Swine Resources - Nutrition

July 2020

New research from Kansas State University shows promise for Kemin pathogen control product Sal CURB® in addressing African swine fever virus in feed and feed ingredients.

Kemin Industries, a global ingredient manufacturer that strives to sustainably transform the quality of life every day for 80 percent of the world with its products and services, has acquired a U.S. patent application for a method to control African Swine Fever virus (ASFv) in feed and feed ingredients using Sal CURB® Liquid Antimicrobial – a global pathogen control product manufactured by Kemin.

July 2020

How does the number of pigs per feeder hole and the group size influence growth performance and ear and tail lesions?

Photo 1. Pigs at a feeder

Feeders are the final interface between pigs and the diets designed to meet their nutrient needs. Feeder space allowance should be sufficient to ensure all individuals in the group have access to feed, regardless of their competitive ability. The number of pigs per feeder hole may be defined as the amount of pigs per available space (feeder hole) in the pen (i.e., 10 pigs per feeder hole). Providing adequate (but not excessive) feeder space is essential for success in pig barn management.

May 2020

Improving piglet colostrum intake along with the reduction of the shedding in sows may favor the control of Salmonella infection in breeding farms.

May 2020

During lactation ensuring the sow consumes enough water is essential, as well as maintaining the water:feed ratio needed to lessen weight loss in the sow and allow a greater daily gain in the piglets.

April 2020

Dietary phytogenic compounds might improve productivity and antioxidant status of sows.

April 2020

Phytogenic compounds supplemented to hyperprolific sows can improve piglet integrity.

December 2019

What nutrients can be provided to the sow to improve fetal growth, production of milk and colostrum and to modulate the inflammatory response.

Weaning represents one of the most critical stages in pig production, which is reflected in the high piglet morbidity and mortality for this period. Starting production with vital piglets and caring for their adaptation at different stages can help them get through this critical period. The feeding and management of the sow is also important to obtaining good production outcomes of its offspring. This two-part series of articles will consider a strategy that involves managing many areas, during both the pre- and post-farrowing periods.

December 2019

Does feeding time affect reproductive performance? 

Commented article

Hayford M., Lee, S.H., Ren, P., Pangeni, D., Yang, X. and S. K. Baidoo. 2019. Effects of time of feeding during gestation on sow’s performance. J. Anim. Sci. 2019.97:1234–1241, doi: 10.1093/jas/skz006

Comment

In gestation, sows have restricted access to feed through differently shaped feeding curves. In practice, to achieve the same total feed intake in the whole of the gestation period, some farms use a flat or almost flat curve (same amount of feed given daily) while others use a classical curve (high level of feed given during the first weeks, then considerably reduced in the middle period, and increased again in the last month.) The overall amount of feed given and the type of curve used will depend on the genetic line, the growth rate of the young sow or the amount of body reserves to be recovered from the adult sow, as well as the type of gestation facility and the logistics used to make up the sow grouping after the first month of gestation. The literature suggests that under normal conditions the total amount of feed administered throughout the whole period is more important than the actual shape of the curve used. It is also worth noting that in a system where feeding is done once, at the beginning of the day, sows remain calm after eating their morning meal. However, in facilities where feeding is done twice daily, sows are restless from mid-morning on, expecting the other half of their ration every time they see a worker.

January 2020

Organic mineral supplementation improves finisher pigs’ productive performance.

Minerals are required at specific concentrations for the proper function of animal metabolism (growth, reproduction, development of the immune system ...). Therefore, dietary mineral supplementation with complexed minerals is essential in animal production. Zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn) and copper (Cu) are often included in pig diets in the form of inorganic salts. However, some reports have suggested that organic minerals may be more bioavailable than inorganic materials when administered to pigs, chickens and cows. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to assess the effect of a metal-amino acid complex (Zn, Mn, and Cu) supplementation on the growth performance and integrity of the locomotor system of pigs in the finishing phase. For that purpose, one hundred and eighty 61-day-old animals were used in a randomized block factorial design with ten replicates per treatment and sex. The experimental design consisted of two groups: a control group, without any supplementation, and a treated group, supplemented with the complex of organic minerals (0.75 g/kg), consisting of Zn (50 ppm), Mn (20 ppm), and Cu (10 ppm). At 112 days of housing (D112), the pigs were subjected to a hoof evaluation, at D115 they were weighed, and at D117, they were slaughtered (178 days of age). After boning, a blind analysis was performed on the medial and lateral condyles of the distal humeri. Supplemented animals showed higher scores for the performance parameters of final body weight (BW) and average daily gain (ADG). For weight gain, supplemented pigs presented 3.10 kg more gain than control pigs; moreover, the increase in females was on average 4.07 kg and in males 2.45 kg. The prevalence of hoof lesions was 100% in both groups. However, mineral supplementation reduced the incidence of damage to the dewclaws and heel-sole cracks. The incidence of osteochondrosis was 19.13%, with no influence of supplementation. It could be concluded that supplementing pigs with the complex of organic minerals during the finishing phase improved the pigs’ productive performance and helped reduce certain damage in hoof integrity.

da Silva, G. A., Fernandez, F. G., Backes, A. P., Donin, D. G., Fernandes, S. R., Fireman, A. K., ... & Alberton, G. C. (2019).
Effect of the organic minerals zinc, manganese, and copper on growth performance and the locomotor system of finishing pigs. Semina: Ciências Agrárias, 40(6Supl2), 3209-3222.
https://doi.org/10.5433/1679-0359.2019v40n6Supl2p3209

November 2019

C. utilis can replace up to a 40% of CP while maintaining growth and improving digestive function.