bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
8 Effect of group size during the nursery period on wean-to-finish growth performance in a PRRS positive population of pigs
Authors: Harper Heath M , Schmitt Rachel , Ellis Michael , Shull Caleb M , Schwab Clint R
Published: July 2019

It is common commercial practice in wean-to-finish facilities to pin pigs in large groups during the nursery phase. The effect of overstocking on wean-to-finish performance has been studied; however, there is limited information on the effect of group size during the nursery period on overall growth performance, particularly in PRRS positive populations. This study was carried out using a RCBD (blocking factor date of start of test) to evaluate the effect of 3 nursery group size treatments (61, 79, and 96 pigs/pen) on wean-to-finish growth performance (from 6.0 ± 0.10 to 122.2 ±0.8kg BW) in a PRRS positive population. During the 7-wk nursery period, when the group-size treatments were applied, pigs were housed in mixed-sex pens; floor space for all treatments was 2.4ft2/pig. After the nursery period, pigs on all treatments were housed in groups of 34 at a floor space of 6.5ft2/pig. A total of 3,672 pigs in 12 replicates were used. Pen of pigs was the experimental unit; data were analyzed using PROC MIXED of SAS (SAS Inst. Inc., Cary, NC) with the model including fixed effect of group size treatment and random effects of block and replicate. During the period from weaning to wk 7 post-weaning, when the group size treatments were applied, growth rate and live weight was lower (P < 0.05) for the largest group size (96 pigs) than for the 2 smaller group sizes (61 and 79 pigs). However, subsequently from wk 7 to end of test and for the overall wean-to-finish growth performance was similar (P > 0.05) for the 3 group size treatments. This study showed that group size (at the same floor space) had an effect on growth performance in the nursery period but had no effect on overall wean-to-finish growth performance in PRRS positive pigs.
15 Factors affecting the sale price of bred heifers sold through Superior Livestock video auctions from 2010 through 2017
Authors: Smith Maggie J , McCabe Esther D , King Mike E , Fike Karol E , Hill Kevin L , Rogers Glenn M , Odde Kenneth G
Published: July 2019

The objective was to evaluate potential factors influencing sale price of bred heifers sold through a video auction service. Descriptive characteristics of lots were obtained through a livestock video auction service. Data were available on 1,779 lots of bred heifers sold through video auctions from 2010 through 2017. Multiple regression with a backwards selection procedure was used to determine factors influencing sale price. Eleven factors were included in the original model. These were year, weight (linear and quadratic), region, breed description, weight variation, origin, frame score, flesh score, and size of lot (linear and quadratic). Size of lot (linear and quadratic) and weight (quadratic) did not affect sale price (P > 0.05) and therefore were not included in the final model. Breed description of the lots was characterized into five groups: English-English cross, English-Continental cross, Black Angus sired out of dams with no Brahman influence, Red Angus sired out of dams with no Brahman influence, and Brahman influenced. The United States was divided into five regions: West Coast, Rocky Mountain/North Central, South Central, South East, and Northeast, which was excluded from analysis due to few lots originating from this region. Lots of bred heifers sold for the lowest sale price (P < 0.05) in 2010 at $955/head (Table 1). In 2015, lots sold for the highest price (P < 0.05) compared with all other years ($2,725/head). Those lots originating from the Rocky Mountain/North Central region sold for the highest price (P < 0.05, $1,677/head). Red Angus sired lots sold for the highest price (P < 0.05, $1,711/head) compared with all other breed descriptions. There was an $85.00 increase in price for every 45.36 kg increase in weight. Understanding factors influencing sale price of bred heifers will allow producers to make more informed decisions.
24 Field experience and challenges facing sow production today, industry strategies
Authors: Ketchem Ronald T
Published: July 2019

I started in the swine industry in 1973 and served for the last 16 years as one of the owners of Swine Management Services (SMS), LLC. I have spent time in a lot of swine facilities of all sizes and ages, and I have seen lots of ideas tried and changes made both positive and negative. I feel that good sow data is your road map to monitoring farms and changes as they are made. SMS has created a company that takes sow reports, does the analysis, and sends written reports to the farm and management for review. SMS currently works with over 450,000 sows in the industry. The farm benchmarking program has 1.6+ million sows from 900+ farms in the United States, Canada, and Australia with data goes back 13 years. It compares farms based on pigs weaned / mated female / year with range of <18 to 34+ pigs. Top farms have figured out the need for quality labor, and they know that gilts are the key to the future—and they will make farrowing changes to improve day 1 care procedures to save more of those pigs. We now see farms with total born at 16+ pigs, pigs weaned per litter at 13+ pigs, pigs weighing 13+ pounds at 19 day weaning age, and sows after weaning coming back into heat in less than 5 days with 95+% breed by day 7. What are their bodies going through? I feel that the ability to manage and feed these high-producing females needs researching. Will that include a lot of work on the nutrition side, floors for sows in lose sows housing, and free stalls in lactation? Where is the trained labor needed coming from?
27 Defining a robust sow: swine nutrition perspective on reproduction and lactation
Authors: DeRouchey Joel M , Tokach Mike D , Goodband Robert D , Woodworth Jason C , Dritz Steve S , Menegat Mariana Boscato
Published: July 2019

Improvements in modern sow prolificacy have markedly increased the number of pigs weaned, thus the ability of sows to provide nutrients to support fetal growth and milk production has been enhanced. The goals of the gestation nutrition program consist of meeting the nutrient requirements for maintenance and growth and for adequate conceptus development, while managing body condition. Early gestation represents the best opportunity for replenishing body reserves, whereas in late gestation, both estimated protein deposition and energy requirement are exponentially increased and directed towards fetal growth and mammary development. Increased feed intake after breeding has been presumed to be detrimental to embryo survival; however, data with modern line sows demonstrates to feed thin sows to recover body condition as quickly as possible while avoiding feed deprivation immediately after breeding. Importance of body condition scoring remains unchanged: feed thin sows to bring back to adequate body condition and prevent over-conditioned sows at farrowing. A recent meta-analysis showed increasing late gestation feed intake seems to modestly improve piglet birth weight by 28 g per piglet in gilts and sows. Also, recent findings in gestating sows suggest modern genotypes have improved feed efficiency and propensity for growth. Therefore, increasing energy intake during late gestation has a modest effect on piglet birth weight and a negative effect on stillborn rate. Historically, lactation catabolism impacted subsequent reproductive performance of sows, particularly in first-parity. However, contemporary sows appear to be increasingly resistant to the negative effects of lactational catabolism. Even so, continued emphasis on maximizing lactation feed intake is critical to support milk production and prevent excessive lean tissue mobilization. Research data suggests that ad libitum feeding and offering lactation diets during the wean-to-estrus interval is not needed. Modern genetic sow lines appear to be more robust from a nutritional perspective than in the past.
34 Present and future of genomic test reporting in the cattle industry
Authors: Tait Rich , Ferretti Ryan , Simpson Barry , Walker Jeremy , Parham Jamie , Wu Xiao-Lin , Bauck Stewart
Published: July 2019

A series of custom low density (LD) SNP genotyping platforms have been created over the years. Recognized by the GeneSeek Genomic Profiler (GGP) nomenclature, these SNP arrays have increased in size as new versions were created, such as: GGP-LD-v1 (n = 8,762), GGP-LD-v2 (n = 20,057), GGP-LD-v3 (n = 26,151), GGP-LD-v4 (n = 30,108), and GGP Bovine 50K (n = 47,843), all of which contained a base of the Illumina Bovine LD array (n = 7,931) and then added SNPs to provide maximum information content (Shannon Entropy) and optimal genomic coverage into target populations without specific restrictions on overlap to historical commercial arrays such as the Illumina Bovine 50K (n = 54,001). Our approach has been to select SNP content which originated on the Illumina Bovine HD array (n = 777,962) or the GGP F250 functional SNP array (n = 221,115). This approach produced GGPs which: 1) have a larger number of SNPs that meet quality control metrics for minor allele frequency and Hardy-Weinberg segregation testing; 2) have superior imputation accuracy to the Illumina HD array in target populations; and 3) have causative SNPs or SNPs in closer LD with causative mutations for functional genomics studies and increased utility across populations. These design features have not always been utilized by users of the GGP portfolio. In some cases, users have imputed from GGP content back to the Illumina Bovine 50K SNP content within their population because that was the earliest process they developed in their evaluation system. This approach ignores the innovation and potential utility designed into the GGP chips for breeders within those organizations. We do not look back to prior SNP arrays for content definition for the purpose of bridging content from current arrays to the past. Instead, our vision is to continue to innovate, on a routine basis, which SNPs we provide to customers, so that their genetic evaluations can continue to evolve and improve into the future.
40 Alternative forages for dairy heifers
Authors: Akins Matthew , Remick Elizabeth , Su Huawei , Li Lingyan , Grisham Abbey , Coblentz Wayne K
Published: July 2019

Dairy heifers have moderate energy needs with diets containing high proportions of corn silage, often exceeding needs of pregnant heifers. Use of moderate energy forages to decrease energy and increase NDF content has been successful to control intake and growth of pregnant heifers. Several forages could be used, including cereal grain forages/straws, warm season perennial grasses, sorghum forages, and corn stover. Higher NDF content diets control intake through rumen fill as heifers eat approximately 1% of bodyweight in NDF daily. Research at the University of Wisconsin found reduced intakes and more desirable gains for pregnant heifers fed diets that included either corn stover, wheat straw, or eastern gamagrass (0.8–1.0 kg gain/day) compared with heifers fed an alfalfa/corn silage diet (1.2 kg gain/day). A study feeding alfalfa stemlage also found that heifers had more desirable gains (0.9–1.0 kg/day) when fed diets with stemlage or straw than heifers fed an alfalfa/corn silage diet. Sorghum forages may also work to partially replace corn silage in the forage program, with an opportunity to double-crop with cereal grain forages. Wisconsin studies show that sorghum forages can have similar or greater yields than corn silage when planted in early to mid-June and harvested once in the fall, with sorghums being more responsive to irrigation and nitrogen than corn. Most sorghums had similar or greater yields than corn silage when fertilized at 22–45 kg N/acre or irrigated at 50–75% of levels recommended for corn. A recent study found heifers fed sorghum-sudangrass silage based diets had lower intakes due to higher NDF content leading to more optimal daily gains (0.9 kg/d) than heifers fed a corn silage/alfalfa silage/grass hay diet that had similar protein and energy content, but was lower in NDF content. Use of alternative forages can help control nutrient intake and thus growth, and can also help control costs and improve nutrient/manure management by lowering intakes and forage production costs.
44 Amino acids in livestock: A historical perspective
Authors: Haydon Keith D , Dean Boyd R
Published: July 2019

The advent of commercially viable synthetic amino acids (AA) and least cost formulation (LCF) have fundamentally changed swine and poultry diets over the past 40 years. Amino acids can be produced by chemical synthesis, hydrolysis of intact proteins and fermentation. Chemical synthesis of AA was first reported by Strecker (1850). Discovery of glutamate as the basis of Umami taste category (1907) spurred commercial AA production by hydrolysis. The discovery of commercially viable fermentative production of glutamate, by Kyowa Hakko Kogyo Co. (1957), revolutionized AA production. Their parallel discovery of lysine (Lys) production, using a natural C. glutmanicum mutant subsequently followed. This led to further screening for bacterial mutants for threonine (Thr, 1961), tryptophan (Trp, 1972), valine (Val, 1959) and isoleucine (Ile, 1972). The next milestone occurred with development of the first main-frame LCF programs (1960s). The first commercial application of dietary AA involved methionine (Met) for poultry, followed closely by Lys in swine. Use of other synthetic AA was cost-prohibitive, but they served as research tools. The next revolution involved recombinant DNA technology (1980s), which dramatically increased AA yield and reduced production cost. Simultaneously, development of PC based LCF enabled cost effective formulation. Subsequently, growth-derived AA ratio’s emerged from the labs of Fuller (1989) and Baker (1992). Patent expirations in the late 1980s led to new companies that produced rapid advances in fermentation methods, with new recombinant strains. Production cost declined further for Lys (1988), and production efficiencies allowed Thr (1995) and Trp (2000) to enter commercial diets. Advances in fermentation technology have enabled production of all ten essential AA. Extensive AA displacement of protein supplements has led to an ever-expanding global tonnage of AA for food and pet animals. With routine addition of 4–6 AA in swine diets, we question whether non-essential AA nitrogen may emerge as limiting (essential).
54 Lipid nutrition and gut health of pigs
Authors: Lauridsen Charlotte
Published: July 2019

Lipids and fatty acids play major roles in relation to mucosal immune responses, epithelial barrier functions, oxidative stress and inflammatory reactions. The composition of fatty acids and their molecular structures (chain length and number of double bonds) influences digestion, absorption and metabolism of the dietary fat, as well as the bioactivity of the fatty acids. Piglets post weaning having immature intestines and immune functions are very vulnerable towards invading microorganisms. Manipulation of the milk fatty acid composition via the sow nutrition, or inclusion of dietary fat sources in the feed, may be used as a strategic tool to enhance pig performance and their gut health pre- and post weaning. Medium-chained fatty acids (MCFA) are absorbed directly into the portal blood and may contribute with immediate energy for the piglet. In addition, the MCFA possess antibacterial effects. The essential fatty acids, linoleic and linolenic fatty acids, form the building blocks for the longer –chained polyunsaturated n-3 and n-6 fatty acids. Their conversion into n-3 and n-6 eicosanoids influence the inflammatory reactions and the immune responses upon bacterial challenge. The proportion of unsaturated fatty acids in the cell membranes influence the susceptibility to oxidative stress. Oxidative stress accompanies infectious diseases, and if uncontrolled, the development of the lipid peroxides may be harmful for the epithelial barrier function. The aim of this presentation is to review how dietary fatty acid composition during critical phases of pigs’ lives can support a normal immune system and modulate resistance to infectious diseases of pigs, and influence growth of the pig. Furthermore, factors that can enhance oxidative stress (e.g. polyunsaturated fatty acids), uncontrolled inflammatory reactions (e.g. high ratio of n-6 to n-3 fatty acids in cellular membranes), and limit immune development (such as deficiency of fat-soluble vitamins), and be harmful for the pig gut health are addressed.
61 The impact of selective phenotyping and genotyping over generations in beef cattle
Authors: Reis Andrea Plotzki , da Costa Rodrigo Fagundes , Silva Fabyano Fonseca e , Cardoso Fernando Flores , Spangler Matthew L
Published: July 2019

The aim of this study was to investigate selective phenotyping to maintain adequate prediction accuracy. A simulation was conducted, with 10 replicates, using QMSim to mimic the structure and size of a Braford population. A population with 50 generations, 500 animals per generation, was created with phenotyping and genotyping beginning in generation 11. The scenarios investigated were: 1) Randomly phenotype and genotype 10, 25, 50, 75, and 100% of individuals each generation and; 2) Randomly phenotype and genotype 10, 25, 50, 75, and 100% of individuals in every-other generation. Estimated breeding values (EBV) were obtained using single-step GBLUP and accuracy was determined as the correlation between true BV from simulation and those estimated from the blupf90 family of programs. For scenarios where phenotyping and genotyping occurred every generation, EBV accuracies in generation 11 and 50 ranged from 0.32 to 0.32, 0.42 to 0.43, 0.49 to 0.51, 0.53 to 0.56 and 0.57 to 0.59 when 10, 25, 50, 75, and 100% of animals were chosen, respectively. The highest accuracies were 0.40 and 0.50 in generation 38 for scenarios 10 and 25%; 0.56, 0.61 and 0.64 in generation 40 for scenarios 50, 75 and 100%, respectively. When animals were selected every-other generation, EBV accuracy in generation 11 and 50 ranged from 0.24 to 0.26, 0.36 to 0.36, 0.43 to 0.42, 0.48 to 0.44 and 0.53 to 0.48 for 10, 25, 50, 75 and 100% of selected animals, respectively. The highest accuracies were in generation 23 for scenario 10% (0.31), in generation 37 for scenarios 25 (0.43), 50 (0.50) and 75% (0.55) and in generation 39 for 100% (0.59). Although increasing the density of phenotyped and genotyped animals increased prediction accuracy, some gains were marginal. These differences in accuracy must be contemplated in an economic framework to determine the cost-benefit of additional information.
89 Inclusion of GuarPro F-71 in a corn and soybean meal based diet: Effects on growth performance and nutrient metabolism in growing pigs
Authors: Shamimul Hasan M , Humphrey Rebecca M , Crenshaw Mark A , Brett James , Liao Shengfa F
Published: July 2019

Using alternative feedstuffs can be a feasible measure to reduce swine production cost. GuarPro F-71, a newly developed guar meal product, is considered as a potential protein source for pigs. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary GuarPro F-71 inclusion on growth performance and nutrient metabolism of growing pigs. Sixty crossbred barrows (31.9 ± 1.84 kg BW) were allotted to 5 dietary treatments according to a completely randomized experiment design with 4 pens/treatment and 3 pigs/pen. Diet 1 was a corn-and-soybean-meal based diet with nutrient composition following NRC (2012) recommendations. GuarPro-71 was used to replace 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% of soybean meal (on equivalent CP basis) in Diet 1 to generate Diets 2, 3, 4, and 5, respectively. Crystalline amino acids were used to balance the essential amino acid concentrations across the 5 diets. Dietary inclusion of GuarPro-71 reduced ADFI (P < 0.01), whereas no clinical signs of unhealthiness of pigs were observed. The magnitude of ADFI reduction showed linear but also quadratic relationships (P < 0.05) with the GuarPro-71 inclusion rate. The blood plasma concentrations of six metabolites (urea nitrogen, total protein, albumin, glucose, total cholesterol, and total triglycerides) were not affected (P > 0.30), indicating that the pigs’ metabolic utilization of nutrients was not compromised. The cubic effect (P < 0.05) of dietary GuarPro-71 inclusion on the G:F suggests that the level of soybean meal replacement up to 75% by GuarPro-71 did not negatively affect feed efficiency in pigs. In short, the feed intake reduction due to the dietary GuarPro-71 inclusion should be, if not solely, responsible for the ADG and final BW reduction. Overall, this study suggests that the dietary inclusion of GuarPro-71 can negatively affect ADFI and ADG in growing pigs. The reason for the ADFI reduction warrants further investigation.
91 Effects of antibiotics on growth performance, diarrhea, and bacterial translocation in weanling pigs experimentally infected with a pathogenic E. coli
Authors: Kim Kwangwook , He Yijie , Jinno Cynthia , Yang Seijoo , Song Minho , Ji Peng , Liu Yanhong
Published: July 2019

The experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of antibiotics on growth performance, diarrhea, fecal β-hemolytic coliforms, and bacterial translocation of weaned pigs experimentally infected with F18 Escherichia coli (E. coli). Twenty-six pigs (6.88 ± 1.03 kg BW) were individually housed in disease containment rooms and randomly allotted to one of three treatments with 8–9 replicate pigs per treatment. The three dietary treatments were control diet and 2 additional diets supplemented with 0.5 or 50 mg/kg carbadox, respectively. The experiment lasted 18 d (7 d before and 11 d after first inoculation [d 0]). F18 E. coli inoculum was daily and orally as 1010 cfu/3 mL for 3 days. Growth performance was measured on d -7 to 0 before inoculation, and d 0 to 5 and 5 to 11 post-inoculation (PI). Diarrhea scores were daily checked throughout the experiment. Fecal samples were collected on d 2, 5, 8, and 11 PI to test the percentage of β-hemolytic coliforms in total coliforms. Bacterial translocation was measured in lymph nodes on d 5 and 11 PI. All data were analyzed by ANOVA using PROC MIXED of SAS. Pigs supplemented with high-dose of antibiotics had greater (P < 0.05) final BW and lower (P < 0.05) overall frequency of diarrhea, compared with pigs in control and low-dose antibiotics groups. Pigs supplemented with low-dose antibiotics had lowest (P < 0.05) ADG and feed efficiency from d 0 to 5 PI, and had highest (P < 0.05) percentage of β-hemolytic coliforms in fecal samples on d 2 and 5 PI, and greatest (P < 0.05) bacterial colonies in mesenteric lymph nodes on d 11 PI, compared with pigs in the other two groups. In conclusion, low dose antibiotic supplementation exacerbates the detrimental effects of E. coli infection on pig performance and diarrhea.
106 Cellular aquaculture and agriculture: a transformative solution for feeding our planet
Authors: Cooperhouse Lou
Published: July 2019

Lou Cooperhouse is President & CEO of BlueNalu, a company pioneering the category of cell-based seafood, and which has received the largest amount of seed funding globally in this category. Lou has his educational degrees in Food Science and Microbiology, and worked at ConAgra, Campbell’s Soup, and a Nestle-funded startup earlier in his career in a variety of leadership positions. He most recently served as Executive Director of the Rutgers University Food Innovation Center. During this presentation, Lou will provide an overview of cell-based seafood, meats, and poultry; why this will be a transformative and disruptive industry in the decades ahead; and the technical, marketing, and regulatory challenges that will be associated with its ultimate success.
120 Effects of dietary leucine concentration on branched-chain amino acid metabolism in growing pigs
Authors: Kwon Woong B , Touchette Kevin J , Simongiovanni Aude , Syriopoulos Kostas , Wessels Anna , Stein Hans H
Published: July 2019

The hypothesis that excess dietary Leu affects growth performance and metabolism of branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) in growing pigs was tested. Forty barrows (30.0 ± 2.7 kg) were placed in metabolism crates and randomly allotted to 5 diets that contained 100, 150, 200, 250, or 300% of the requirement for standardized ileal digestible Leu. Initial and final body weight of pigs and daily feed provisions were recorded. Urine and fecal samples were collected for 5 d to measure N balance and biological value of diets. At the conclusion of the experiment, blood, brain, liver, and muscle samples were collected and average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), and gain to feed ratio (G:F) were calculated. Orthogonal polynomial contrasts were used to determine linear and quadratic effects of increasing Leu in the diets. Results indicated that ADG, ADFI, and G:F decreased (linear, P < 0.05) as dietary Leu increased (Table 1). A trend (linear, P = 0.082) for decreased N retention and decreased (linear, P < 0.05) biological value of protein was also observed. Plasma urea N increased (linear, P < 0.05) and a quadratic reduction (P < 0.05) in plasma serotonin and a linear reduction (P < 0.05) in cerebral serotonin were observed with increasing dietary Leu. Concentrations of BCAA in liver increased (linear, P < 0.001), concentrations of BCAA in muscle decreased (linear, P < 0.05), concentration of α-keto-isovalerate was reduced (linear and quadratic, P < 0.001) in liver, muscle, and serum, and α-keto-β-methylvalerate was reduced (linear and quadratic, P < 0.001) in muscle and serum, whereas α-keto-isocaproate increased (linear, P < 0.05) in liver and muscle, and in serum (linear and quadratic, P < 0.001) with increasing dietary Leu. In conclusion, excess dietary Leu reduced growth performance and cerebral serotonin and tended to reduce protein synthesis.
133 Effect of a proprietary medium chain fatty acid blend on nursery pig performance
Authors: Mellick Dillon , De Souza Ana , Iseri Vanessa , Mani Venkatesh
Published: July 2019

Previous studies have shown that the inclusion of medium chain fatty acids (MCFA) results in an improvement in nursery pig performance. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate a proprietary C8:C10 MCFA blend (CaptiSURE, Kemin Industries, Inc., Des Moines, IA) on nursery pig performance. A total of 360 weaned piglets (initial BW = 6.1 kg) were randomly assigned to a control (no MCFA blend) or 10 kg/t MCFA blend (10 pigs/pen, 18 replicate pens/treatment), in which MCFA blend was substituted at the expense of tallow at a 1:1 rate. Diets were manufactured in 3 dietary phases (d 0–7, 7–21, and 21–42) in pelleted form. Due to an unintended bacterial challenge at the sow farm, pigs were treated with amoxicillin using a pulse protocol (48 hrs on / 48 hrs off) from placement to d 21. Data were analyzed using the students T-test procedure, and pen served as the experimental unit. Within dietary phase 2 (d 7–21), the inclusion of MCFA blend improved ADG (264g vs 326g, P = 0.017) and G:F (0.79 vs 0.89, P = 0.005), while exhibiting a trend to improve ADFI (330g vs 364g, P = 0.080). Within dietary phase 3 (d 21–42), the inclusion of MCFA blend improved ADG (518g vs 581g, P = 0.024) and ADFI (719g vs 799g, P = 0.006). Overall (d 0–42), the inclusion of MCFA blend improved ADG (379g vs 438g, P = 0.007), ADFI (503g vs 0.562g, P = 0.009), and G:F (0.75 vs 0.78, P = 0.042), resulting in a 2 kg heavier pig (P = 0.043). In summary, the inclusion of a proprietary C8:C10 MCFA blend at 1.0% in nursery pig diets improved growth performance.
134 Evaluation of a medium chain fatty acid-based feed additive for nursery pigs
Authors: Thomas Lori L , Williams Hayden E , Woodworth Jason C , Tokach Mike D , Goodband Robert D , Dritz Steve S , DeRouchey Joel M , Mellick Dillon
Published: July 2019

A total of 350 pigs (DNA 400×200, initial BW=6.3 kg) were used in a 34-d growth trial to evaluate the effects of a medium chain fatty acid (MCFA)-based feed additive in nursery pig diets. Following arrival to the nursery facility, pigs were randomized to pens (5 pigs per pen) and allowed a 4-d acclimation period. Thereafter, pens of pigs were blocked by BW and randomized to 1 of 5 dietary treatments (14 pens per treatment). Treatments were a dose response of 0, 0.5, 1.0, or 2.0% MCFA-based additive (CaptiSURE, Kemin Industries, Inc.; Des Moines, IA) as well as a treatment including 1.0% MCFA from a 1:1:1 blend of C6, C8, and C10 (Sigma Aldrich, St. Louis, MO). Treatment diets were formulated and manufactured in two dietary phases (d 0 to 13 and 13 to 34). Data were analyzed as a randomized complete block design with pen serving as the experimental unit. Overall (d 0 to 34), increasing CaptiSURE increased (linear, P ≤ 0.014) ADG and ADFI. Feed efficiency improved (quadratic, P = 0.002) with increasing CaptiSURE up to 1% of the diet with no benefit thereafter. As a result of the linear improvement in ADG, pigs fed 2.0% CaptiSURE were 1.8 kg heavier (P = 0.05) than pigs fed diets without MCFA at d 34. There was no evidence for differences between pigs fed 1.0% CaptiSURE and pigs fed the 1.0% MCFA blend of C6, C8, and C10 in phase 1, phase 2 or in overall performance. In summary, the addition of up to 2% of this MCFA-based additive in nursery pig diets resulted in linear improvements in ADG and ADFI. The MCFA-based feed additive also resulted in a similar improvement in growth performance as the C6, C8, and C10 MCFA blend when both were added at 1% of the diet.
135 The effects of functional feed additive proteins with or without antibiotics on the growth and health status of nursery pigs
Authors: Ruckman Leigh A , Patience John F
Published: July 2019

The objective of this experiment was to determine the effects of dietary functional proteins with or without antibiotics on the growth and health of nursery pigs. A total of 1,230 pigs weaned at 15–18 days (4.93 ± 0.02 kg BW; PIC 359 X 1050, Hendersonville, TN) were randomly assigned to 1 of 6 dietary treatments (10 pens/treatment) for a 42-d experiment. Treatments were arranged as a 2 X 3 factorial of in-feed antibiotics (no vs yes) and functional feed additive proteins [none (CON), spray-dried plasma proteins (SDPP; AP 920, APC Inc., Ankeny, IA), or dried egg protein with IgY (DEP; Globimax JS, EW Nutrition, Des Moines, IA)]. Diets were fed in 4 phases with phase 3–4 common across treatments. Proteins were fed in phases 1 (d 0–13; 3% SDPP or 0.2% DEP) and 2 (d 13–26; 2% SDPP or 0.1% DEP). Antibiotics were fed in phase 1–3 (662 mg chlortetracycline/kg, 28 mg carbadox/kg, 441 mg chlortetracycline/kg, respectively). Growth performance data were analyzed using PROC MIXED of SAS (9.4). Pen was the experimental unit; proteins and antibiotics and their interaction were considered fixed effects. In the absence of antibiotics, compared with CON, SDPP and DEP increased ADG (CON: 0.237 kg, SDPP: 0.254 kg, DEP: 0.257 kg/d; P = 0.036) and ADFI (CON: 0.360, SDPP: 0.378, DEP: 0.383 kg/d; P = 0.040). In the presence of antibiotics, SDPP increased ADG compared with DEP, but not CON, (CON: 0.258, SDPP: 0.268, DEP: 0.251 kg/d; P = 0.036) and ADFI (CON: 0.385, SDPP: 0.398, DEP: 0.381 kg/d; P = 0.040). Diet had no effect on feed efficiency (P > 0.10). SDPP and DEP decreased the number of medical treatments administered (P = 0.001). In conclusion, the functional proteins increased growth performance in the absence of antibiotics, but not when antibiotics were used. However, the functional proteins were effective in decreasing medical treatments regardless of antibiotic use.
144 Effect of sodium butyrate (SB) on growth performance and complete blood cell count in nursery pigs: Two facility study
Authors: Tsai Tsung Cheng , Stein Hans H , Bradley Casey L , Blavi Laia , Bottoms Kristopher , Knapp Joshua , Maxwell Hannah , Maxwell Charles V
Published: July 2019

A total of 344 weaned pigs (21 ± 2 d of age) were used at University of Arkansas (UA, n = 2 16) and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, n = 128) to evaluate increasing level of sodium butyrate (SB) on growth performance and complete blood cell count. Pigs at each facility were blocked by initial BW and randomly allotted to 1 of 4 dietary treatments with 9 replications/diet and 6 pigs/pen at UA; and 8 replications/diet and 4 pigs/pen at UIUC. Treatments included a control corn-soybean-meal based diet and 3 diets in which 0.05, 0.10, or 0.15% SB was added to the control diet. Feed was manufactured at each facility. Pigs were fed in 3 phases: 7 d, 14 d, and 14 d at UIUC and 7 d, 14 d, and 19 d at UA for phase 1, 2, and 3, respectively. At UA, blood was collected at the beginning of the experiment and at the end of each phase to determine complete blood cell count. Data for growth performance for both facilities were pooled and analysed as a RCBD using the Mixed procedure of SAS. Treatment was the fixed effect, and facility and facility by treatment interactions were random effects. Orthogonal contrasts were used to assess linear and quadratic responses to inclusion of increasing levels of SB in diets. Increasing dietary SB increased weight gain (quadratic, P < 0.05), ADFI (quadratic, P ≤ 0.05), and final BW (quadratic, P < 0.05). Total white blood cell and eosinophil cell count tended to increase with increasing SB (quadratic, P = 0.07 and P = 0.08, respectively). The lymphocyte cell count tended to decrease (linear, P = 0.09) with increasing SB. Results indicated that feeding SB during the nursery phase tended to alter blood cell count and improve growth performance.
157 Effects of dietary corn distillers dried grains with solubles withdrawal on finishing pig performance and carcass characteristics
Authors: Lerner Annie B , Tokach Mike D , Woodworth Jason C , DeRouchey Joel M , Dritz Steve S , Goodband Robert D , Hastad Chad W , Coble Kyle F , Arkfeld Emily K , Cartagena Hilda Calderon , Vahl Christopher I
Published: July 2019

Two experiments evaluated the effects of removing corn DDGS from diets at increasing intervals before harvest on finishing pig performance and carcass characteristics. For Exp. 1, 985 pigs [PIC TR4×(Fast LW×PIC L02); initially 99 kg BW] were used in a 28-d study. There were 12 pens/treatment and four treatments decreasing in duration of DDGS withdrawal before marketing: 28, 21, 14, or 0 d. All pens were marketed by removing the 17% heaviest pigs on d -21 with remaining pigs marketed at final barn dump (d 0). Overall, there was no evidence for effects of DDGS withdrawal on final BW, ADFI, or G:F (P > 0.112); however, as withdrawal time increased, ADG increased (linear, P = 0.022) and iodine value (IV) decreased (linear, P = 0.001). There was no evidence for differences for HCW or loin depth (P > 0.106); however, yield increased (linear, P = 0.001) with increasing withdrawal time. Backfat depth decreased (quadratic; P = 0.019) and percentage lean increased (quadratic; P = 0.033) as DDGS withdrawal time increased. In Exp. 2, 1,158 pigs (initially 105 kg BW) were used in a 35-d study. There were 15 pens/treatment and four treatments decreasing in duration of DDGS withdrawal: 35, 28, 14, or 0 d. All pens were marketed by removing the 15% heaviest pigs on d -28, the 28% next heaviest pigs on d -14, with final barn dump of approximately 57% of starting inventory (d 0). There was no evidence that final BW, overall ADG, or G:F differed across treatments with increasing DDGS withdrawal times (P > 0.116). Overall ADFI increased (linear, P = 0.015) as time withdrawn from DDGS increased. Iodine value decreased (linear; P = 0.001) and yield increased (linear; P = 0.034) with increasing withdrawal time, with no evidence for differences in HCW, backfat, loin depth, or percentage lean (P > 0.05). These experiments suggest that longer withdrawal of DDGS prior to marketing improves carcass yield and decreases IV.
165 Impact of mycotoxin contamination of feed on growth performance and blood metabolites of growing pigs
Authors: Acosta Jesus A , Jones Gwendolyn M , Patience John F
Published: July 2019

The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of deoxynivalenol (DON), derived from contaminated corn, on growth performance and blood metabolites. A total of 32 growing pigs (initial BW 73.1 ± 1.2 kg; L337 × Camborough, PIC, Hendersonville, TN) were randomly allotted in individual pens to 1 of 2 treatments: a non-contaminated control diet (CTL) and a diet containing 1.8 mg DON/kg (CTL+DON). Upon analysis, CTL+DON also contained 1.9 mg zearalenone/kg and 1.0 mg total fumonisins/kg. On d 1, blood samples were obtained at 60, 120 and 240 min following resumed access to feed. Pigs had ad libitum access to feed thereafter and for 28 d in total. Data were analyzed using the MIXED procedure of SAS with initial BW, sex and treatment as fixed effects, and blood parameters the repeated measures. Compared with CTL, pigs fed CTL+DON had decreased final BW (102.9 vs 87.5 kg; P < 0.001), ADG (1.06 vs 0.51 kg; P < 0.001) and ADFI (2.97 vs 1.54 kg; P < 0.001). Mycotoxins did not affect G:F (0.35 vs 0.32; P = 0.234 for CTL and CTL+DON, respectively). Compared to CTL, pigs fed CTL+DON had increased levels of blood cholecystokinin, a hormone involved in satiety and digestion (32.1 vs 43.3 pg/mL; P = 0.048), increased ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates appetite and promotes fat deposition (345 vs 654 pg/mL; P = 0.011), a tendency for decreased blood urea nitrogen (19.6 vs 17.1 mg/dL; P = 0.076), and increased creatine kinase (2,826 vs 4,920 IU/L; P = 0.027). No treatment differences were observed for circulating creatinine, glucose, albumin, or alkaline phosphatase. In conclusion, mycotoxin contamination substantially impaired feed intake and growth. Pigs offered mycotoxin-contaminated feed had altered blood parameters related to appetite regulation and nutrient metabolism. However, it was not possible to determine if these differences were due to the mycotoxin contamination or to reduced feed intake.
172 Standardized total tract digestible phosphorus requirement of 11- to 23-kg pigs fed diets containing phytase
Authors: Vier Carine M , Dritz Steve S , Tokach Mike D , Woodworth Jason C , Goodband Robert D , DeRouchey Joel M
Published: July 2019

The objective of this study was to determine the standardized total tract digestible phosphorus (STTD P) requirement of nursery pigs from 11 to 23 kg fed diets containing 1,000 phytase units (FYT). A total of 2,140 barrows and gilts (PIC 359×Camborough, initial BW 11.1 ± 0.24 kg) were used in a 21-d growth trial with 24 to 27 pigs per pen and 12 pens per treatment in a randomized complete block design. The 7 dietary treatments consisted of 0.30, 0.33, 0.38, 0.43, 0.48, 0.53, and 0.58% STTD P, which represented 90, 100, 115, 130, 145, 160 and 175%, respectively, of the NRC (2012) requirement estimate for STTD P for pigs weighing 11 to 23 kg. All diets contained 1,000 FYT of Ronozyme Hiphos 2500 (DSM Nutritional Products, Inc., Parsippany, NJ) with assumed release values of 0.15% available P and 0.132% STTD P. Treatments were achieved by increasing the amount of calcium carbonate and monocalcium phosphate at the expense of corn, while maintaining a similar 1.17:1 total Ca:total P ratio across treatments. Experimental data were analyzed with pen as the experimental unit, using generalized linear and nonlinear mixed models, which included quadratic polynomial, broken-line linear, and broken-line quadratic models. Increasing STTD P quadratically improved (P < 0.05) ADG and feed efficiency (G:F). Final BW and ADFI increased linearly (P < 0.05) up to the highest STTD P level. Income over feed cost improved quadratically (P < 0.05), with the highest income observed at 0.43% STTD P. The broken-line linear plateau was estimated at 0.40% STTD P for ADG and at 0.37% STTD P for G:F. In conclusion, the estimated STTD P requirement for nursery pigs from 11 to 23 kg fed diets containing 1,000 FYT were greater than NRC (2012) requirement estimates and ranged from 0.37 to 0.43% to optimize performance and economic return.
176 Whole-grain fiber composition modifies phosphorus digestibility in grower pigs
Authors: Heyer Charlotte Maria Elisabeth , Fouhse Janelle M , Vasanthan Thavar , Zijlstra Ruurd T
Published: July 2019

Increased fermentable carbohydrates in cereal grains due to more amylose in starch or β-glucan in fiber may increase endogenous losses including for P, and thereby reduce apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of P. This study assessed effects of barley cultivars varying in chemical composition on apparent ileal digestibility (AID) and ATTD of P and Ca, and standardized total tract digestibility (STTD) of P compared with wheat. In a 6 (period) × 5 (diet) Youden square, 7 ileal-cannulated barrows (27.7 kg initial BW) were fed diets containing 80% of 1 of 5 grains differing in amylose, β-glucan, and fiber: 1) high-fermentable, high-β-glucan, hull-less barley (HFB); 2) high-fermentable, high-amylose, hull-less barley (HFA); 3) moderate-fermentable, hull-less barley (MFB); 4) low-fermentable, hulled barley (LFB); and 5) low-fermentable, hard red spring wheat (LFW). Diet STTD of P was calculated by correcting ATTD for the basal endogenous P loss using a constant value of 190 mg P/kg DM intake. Whole grains contained between 8.5 to 16.3 µmol/g DM phytate (any salt of myo-inositol 1,2,3,4,5,6-hexakis (dihydrogen phosphate); InsP6) and 1.6 to 3.0 g/kg DM InsP6-P. Data were analyzed using a mixed model with diet as fixed effect, and pig and period as random effects. On DM basis (g/kg), diets contained 131 to 286 g neutral detergent fiber, 8.8 to 85.4 g β-glucan, and 8.1 to 8.9 g total P. The MFB, LFB, and LFW had greater (P < 0.001) AID of P than HFB and HFA, and MFB had greater (P < 0.05) ATTD or STTD of P than HFB. The LFW had greater (P < 0.05) ATTD of Ca than LFB, whereas diet did not affect (P > 0.05) AID of Ca. In conclusion, whole grains high in fermentable fiber, e.g. β-glucans, in specific hull-less and hulled barley cultivars decreased diet digestibility of P and Ca.
175 Effects of increasing calcium to available phosphorus ratios in diets containing phytase on growth performance and bone mineral content of nursery pigs
Authors: Soto Jose A , Koehler Dean D , Kellesvig Leah M , Becker Spenser L , Gould Stacie A , Patience John F
Published: July 2019

The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the growth performance of nursery pigs in response to increasing total calcium to available phosphorus (aP) ratios in diets containing phytase (250 FTU/kg, Natuphos E, BASF, Florham Park, NJ). A total of 480 nursery pigs (BW=5.74 ± 0.62 kg; L337 X Camborough, PIC, Hendersonville, TN) with 10 pigs/pen and 7 pens per treatment (6 pens fed 2.75:1 diet) were allotted to 7 treatments consisting of increasing ratios of calcium to available phosphorus: 1.25, 1.50, 1.75, 2.00, 2.25, 2.50, 2.75. From d-7–0, pigs were fed a common diet. They were then fed the treatment diets during two experimental phases from d1–14, and d15–28, respectively. Available P was formulated to 0.33 and 0.27% (about 90% of requirement) in dietary phases 1 and 2, respectively. Body weight, ADG, ADF and G:F were determined. Mineral content of the femur was measured on d 35 on 1 pig per pen using DXA procedures. Data were analyzed as repeated measures using PROC MIXED (SAS, 9.3). Orthogonal polynomial contrasts were used to determine linear and quadratic effects of increasing the Ca:aP ratio. Increasing Ca:aP resulted in a linear decrease in ADG (353, 338, 328, 304, 317, 291, 280 g/d; P < 0.01), ADFI (539, 528, 528, 500, 533, 512, 489 g/d; P < 0.05) and G:F (0.68, 0.66, 0.64, 0.62, 0.61, 0.59, 0.58; P < 0.01). Increasing Ca:aP also resulted in decreased BW on days 14 and 28 (P < 0.01). Bone mineral content (BMC) decreased with increasing Ca:aP ratio (6.2, 6.3, 5.7, 5.9, 5.5, 5.6, 5.3 g; P < 0.05). In conclusion, all outcomes indicated that any level of calcium above the minimum used in this experiment impaired growth performance and skeletal development. Additional, longer term studies are required as these results were unexpected.
178 A systematic review and meta-analysis of Ca digestibility and utilisation in growing and finishing pigs
Authors: Misiura Maciej M , Filipe Joao A N , Walk Carrie L , Kyriazakis Ilias
Published: July 2019

The development of dietary recommendations based on digestible Ca values is an essential step to optimize pig performance and feed conversion because the present guidelines, expressed on total dietary Ca, are inadequate, as they ignore endogenous losses and the digestion process. A systematic review and meta-analysis of digestibility trials were performed to quantify factors affecting Ca absorption and retention, and to estimate endogenous Ca losses. Forty studies, corresponding to 201 dietary treatments performed on 1,204 growing pigs, were selected. Data analysis was performed in R using weighted linear mixed effects regression. The results indicated that while Ca absorption and retention (g/kg of BW/day) increased with increasing Ca (P < 0.001), with non-phytate-P (P < 0.001) and with exogenous phytase intakes (P < 0.001), these responses decreased with increasing phytate-P intake (P < 0.05). Interactions were detected between exogenous phytase and Ca intake (P < 0.001), indicating reduced efficacy of this enzyme, and between phytate-P intake and exogenous phytase (P < 0.05), indicating reversing of the direct negative effect of phytate-P on Ca absorption and retention. Based on the recommended Ca and P intake for a 25 kg pig, an exogenous phytase supplementation of 1,000 FTU/day could potentially improve Ca digestibility by 20–25%. There were no effects of animal characteristics (e.g. ‘genotype’) on Ca absorption and retention. The large amount of variance explained in Ca absorption (90%) and retention (91%) supported our a priori choice of independent variables. Estimated endogenous Ca losses were 239 mg/kg of DM (95% CI 114, 364). When scaled by bodyweight, the endogenous Ca excretion on Ca-and-P-free diets was 20.5 mg/kg of BW/day (95% CI 5.46, 36.5). These outcomes should contribute to a reassessment of Ca requirements, which should lead to a more accurate formulation of pig diets.
186 Effects of soybean meal concentration in lactating sow diets on sow and litter performance
Authors: Gourley Kiah M , Woodworth Jason C , DeRouchey Joel M , Tokach Mike D , Dritz Steve S , Goodband Robert D
Published: July 2019

A total of 133 sows (Line 241; DNA, Columbus, NE) were used to evaluate the effect of increasing soybean meal concentration in lactating sow diets on sow and litter performance. Sows were blocked by body weight and parity on d 112 of gestation and allotted to 1 of 3 treatments of increasing soybean meal (25, 30, or 35% of total diet). Diets were formulated to contain 1.05% SID Lys with L-Lys HCl decreasing as soybean meal increased. All other amino acids and nutrients were formulated to meet nutrient requirement recommendations with L-threonine, DL-methionine, L-tryptophan, and L-valine added to the 25% SBM diet. Diets were fed from d 112 of gestation until weaning (d 20 ± 2). Litters were cross-fostered until 48 h after farrowing to equalize litter size. Sow average daily feed intake from d 0 to 7 was similar across dietary treatments. However, ADFI decreased from d 7 to 14, d 14 to weaning, and overall, (linear, P = 0.017) sow BW loss, and tended to increase (quadratic, P = 0.052) backfat loss from farrowing to weaning. There was no evidence for difference between dietary treatments in litter size, litter weight, nursing litter weight gain at weaning, or wean to estrus interval. Sow serum urea nitrogen concentrations taken on d 14 increased (linear, P = 0.001) as soybean meal concentration increased; however, there was no evidence for difference in serum creatinine. In summary, sow feed intake decreased and sow weight and backfat loss increased with increasing soybean meal concentration with no differences observed for litter performance.