Trend of energy and nitrogen utilization of high fibre diets in pigs from 100 to 160 kg bodyweight

Abstract

The aim of the experiment was to investigate the ability of the heavy pig to utilize diets rich in fibre. Eight Landrace x<br />Large White fattening barrows were fed 3 high fibre (HF) diets (on average 17.8% NDF on DM) and a traditional (C) diet<br />(13.5% NDF) in a Latin Square design. Feeding was restricted. Each of the 4 periods included 21 days adaptation and 7<br />days digestibility/calorimetry. The HF diets included wheat bran (coarse or milled) or beet pulp. In periods 1, 2, 3 and 4<br />the eight pigs weighed, on average, 105, 124, 140 and 158 kg. Fibre digestibility (%) of HF diets increased from period<br />1 to period 4: 56.2, 56.6, 58.8, 62.2 for NDF and 46.0, 47.1, 49.0, 53.4 for ADF. A similar trend was registered for the<br />digestibility of DM, OM, CP, EE and energy. Comparing the digestibility of diet C with HF diets, independently of the periods,<br />diet C always had significantly higher digestibility (e.g. DM=87.5 vs 84.9%) except for fibre which gave similar coefficients.<br />Methane energy losses increased significantly from period 1 to period 4 for HF diets (0.40 vs 0.59% of the intake<br />energy, IE, P<0.05), while heat production and retained energy (% of IE), did not differ significantly between periods.<br />Retained energy of diet C (37.1% IE) and of HF diets (35.3%) considered as the average of the four periods, were similar,<br />confirming that the heavy pig can utilize fibre to a good extent. Considering the N balance of treatment HF, passing<br />from period 1 to period 4 concomitantly with a lower faecal excretion a significantly greater urinary excretion was recorded:<br />35.7 and 51.9% of intake N in periods 1 and 4, respectively (P<0.05). Total N excretion was similar in the four periods<br />(on average 0.98 g/BW0.75). However, expressing the data as % of the intake N, total N excretion increased from period<br />1 (54.6%) to period 4 (68.2%) (P<0.05). As a consequence, protein deposition (N*6.25) decreased from 155 to 126<br />g/d from period 1 to period 4 (P<0.05). On the contrary, fat deposition increased, as expected, in the four periods: 315,<br />359, 374 and 394 g/d

Effects of benzoic acid on nitrogen, phosphorus and energy balance and on ammonia emission from slurries in the heavy pig

“…No significant difference was observed between treatments, with an average energy retention of about 40%. This value is consistent with those obtained, even then in the Italian heavy pig, by Galassi et al (2005). Protein deposition for treatments C, B05 and B10 was 105, 121 and 121 g/d, respectively (SEM=18.2; P=0.514), whereas fat deposition was 333, 350 and 340 g/d, respectively (SEM=38.7; P=0.795).…”

Digestibility and metabolic utilisation of diets containing chestnut tannins and their effects on growth and slaughter traits of heavy pigs

“…The data obtained reveal a high energy digestibility for all the diets, including that added with tannins. Energy losses as urine, methane and heat are also similar among the dietary treatments and consistent with those of previous experiments (Galassi et al 2005;Galassi et al 2015).…”

Digestibility, metabolic utilisation and effects on growth and slaughter traits of diets containing whole plant maize silage in heavy pigs

“…The RE values obtained in this trial are consistent with those reported for finishing pigs in other experiments (Noblet et al 1994b;Galassi et al 2004Galassi et al , 2005b. The RQ is correlated to fat deposition with higher values for animals that have higher fat deposition: the lower RQ registered with the CS diet (p ¼ .064) confirms therefore the lower fat deposition of the pigs fed the CS diet.…”

“…The reduction of the growth performance (approximately 8-9%) of the pigs fed the CS diet was greater than that expected on the basis of the measured difference in the digestibility and energy content (approximately 3-4%). The metabolic utilisation of the diets was measured at a very late growth stage of animals (134-153 kg of BW), when fibre digestibility reaches very high levels (Galassi et al 2005a(Galassi et al , 2005b, while the growth was tested in a larger range of BW (90-160 kg), therefore, it is possible that in the initial part of the growing period the differences in digestion and metabolic utilisation between the diets were larger than those measured later. The weights of the main carcase cuts and several physic-chemical parameters measured on the Longissimus dorsi muscle were similar between diets, but the use of silage determined a lower deposition of the back fat in the body.…”