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Peer-reviewed data have suggested that Mannan oligosaccharide [Actigen (ACT)] could positively influence gut barrier function and limit pathogenic bacteria adhesion to epithelial cells, thus representing a feasible alternative or a complement to pharmacological concentrations of zinc oxide (ZnO) in nursery swine diets. To scrutinize this hypothesis, a total of 2,592 pigs (initial BW 6.9 ± 0.4 kg) were used in a 37-day trial to determine the interactive effects of ZnO and ACT on nursery pig performance. Pens of 36 mixed sex pigs were randomly assigned to 1 of 6 dietary treatments with 12 replications per treatment. Treatments were arranged in a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement with main effects of zinc (100 or 3,000 ppm) and ACT (0, 400, and 800 ppm). Diets were fed in two phases: phase 1 from d 0 to d 21 and phase 2 from d 22 to d 37, which represented the experimental and common diets, respectively. No significant ZnO × ACT interactions (P > 0.10) were observed in growth performance or dead and removals in this study (Table 1). From d 0 to d 21, pigs fed diets with 3,000 ppm Zn had greater (P < 0.0001) ADFI, greater (P < 0.0001) ADG, and improved (P < 0.0001) feed efficiency compared with pigs fed diets containing 100 ppm Zn. From d 22 to d 37, pigs initially fed diets with 3,000 ppm Zn had reduced (P = 0.009) ADG and poorer (P = 0.0009) G:F, without evidence for differences (P = 0.615) in ADFI, compared with pigs fed diets containing 100 ppm of Zn. Additionally, pigs fed diets containing 3,000 ppm of Zn marginally increased (P = 0.077) removals prevalence compared with pigs fed diets with less Zn concentration. However, pigs fed diets with 3,000 ppm Zn and incremental levels of ACT marginally decreased (linear, P = 0.083) dead and removals prevalence. In conclusion, pigs fed pharmacological ZnO concentration increased overall growth performance, yet it was drastically worsened when Zn was reduced to basal levels, despite ACT supplementation. Additionally, whereas pigs fed the greatest Zn level marginally increased morbidity occurrence, ACT marginally reduced morbidity and mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experiment was conducted to determine the interactive effects of standardized ileal digestible (SID) lysine, dietary fiber, and amino acid ratios on growth performance of nursery pigs. A total of 4,320 pigs (initial BW = 7.8 kg), placed in pens of 36 mixed sex pigs, were used in a 43-d trial. Treatments were arranged in a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial structure with two levels of SID Lys (1.15 or 1.38%), two levels of dietary fiber [control or high fiber (5% sugar beet pulp + 3.75% soy hulls)], and two amino acid ratio profiles [control (65% SID Thr:Lys, 58% SID Met+Cys:Lys, 67% SID Val:Lys, 55% SID Ile:Lys, and 18.5% SID Trp:Lys) or AA+ (5 percentage points greater than control ratios)] with 15 replicates per treatment. The experimental diets were fed from d 0 to 25 and a common corn-soybean meal-based diet was fed from d 25 to 43. Pigs were weighed on d 0, 25, and 43 to calculate ADG, ADFI, and G:F. Data were analyzed with the MIXED procedure in SAS. From d 0 to 25, there was a fiber × amino acid ratio interaction (P = 0.008) for ADFI, where pigs fed the high fiber diet had similar ADFI, regardless of AA ratios, but those fed control levels of fiber had reduced ADFI when fed AA+ ratios (Table 1). Similar interactions were also observed (P < 0.05) for overall (d 0 to 43) ADG, ADFI, and final BW. There were no other significant interactions (P > 0.05). As for main effects, pigs fed low Lys had reduced (P < 0.05) ADG, ADFI, and G:F. Feeding high fiber diets reduced (P < 0.05) G:F but did not impact (P > 0.05) ADG or ADFI. Pigs fed AA+ ratios had improved (P < 0.05) G:F but no evidence for differences (P > 0.05) for ADG or G:F was observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the interactive effects of soybean meal (SBM) concentration and functional amino acids (FAA) threonine, tryptophan, and methionine supplementation above the requirements on the growth performance of nursery pigs. A total of 2,592 pigs (initial BW = 6.1 kg), placed in pens of 36 mixed-sex pigs, were used in a 33-d trial. Pens of pigs were allotted to 1 of 6 dietary treatments arranged as a 2 × 3 factorial with two levels of SBM (25 or 31%) and three FAA regimens (Low, Medium, and High) with 12 replicates per treatment. Amino acid ratios were: 58.5% SID Thr:Lys, 55% SID Met+Cys:Lys, and 16.5% SID Trp:Lys for the Low treatment; 65% SID Thr:Lys, 58% SID Met+Cys:Lys, and 18.5% SID Trp:Lys for the Medium treatment; and 71% SID Thr:Lys, 66% SID Met+Cys:Lys, and 23.5% SID Trp:Lys for the High treatment. Diets were fed in two phases: phase 1 from d 0 to 19 in pellet form and phase 2 from d 19 to 33 in mash form. Pigs were weighed on d 0, 19, and 33 to calculate ADG, ADFI and G:F. Data were analyzed with the MIXED procedure in SAS (Table 1). From d 0 to 19, there was no evidence (P > 0.10) for interactive effects. Pigs fed the Low FAA ratios had the poorest G:F (P = 0.004). From d 19 to 33 and overall (d 0 to 33), there was an interaction (P = 0.031) for G:F, where pigs fed 25% SBM had improved G:F with Medium or High FAA whereas those fed 31% SBM had improved G:F only with High FAA. There was no evidence (P > 0.10) for differences on ADG or ADFI throughout the study. In conclusion, our findings suggest a minor positive effect of FAA supplementation, with no effects of SBM on performance of weaned pigs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experiment was conducted to determine the interactive effects of wheat middlings (WM) and sugar beet pulp (SBP), on growth performance of nursery pigs. A total of 2,393 pigs (initial BW = 7.4 kg), placed in pens with 33 to 35 pigs each, were used in a 42-d trial. Treatments were arranged in a 2 × 3 factorial structure with two levels of WM (0 or 15%) and three levels of SBP (0, 2.5, or 5%) with 12 replicates per treatment. Corn and a fermented soybean meal product (ME-Pro, Prairie AquaTech, Brookings, SD) were replaced by the fiber sources to achieve the desired levels, whereas soybean meal inclusion rate was held constant across treatments. Diets were not balanced for net energy. The experimental diets were fed from d 0 to 21 and a common corn-soybean meal-based diet was fed from d 21 to 42. Pigs were weighed on d 0, 21, and 42 to calculate ADG, ADFI, and G:F (Table 1). Data were analyzed with the MIXED procedure in SAS. There was no evidence (P > 0.10) for WM × SBP interactive effects. From d 0 to 21, pigs fed WM had poorer (P = 0.040) ADG, ADFI, and G:F. Feeding up to 5% SBP did not affect (P > 0.10) growth performance. From d 21 to 42, pigs previously fed WM had improved (P = 0.012) G:F and those previously fed SBP had decreased (P, linear = 0.032) G:F. Overall (d 0 to 42), pigs fed WM had lower (P = 0.048) ADG and G:F and those fed SBP had decreased (P, linear = 0.012) G:F. In conclusion, there were no interactive effects between WM and SBP. Pigs fed 15% WM had decreased performance and a minor impact was observed by feeding up to 5% SBP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experiment was conducted to determine the interactive effects of soy hulls (SH) and sugar beet pulp (SBP) on growth performance of nursery pigs. A total of 2,448 mixed sex pigs (initial BW = 6.3 kg), placed in pens of 36 pigs each, were used in a 40-d trial. Treatments were arranged in a 2 × 3 factorial with two levels of SBP (0 or 5%) and 3 levels of SH (0, 3.75, or 7.5%) with 11 replicates per treatment. Corn and a fermented soybean meal product (ME-Pro, Prairie AquaTech, Brookings, SD) were replaced by the fiber sources to achieve the desired fiber concentration, whereas soybean meal inclusion rate was held constant across treatments. Diets were not balanced for net energy. Experimental diets were fed from d 0 to 18 and a common corn-soybean meal-based diet was fed from d 18 to 40. Pigs were weighed on d 0, 18, and 40 to calculate ADG, ADFI, and G:F (Table 1). Data were analyzed with the MIXED procedure in SAS. From d 0 to 18, there was a SH × SBP interaction for ADG (P = 0.016) and ADFI (P = 0.023). Pigs fed diets with the highest inclusion of SH without SBP had increased ADG and ADFI; however, pigs fed diets containing SBP had improved performance up to 3.75% SH inclusion, and decreased ADG and ADFI with the highest SH inclusion. From d 18 to 40 and overall (d 0 to 40), there was an interaction (P = 0.007) for G:F, where pigs fed diets containing 3.75% SH without SBP had improved G:F, while pigs fed diets with 3.75% SH containing SBP had worsened G:F. In summary, these results suggest that both fiber sources can be safely fed to nursery pigs, although the interactive effects must be considered when determining inclusion rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experiment was conducted to determine the effects of added Zn level on growth performance and hemoglobin of nursery pigs. A total of 673 pigs (initial BW = 6.0 kg) were used in a 45-d trial. There were 3 treatments based on added Zn level: 100, 2,000, or 3,000 mg/kg from Zn oxide. Experimental diets were fed for 21 d. After that, pigs were fed a common corn and soybean meal-based diet with 100 mg/kg added Zn for 24 d. There were 8 replicates per treatment. Pigs were weighed approximately every 10 d to evaluate growth performance, and blood samples were collected for hemoglobin analysis. Data was analyzed with SAS MIXED procedure. From d 0 to 10, there was a linear improvement (P < 0.05) in ADG, ADFI, and G:F with increasing Zn level. From d 10 to 21, increasing Zn level resulted in higher ADFI (linear, P = 0.009). However, there was no difference (P > 0.10) in ADG and G:F. From d 0 to 21, pigs fed increasing added Zn had improved (linear, P < 0.05) ADG and ADFI. From d 21 to 45, pigs previously fed high levels of added Zn had higher ADFI (linear, P = 0.023), but there was no evidence for differences (P > 0.10) for ADG and G:F. Overall (d 0 to 45), pigs fed increasing added Zn levels had improved (linear, P < 0.05) ADG, ADFI, and final BW. A quadratic response (P < 0.05) was observed for hemoglobin on d 10 and 45, with no differences (P > 0.10) observed on d 21. In summary, pigs fed high levels of added Zn presented improved growth performance. Although the response was linear in nature, the differences between pigs fed 2,000 or 3,000 mg/kg Zn were minimal for the response variables evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two experiments were conducted to determine the effects of trace mineral source and level for grow-finish pigs. In Exp. 1, 2,168 pigs (initial BW = 23.0 kg) were used in a 117-d trial. There were 5 treatments based on inorganic (sulfates and oxides) or organic (Alltech Bioplex, Lexington, KY) minerals supplemented at different levels as follows: 1) Industry inorganic (120 mg/kg Zn, 100 mg/kg Fe, 40 mg/kg Mn, 10 mg/kg Cu); 2) 100% NRC inorganic (60 mg/kg Zn, 60 mg/kg Fe, 2.2 mg/kg Mn, 4 mg/kg Cu); 3) 33% NRC organic (20 mg/kg Zn, 20 mg/kg Fe, 0.7 mg/kg Mn, 1.3 mg/kg Cu); 4) 66% NRC organic (40 mg/kg Zn, 40 mg/kg Fe, 1.5 mg/kg Mn, 2.6 mg/kg Cu); and 5) 100% NRC organic (60 mg/kg Zn, 60 mg/kg Fe, 2.2 mg/kg Mn, 4 mg/kg Cu). Selenium level was 0.30 mg/kg for all treatments. Treatment 1 had 14 replicates and the other treatments had 18 replicates. Pigs were weighed approximately every three weeks and carcass data was collected at the end of the trial. Data was analyzed with SAS MIXED procedure. There was no evidence for differences (P > 0.10) for overall ADG, ADFI, G:F, and final BW. Pigs fed 66% NRC organic had the highest (P < 0.05) percentage lean and loin depth. In Exp. 2, 1,188 pigs (initial BW = 25.9 kg) were used in a 120-d trial with two treatments: 1) Industry inorganic and 2) 66% NRC organic, with the same mineral levels as Exp. 1 and 24 replicates per treatment. There was no difference (P > 0.10) in growth performance. Similar to Exp. 1, pigs fed 66% NRC organic had higher (P < 0.05) percentage lean and loin depth. In conclusion, lower levels of organic trace minerals resulted in improved carcass characteristics without compromising growth performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experiment was conducted to determine the effects of the initial nursery diet budget on growth performance. A total of 3,264 pigs (initial BW = 5.5 kg), placed in pens with 51 pigs each, were used in a 45-d trial. There were 4 treatments consisting of different feed budgets of the initial nursery diet: 4.1 kg, 5.4 kg, 6.8 kg, or 8.2 kg. The experimental diet was corn, soybean meal, and whey permeate-based and contained 1.38% SID Lys. After the allocated budget was consumed, pigs were provided a common corn and soybean mealbased diet. There were 16 replicates per treatment. Pigs were weighed weekly to calculate ADG, ADFI, and G:F. Data were analyzed with SAS MIXED procedure. In the first 14 d of the trial there was no evidence for differences (P > 0.10) in growth performance as all pigs were receiving their allocated budget of the initial diet. From d 14 to 21 as well as d 0 to 21, pigs that received a budget of 6.8 or 8.2 kg had improved ADG (quadratic, P < 0.05) and G:F (linear, P < 0.05) compared to those fed budgets of 4.1 or 5.4 kg. From d 21 to 45, when all pigs received a common diet, there was no evidence for differences (P > 0.10) in ADG. However, there was a linear response (P < 0.05) in G:F, with pigs previously fed the lowest feed budget presenting improved G:F. Overall (d 0 to 45), there was an improvement (linear, P < 0.05) in ADG and ADFI as feed budgets increased, with the best performance observed when pigs were fed 6.8 or 8.2 kg of the initial nursery diet. In conclusion, providing a 6.8 or 8.2 kg budget of the initial nursery diet resulted in improved overall nursery performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experiment was conducted to determine the effects of L-Lys HCl inclusion in diets with or without distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) on growth performance of finishing pigs. A total of 2,414 pigs (initial BW = 92.7 kg) were used in a 34-d trial. Treatments were arranged as a 2 × 3 factorial treatment structure with two levels of DDGS (0 or 10%) and three levels of L-Lys HCl (0.2, 0.3, or 0.4%). Diets were corn and soybean meal-based and were formulated to be isocaloric (NE = 2,668 kcal/kg) and isolysinic (0.75% SID Lys) by adjusting the inclusion of soybean meal, crystalline amino acids, and choice white grease. All other nutrient levels met or exceeded the NRC (2012) requirement estimates. There were 16 replicates per treatment. Pigs were weighed and feed disappearance measured to calculate ADG, ADFI, and G:F. Data was analyzed with SAS MIXED procedure. There was no evidence (P > 0.10) for interactive effects between L-Lys HCl and DDGS inclusion rate. Pigs fed diets with 10% DDGS had improved (P = 0.002) G:F, but there was no evidence (P > 0.10) for differences in ADG or ADFI. Pigs fed increasing levels of L-Lys HCl had higher (linear, P = 0.026) ADFI, decreased (quadratic, P = 0.013) G:F, and a tendency for quadratic response (P = 0.063) in ADG, overall with the poorest performance observed for pigs fed the diet with 0.4% L-Lys HCl. In conclusion, pigs fed 0 or 10% DDGS presented similar performance; however, pigs fed the high level of L-Lys HCl presented decreased performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 20-d experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of added Zn and Cu on growth performance of nursery pigs. Treatments were arranged in a 2 × 2 factorial treatment structure with main effects of added Zn (100 or 3,000 mg/kg of diet) and Cu (10 or 200 mg/kg of diet). Basal Zn and Cu levels (100 and 10 mg/kg, respectively) were from organic sources, while the added high levels (2,900 and 190 mg/kg, respectively) were from Zn oxide and Cu hydroxychloride. A total of 784 pigs (PIC 337 × Camborough), initially 6.0 kg, were used with 7 replicates per treatment. Experimental diets were corn, soybean meal, and whey permeate-based and contained 1.38% SID Lys. Pigs were weighed and feed disappearance measured to calculate ADG, ADFI, and G:F. Data were analyzed with SAS MIXED procedure. From d 0 to 10, there was no evidence (P > 0.10) for interactive or main effects of Zn or Cu. From d 10 to 20 and overall (d 0 to 20), there was an interaction (P < 0.05) between Zn and Cu for G:F. From d 10 to 20, pigs fed 10 mg/kg added Cu had improved G:F when 3,000 mg/kg added Zn was fed; however, pigs fed 200 mg/kg added Cu had similar G:F regardless of added Zn level. There was no evidence (P > 0.10) for interaction for ADG or ADFI, indicating an additive Zn and Cu effect. Feeding 3,000 mg/kg added Zn or 200 mg/kg added Cu improved ADG, ADFI, and final BW with the highest performance observed when feeding both 3,000 mg/kg added Zn and 200 mg/kg added Cu. In summary, feeding high levels of Zn or Cu did not impact the first 10-d postweaning performance, but Zn and Cu effects were observed in the subsequent 10-d and overall performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two experiments were conducted to determine the effects of a functional protein (FXP; Ani-Tek Group, LLC, Shelbina, MO) on growth performance of nursery pigs. A total of 840 pigs (PIC 337 × Camborough), initially 5.5 kg, were used with 28 pigs per pen and a total of 15 replicates per treatment. There were two treatments, which consisted of a control diet and the control diet with added FXP. The experimental diets were corn, soybean meal, and whey permeate-based and contained 3,000 mg/kg added Zn. The inclusion of FXP was 0.3% of the diet. Experimental diets were fed for 23 d, followed by a common corn and soybean meal-based diet from d 23 to 48. Pigs were weighed and feed disappearance measured to calculate ADG, ADFI, and G:F. There was no evidence (P > 0.10) for treatment × experiment interactions, thus data was combined for statistical analysis using the MIXED procedure of SAS. From d 0 to 23, pigs fed diets containing FXP had higher (P < 0.05) ADG, ADFI, and BW and a tendency (P = 0.053) for improved G:F. During the common period (d 23 to 48), pigs previously fed FXP had a tendency (P < 0.10) for higher ADG and ADFI. Overall (d 0 to 48), pigs that received FXP had higher (P < 0.05) ADG, ADFI, BW, and a tendency (P = 0.055) for improved G:F. In conclusion, the inclusion of the functional protein improved growth performance of nursery pigs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experiment was conducted to determine the effects of Zn level and Ca source on nursery performance. Treatments were arranged in a 2 × 2 factorial with main effects of added Zn (100 or 3,000 mg/kg) and Ca source (limestone or Ca citrate). The basal level of Zn (100 mg/kg) was from organic source, whereas the 3,000 mg/kg was created with the inclusion of 2,900 mg/kg Zn oxide. A total of 3,701 pigs (PIC 337 × Camborough), initially 5.4 kg, were used with 18 replicates per treatment. Experimental diets were fed for 19 d, followed by a common diet from d 19 to 49. Pigs were weighed and feed disappearance measured to calculate ADG, ADFI, and G:F. Data were analyzed with SAS MIXED procedure. There were interactions (P < 0.05) between Zn and Ca for G:F from d 10 to 19 and 0 to 19. From d 10 to 19, feeding 3,000 mg/kg added Zn improved G:F with both Ca sources, but the magnitude of improvement was greater when diets contained Ca citrate. From d 0 to 19, only pigs fed Ca citrate presented improvement in G:F when fed 3,000 mg/kg added Zn. For main effects, feeding 3,000 mg/kg added Zn improved (P < 0.05) ADG and G:F from d 0 to 10. From d 10 to 19 and 0 to 19, feeding 3,000 mg/kg added Zn increased (P < 0.05) ADG and ADFI. During the common period (d 19 to 49), pigs previously fed 100 mg/kg added Zn had improved (P < 0.01) G:F. Overall (d 0 to 49), no differences (P > 0.10) in performance were observed. In conclusion, there were no major differences in performance between Ca sources. Pigs fed 3,000 mg/kg added Zn presented improved growth performance from d 10 to 19 but not overall. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Production systems commonly have multiple fill events in the nursery, which can lead to inaccurate feeding of dietary budgets. A simpler feeding program may provide practical benefits to producers. Five trials were conducted to compare nursery phase-feeding programs. Two treatments consisting of a 2-phase or a single-phase program were applied for 22 d postweaning. The 2-phase program consisted of a feed budget of 1.4 kg of a phase 1 diet formulated with 1.45% SID Lys and 5.4 kg of a phase 2 diet with 1.36% SID Lys. The single-phase program provided 6.8 kg of a unique diet with 1.38% SID Lys. Diets were corn, soybean meal, and whey permeate-based and contained 3,000 mg/kg Zn. All other nutrients met or exceeded the NRC (2012) recommendations. After the experimental period, pigs were fed a common diet for 23 d. In the five trials, 5,090 pigs were used with a total of 63 and 69 replicates per treatment for 2-phase and single-phase programs, respectively. There was no treatment × trial interactions (P > 0.10), thus data was combined for statistical analysis using SAS PROC MIXED. From d 0 to 22, pigs fed the single-phase program had higher (P = 0.041) ADFI and a tendency (P = 0.075) for higher BW. From d 22 to 45, pigs previously fed the single-phase program had a tendency (P = 0.057) for higher ADG. Overall (d 0 to 45), pigs fed the single-phase program had higher (P = 0.037) ADG and a tendency (P = 0.077) for higher final BW, with comparable (P > 0.10) ADFI and G:F to the 2-phase program. In conclusion, feeding a single-phase nursery program in the first 22 d postweaning resulted in higher overall ADG and similar ADFI and G:F compared to a 2-phase nursery program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]