Keywords
blending, finishing feed, growth, nursery feed, nursery pig
Abstract
A total of 1,260 pigs [PIC TR4 × (Fast LW × PIC L02); initial body weight (BW) 23.3 lb] were housed in two commercial research rooms and used in a 28-d study to determine the effects of blending increasing amounts of finishing feed into phase 3 nursery diets on pig growth performance. At weaning, pigs were placed into pens with 21 pigs per pen and 30 pens per room. Pigs were fed commercial nursery diets in a 5-phase feeding program with phases 1 and 2 fed before the start of the experiment. At the beginning of phase 3 (day 0), pens of pigs were blocked by pen weight and room. Within blocks, pens were allotted randomly to 1 of 4 treatments with 15 replications per treatment. Treatments consisted of a dose-titration of blending increasing amounts of late finishing feed (0, 2.75, 5.5, and 8.25 lb per pig, corresponding to 0, 3, 6, and 9 tons per 2,200-head barn, respectively) into a phase 3 nursery diet. Diet changes to the remaining phases were based on feed budgets. From day 0 to 14, average daily gain (ADG) was unaffected as finishing feed budget increased from 0 to 2.75 lb/pig but decreased thereafter (quadratic,P= 0.090). Average daily feed intake (ADFI) was unaffected, but feed-to-gain ratio (F/G) worsened (linear,P<0.001) as more finishing feed was blended into phase 3 nursery diet. From day 14 to 28, pigs previously fed increasing levels of late finishing feed had improved (linear,P<0.05) ADG and F/G, but unaffected ADFI. Overall (day 0 to 28), blending increasing amounts of finishing feed with phase 3 nursery diet decreased ADG (linear,P= 0.050) and tended to decrease (linear,P<0.07) ADFI and final BW. However, there was no evidence of any linear or quadratic effects of increasing finishing feed budgets on overall F/G. Feed cost, gain value, and feed cost per lb of gain decreased (linear,P<0.05) as finishing feed budget increased from 0 to 8.25 lb/pig. However, income over feed cost was not different among treatments. In conclusion, feeding increasing amounts of late finishing feed to phase 3 (28 lb) nursery pigs decreased overall ADG and ADFI, but did not affect income over feed cost.
Recommended Citation
Wu, F.; Tokach, M. D.; Woodworth, J. C.; Hastad, C. W.; DeRouchey, J. M.; Dritz, S. S.; and Goodband, R. D.
(2018)
"Effects of Feeding Increasing Amounts of Finishing Diet Blended with Nursery Diets on Growth Performance and Economics of Nursery Pigs,"
Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports:
Vol. 4:
Iss.
9.
https://doi.org/10.4148/2378-5977.7672
Rights Statement
