Fattening and slaughtering performance of growing pigs consuming high levels of alfalfa silage ( Medicago sativa ) in organic pig production

Inclusion of intensively manipulated silage in total mixed ration to growing pigs – influence on silage consumption, nutrient digestibility and pig behaviour

“…In our study, silage that was intensive manipulated for shorter particle length and finer structure (SI) also were proven to increase the silage consumption to be almost fully completed compared with the chopped silage. This is in contrast to the study by Wüstholz et al (2017), who found higher consumption levels in total, but no difference between chopped and extruded (finer structure) alfalfa silage among pigs from 30 to 90 kg BW. At even higher BW (90-105 kg), pigs in that study, in fact, consumed a slightly lower amount of the extruded silage compared to the chopped one.…”

“…This corresponds well to the results found in the present study with consumption levels of 19.1% and 15.3% of the total daily DM intake for SI and SC, respectively. The results found by Wüstholz et al (2017) on the other hand, indicate higher consumption levels ( ̴ 20% in the starter phase, ̴ 40% in the grower phase and up to 50% in the finishing phase) of the total daily DM intake, when fed alfalfa silage (ad libitum in feed troughs) and restricted concentrate feeding. The results from Wüstholz supports our findings that heavier pigs (80 kg) in treatment SI finished all the feed while lighter pigs (40 kg) in treatment SC were judged to have the largest amount of feed residues.…”

“…Although the current study did not evaluate the effect of silage inclusion on carcass quality, one could expect that without any silage refusals thus a high consumption level, the nutrient requirements could be met and the pigs should be able to express their potential for growth and lean deposition (Wallenbeck et al, 2014;Wüstholz et al, 2017). An effect of silage inclusion that has been seen is lower dressing percentage, possible due to greater gut fil (Bikker et al, 2014;Wallenbeck et al, 2014).…”

“…To be able to feed ley crops throughout the year, conservation is required and consequently ensiling is common. Pigs' consumption of silage, however, varies according to their age (Wüstholz et al, 2017), the type of ley crops included, nutrient content as well as feeding technique and structure of the silage (Rundgren, 1988;Høøk Presto et al, 2009;Presto Åkerfeldt et al, 2019). The latter has also been found to influence the pigs' behaviour (Presto et al, 2013;Wallenbeck et al, 2014).…”

Emergy-Based Sustainability Analysis of an Ecologically Integrated Model with Maize Planting for Silage and Pig-Raising in the North China Plain

“…However, the EPRSs can use two methods to reduce inputs: reduce the cost of the feed (adding a large percentage of plant fiber or improving crop yields) and choosing suitable pig breeds. According to other research, pigs can extract some energy from cellulose with the aid of bacteria in their intestinal tract [10][11][12]. Moreover, the process of making silage can release cellular nutrient content thus increasing the concentration of available nutrients accessible to the animal [13].…”