Effects of fiber inclusion on growth performance and nutrient digestibility of piglets reared under optimal or poor hygienic conditions12

Abstract

ABSTRACT:Two experiments were conducted to study the effects of inclusion of additional fiber in the Phase I diet on growth performance and nutrient digestibility in piglets reared under "optimal" or "poor" hygienic conditions. In both experiments, the design was completely randomized with a control diet that contained 2.2% crude fiber and 8 additional isonutritive diets that included 2.5 or 5.0% of sugar beet pulp (SBP), straw, oat hulls (OH), or wheat middlings (WHM). Preplanned polynomial contrasts were used to study the effects of 1) fiber inclusion (control diet vs. average of the 8 fiber-containing diets), 2) source of fiber, 3) level of fiber, and 4) interaction between source and level of fiber. In Exp. 1 (clean barn), fiber inclusion increased (P < 0.01) the incidence of postweaning diarrhea (PWD) and reduced (P < 0.05) feed efficiency and apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of all nutrients except that of CP, which was not affected. Piglet performance was not affected by source or level of dietary fiber. The ATTD of all nutrients decreased (P < 0.05) as the level of fiber increased and was lower in pigs fed straw or OH than in pigs fed SBP or WHM. The apparent ileal digestibility of GE and DM decreased (P < 0.05) with fiber inclusion, a reduction that was more pronounced (P < 0.05) with straw or SBP than with OH inclusion, with WHM inclusion being intermediate. Fiber inclusion did not affect villous height to crypt depth ratio of the ileum mucosa. The inclusion of 5% of a fiber source increased Escherichia coli and Lactobacillus counts in the cecum (P < 0.001) but the E. coli to Lactobacillus ratio was not affected. In Exp. 2 (dirty barn), fiber inclusion did not affect piglet performance but tended to increase PWD (P = 0.07). Also, fiber inclusion reduced (P < 0.05) the ATTD of all dietary components except that of CP, which was not affected. Source and level of fiber did not affect ATTD of nutrients except for DM, which was greater for pigs fed SBP than for pigs fed straw (P < 0.05). In conclusion, in the current research, pigs reared under optimal hygienic conditions had lower incidence of PWD, better growth performance, and greater DM and GE digestibility than pigs reared under poor hygienic conditions. An excess of dietary fiber was more detrimental for all these traits in piglets reared under optimal hygienic conditions. The effects of the source and level of fiber on piglet performance was limited in the 2 experiments.

Dietary Supplementation with Flammulina velutipes Stem Waste on Growth Performance, Fecal Short Chain Fatty Acids and Serum Profile in Weaned Piglets

“…The dietary fiber in swine diet is considered an important factor that could affect the palatability of the diet and the feed intake of pigs [25]. From the results of Exp.1, obviously, high levels of FVS (greater than 5%) in diets affected the palatability and ADFI, which is consistent with the results of most previous studies that have shown the negative effects of high levels of dietary fiber inclusion on ADFI and growth performance of piglets [26,27]. To find out the optimal inclusion level of FVS in piglets' diets, Exp.2 was conducted with lower inclusion levels of FVS and longer adaption time in the animal trial.…”

Effects of specialty proteins as alternatives to bovine or porcine spray-dried plasma in non-medicated diets fed to weaned pigs housed in an unsanitary environment

“…Reduced growth performance of pigs housed in an unsanitary environment compared to a sanitary environment has been reported (Zhao et al, 2007;Berrocoso et al, 2015;Montagne et al, 2015). For both experiments, pens were not cleaned and sanitized after the most recent housing of pigs.…”

An integrated approach to the safety assessment of food additives in early life

“…47 This could exacerbate some of the known physiological effects of fibers, perhaps leading to increased sensitivity and tolerance issues at lower doses than would occur in human infants. Another interesting consideration is the superior hygienic rearing conditions required for Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) studies, and one study 70 resulting in higher rate of diarrhea, lower feed efficiency and lower fiber digestibility than when the animals were reared in less hygienic conditions. All these factors suggest a certain impact of the microbial ecology (influenced by species and environment) on digestion processes and physiological outcomes.…”