginiamycin) and six 18-kg barrows in individual metabolism crates per diet. There was no effect of antimicrobials on P and Ca digestibility or retention. Carbadox supplementation increased (P < 0.05) digestibility and retention of gross energy (GE) and supplementation with tylosin increased (P < 0.05) N retention relative to the basal negative control diet. Experiment 2 used eight 19-kg barrows in individual metabolism crates per treatment and 9 dietary treatments arranged in a 3 × 3 factorial of antimicrobials (none, tylosin, or virginiamycin) and phytase (0, 500, or 1,500 FTU/kg). Phytase addition to the diets linearly increased (P < 0.05) apparent total tract digestibility or retention of P, Ca, nitrogen (N) and GE. Supplementation with antimicrobials did not affect apparent total tract digestibility or retention of P, Ca, N or GE. There were linear effects (P < 0.01) of phytase on Ca utilization in diets that were not supplemented with antimicrobials but only tendencies (P < 0.10) in diets supplemented with tylosin or virginiamycin. Phytase linearly improved (P < 0.05) N utilization in diets supplemented with tylosin or virginiamycin but not in diets without added antimicrobials. Experiment 3 was a broiler chicken experiment with the same experimental design as Exp. 2 but feeding 8 birds per cage and 10 replicate cages per diet. Antimicrobial supplementation improved (P < 0.05) feed efficiency and adding tylosin improved (P < 0.05) tibia ash but did not affect nutrient utilization. Dietary phytase improved (P < 0.01) growth performance, tibia ash and apparent ileal digestibility and retention of P regardless of antimicrobial supplementation. Overall, phytase supplementation improved growth performance and nutrient digestibility and retention, regardless of supplementation of diets with antimicrobials. Supplementation of diets with antimicrobials did not affect P digestibility or retention because of a lack of interaction between antimicrobials and phytase, there was no evidence that P digestibility response to phytase is affected by supplementation with antimicrobials.
Objective: To evaluate performance and physiological vitamin status of sows and progeny fed 2 vitamin supplementation levels, industry vs reduced (all vitamins reduced with fat-soluble vitamins added at National Research Council recommendations). Materials and methods: Sows (n = 244) were allotted in a randomized complete block design to 1 of 2 vitamin supplementation levels. At weaning, 765 progeny from a subset of sows were allotted to treatments in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of two sow and two nursery vitamin supplementation levels with 15 pens/treatment. Performance and vitamin status of sows and progeny were measured from farrowing to nursery exit. Results: Reduced vitamin supplementation reduced sow lactation feed intake (P = .01), hepatic vitamin A (P = .001), and serum vitamin D (P < .001), but did not affect sow body weight or litter performance. Regardless of vitamin levels fed to the sow, progeny fed reduced levels post weaning had decreased circulating (P < .001) and stored (P = .03) vitamin levels and a reduction in average daily gain (P < .001), average daily feed intake (P < .001), gain:feed ratio (P = .002), and body weight (P < .001) at the end of the nursery period compared to progeny fed industry levels. Implications: Reduced vitamin supplementation reduced sow feed intake without affecting sow or litter performance, but decreased circulating and stored vitamin levels in sows could impact long-term reproductive performance. Reduced vitamin inclusion levels in nursery diets reduced performance and serum vitamin concentrations compared to industry vitamin levels.
The decommissioning of Windscale Pile 2 Chimney resulted in the removal of one of most historically significant and prominent features of the Sellafield site. The project was the first large scale concrete “free release” operation to be undertaken on the Sellafield nuclear site, producing 4500 tons of concrete of which 3000 tons was demonstrated to be “free release”. The paper describes the radiometric techniques employed in the characterization and segregation of the concrete into Low Level Waste (LLW), Very Low Level Waste (VLLW) and Free Release categories. It examines the robust solutions that were developed to meet the technical and regulatory challenges of the project, which included the definition of free release, the selection of averaging volumes, the testing and validation of the monitoring systems employed for bulk quantities of concrete and the identification and removal of small numbers of fuel particles from the free release waste stream. As a result of interest shown by other BNFL and UKAEA decommissioning projects at Sellafield, the paper finishes by discussing ways in which the system may be developed to assay other waste streams.
The current experiment was conducted to determine if the dosage or timing of exposure to diets containing high deoxynivalenol (DON), a mycotoxin in a variety of feed ingredients, causes performance loss in nursery pigs. In total, 448 mixed-sex nursery pigs [initial BW = 6.18 ± 0.97 kg] weaned at 21 ± 1 d were allotted to 112 pens, with 4 pigs per pen, in a randomized complete block design. In a 3 x 2 + 1 factorial arrangement of treatments, diets with DON were fed continuously (CONT), at weeks 1 and 3 (WK13), and weeks 2 and 4 (WK24), targeting DON at 1.25 ppm fed (MED), or 2.5 ppm (HIGH), plus the positive control (CONTLOW) for 28 d. All pigs were fed a common, low DON diet from d 28 to 42 to complete the nursery phase. Pen weight and feed intake were measured on d 28 and 42 to calculate ADG and ADFI. Regardless of timing, d 28 BW decreased (P < 0.01) with feeding MED or HIGH diets compared with CONTLOW and markedly decreased (1.57 kg) in the HIGH. This was a response to the decreased ADG (P < 0.01) and ADFI (P < 0.01) from d 0 – 28 in MED or HIGH compared with CONTLOW and with HIGH compared with MED. Similarly, on d 42, performance metrics - BW (P < 0.01), ADG (P < 0.01), and ADFI (P < 0.01) were decreased in MED or HIGH compared with CONTLOW, with a 1.95 kg. decrease in BW in the HIGH compared with CONTLOW. A dose-response to DON was evident whereas, timing of exposure did not affect the performance metrics measured on d 28 or 42. Ultimately, exposure of nursery pigs to levels of DON over 1 ppm results in loss of performance, regardless of exposure timing.
The objective was to determine a dietary strategy for gilt development that would improve reproductive performance. One thousand eighty-three gilts (DNA) were blocked by weight (average initial weight = 27.5 ± 4.8 kg) and allocated to one of four dietary treatments (267-273 gilts per treatment). Treatments included: 1) standard grower/finisher (SGF) diet; 2) maximize bone growth (MB) diet with increased available P and Ca; 3) maximize growth (MG) diet with increased energy and AA levels, or 4) maximize both bone and growth (MBG) diet. Each treatment had five phases with all gilts fed a common gestation diet after insemination. At 20 weeks of age, gilts fed MG and MBG diets were heavier (P < 0.05) than gilts fed other diets. Gilts fed the MG diet were heavier (116.9 kg; P < 0.05) at 23 weeks (start of boar exposure) than gilts fed other diets (SGF, 112 kg; MB, 110.3 kg; MBG, 114.6 kg). Gilts fed the MG diet were heavier (143.8 kg; P < 0.05) at mating (29 weeks of age) than gilts fed other diets (SGF, 139.0 kg; MB, 136.8 kg; MBG, 139.6 kg). Upon entering farrowing stalls, gilts fed the MG diet continued to be heavier (P < 0.05). More gilts farrowed (P < 0.05) when fed the MG diet (MG, 89.8%; MBG, 86.8%; MB, 82.2%; SGF, 81.9%). Dietary treatment had no impact on number of pigs born alive per litter, total pigs born per litter, or piglet birth and weaning weights. There was a tendency (P < 0.10) for gilts to remain in the sow herd to farrow their second litter when fed either the MG or MBG diet. Overall, feeding higher energy and AA levels to maximize growth increased gilt development weights, improved the number of gilts that farrowed, and tended to increase sow retention.
Primiparous sows may have difficulty consuming sufficient feed during lactation to account for energy lost in milk production, development, and body maintenance. Addition of higher energy and/or higher standardized ileal digestible (SID) Lys may improve gilt and litter performance. One hundred seventy-two primiparous DNA F1 females were randomly allotted within breeding/farrowing group, previous treatment, and entry weight at farrowing to one of four dietary treatments. Treatments were arranged in a 2 x 2 factorial with energy (3186 and 3332 kcal/kg ME) and SID lysine (1.15 and 1.30%). Sows were weighed upon entry and exit of the farrowing room. Feed disappearance was calculated as the total amount of feed provided to the sow during lactation. A post-farrow weight model was utilized to assess true weight loss in lactation. Litters were standardized within 24 h of birth, and individual pig birth and weaning weights were recorded. The wean to estrus interval was also measured. Data were analyzed as a randomized complete block design with the fixed effect of treatment and the random effect of replicate. Addition of high energy and/or high lysine did not impact (P > 0.10) piglet wean weight or sow average daily feed intake. High energy diets reduced (P < 0.05) sow weight loss post-farrow by 15.5% from 8.75 to 7.39 kg. High SID lysine diets reduced (P < 0.05) number of sows not expressing estrus by day 9 post-wean from 13.0 to 7.7% of sows eligible for insemination. The high SID lysine diets targeted 70 g/d and led to an increase (P < 0.05) of 10.3% of sows displaying estrus on day 4 and 5. These data show that higher levels of SID lysine to target 70 g/d in lactation can improve wean to estrus interval, and potentially decrease non-productive sow days.
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