Production value and cost-effectiveness of pig fattening using liquid feeding or enzyme-supplemented dry mixes containing rye grain

Abstract

ABSTRACT:The aim of this study was to assess the cost-effectiveness of a fermented liquid feeding and enzyme supplementation of dry fodders containing rye grain for pig fattening. Two experiments were performed on 126 gilts (82 in Experiment 1 and 44 in Experiment 2) of hybrid Pig Improvement Company (PIC) lines. In both experiments, the pigs were randomly divided into two equinumeric groups (treatment vs control). In Experiment 1, the treatment group received a diet containing 25% of rye grain (cultivar Visello) in the grower and 50% in the finisher period, replacing a proportion of barley from control mixes, and the fodders were given as pre-fermented liquid feed twice daily. In Experiment 2, both the control and experimental diets contained rye grain at the same quantities as the experimental group in Experiment 1, but the mixes for the treatment groups were supplemented with 0.01% of xylanase and fed in dry form. There were no differences in the mean growth rate or feed conversion ratio between the control and experimental groups of gilts. In Experiment 1, there was no effect of rye feeding on backfat thickness, loin depth, and meatiness, and hence the final carcass price, but the overall cost of fattening was lower by 5.1% in rye-fed pigs, which resulted in an 11.3% surplus. In Experiment 2, the backfat thickness was significantly greater and the lean meat content lower in the experimental compared with control group of animals. In spite of these differences, the lower cost of feeding (by 3.4%) resulted in a 5.2% increment in the economic efficiency of production of pigs receiving enzyme-supplemented mixes. It can be concluded that, in comparison to traditional barley-based nutrition, the pig fattening utilizing rye grain in wet fermented mixes is more profitable. The increased bottom-line profits of using dry rye mixes with carbohydrate-hydrolyzing enzymes appear to be associated with declining carcass quality.

Increasing hybrid rye level substituting wheat grain with or without enzyme on growth performance and carcass traits of growing-finishing barrows and gilts

“…Because both feed intake and weight gain were reduced in parallel, feed efficiency was not affected by increasing hybrid rye inclusion level. Previous reports feeding rye substituting barley grain showed similar feed efficiency between high rye and barley control diets ( Meyer et al, 2003 ; Schwarz et al, 2014 ; Bussières, 2018 ) whereas others showed better feed efficiency feeding high rye compared with barley control diets ( Thacker et al, 1991 , Thacker and Baas, 1996 ; Schwarz et al, 2016 [only numerically]). The improved feed efficiency feeding rye vs. barley was likely because rye had lower NDF and ADF content than barley grain ( Thacker et al, 1991 ; NRC, 2012 ).…”

“…Loin depth was also not affected because we correctly accounted for differences in AA digestibility between rye and wheat grain when formulating diets. Most other studies that measured carcass characteristics also found no effect of feeding rye on backfat, loin depth, or lean yield ( Hooper et al, 2002 ; Meyer et al, 2003 ; Schwarz et al, 2014 , 2016 ; Villca et al, 2016 ). In one publication, enzyme inclusion in rye diets resulted in greater backfat and smaller loin depth and lean yield ( Schwarz et al, 2016 ) whereas another publication showed a tendency for improved lean yield with enzyme inclusion in rye diets ( Alert and Fröhlich, 2006 ).…”

“…Instead, we decided to evaluate feeding increasing hybrid rye inclusions replacing wheat grain. To the best of our knowledge, our trial is the first one comparing hybrid rye with wheat rather than barley ( Schwarz et al, 2014 , 2016 ) or a combination of barley, wheat, and triticale grain ( Meyer et al, 2003 ; Bussières, 2018 ).…”

“…Few growth trials feeding rye to growing-finishing pigs have been documented and the few publications that exist mostly focused on feeding rye substituting barley grain ( Thacker et al, 1999 , 2002 ; Hooper et al, 2002 ; Schwarz et al, 2014 , 2016 ). Therefore, our objective was to determine the effect of increasing hybrid rye level substituting wheat grain and NSP enzyme inclusion in diets fed to barrows and gilts raised under western Canadian commercial conditions by comparing the growth performance, dressing, carcass traits, and feed cost vs. benefit.…”

Online ultrasonic terminal for measuring pig backfat thickness

“…Pork, as an indispensable part of agricultural and sideline products for daily life, occupies a dominant position in meat products in China. Pig backfat thickness (PBFT) is a crucial predictor of carcass lean content and meat quality, and as the economic performance, reveals one of the most important breeding targets in pig improvement [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] . The PBFT also reflects the growth rate, pork percentage and it has a paramount impact on the reproductive system and also reflects lean meat percentage, and as an important indicator also used to evaluate pork quality grade [4] .…”