High Fibre Diets for Swine
Feed cost represents more than 60% of the variable cost of swine production and a major part of the feed cost is to ensure that pigs have adequate energy and protein supply to reach their optimum potential in terms of the production goals. Corn, wheat, barley, and soybean meal have been the most widely used feedstuffs to meet the energy and protein requirements of pigs. However, the prices are variable over time. Therefore, swine producers have to look for feed resources to ensure economic sustainability of their business. Currently, canola meal and cereal grain co-products from the biofuel and milling industry are commonly used for diets in Western Canada because of their availability, low-cost and nutrient content. However, these alternative feed resources are typically fibrous in nature and when fibrous ingredients are incorporated into pig diets; the carbohydrate composition inevitably changes from a high starch diet toward a diet containing less starch and more non-starch polysaccharides,
which are the major component of dietary fiber.
