Dietary Omega-6 to Omega-3 Fatty Acid Ratios Affect Body Fat Mobilization During Lactation
Litter sizes have increased due to improved management practices and genetics, though pre-weaning mortality is even higher now. This may be due to sows not being able to keep up with the energy demands of the litter. Over subsequent parities, loss of body condition and...
Development of Diets for Low Birth-Weight Piglets to Improve Post-Weaning Growth Performance and Optimize Net Returns to the Producer
A cost to the commercial pork production is variability in growth. Birth weights have a large variance from 0.40 kg to 2.5 kg. The smaller pigs rarely demonstrate compensatory growth and have a lagging rate of gain throughout all growth stages, often needing an additional...
Weaning at 28 Days. Is Creep Feeding Beneficial?
Creep feeding in the farrowing room is often practiced to ensure the transition to solid feed at weaning goes smoothly. This is important as weight loss and increased disease risk are often noted post-weaning due to the stressful transition. Even a limited amount of creep...
Do Peas and Canola Meal have Synergistic Effects when Included in Diets for Growing Pigs?
Canola meal may mask the taste of a field pea diet that has been hypothesized to impact palatability. These two ingredients are often used in diets together as they are produced in Western Canada and have complementary amino acid profiles for their proteins. The interaction...
Effects of Altering the Omega-6 to Omega-3 Fatty Acid Ratio in Sow Diets on the Immune Responses of their Offspring Post-Weaning
Feed intakes are reduced and immune responses are generated at weaning as it is the most stressful time in a piglet's life. Since omega-3 fatty acids have anti-inflammatory properties, they could improve performance post-weaning by altering their immune status. The omega-6:omega-3 ratio given in sow...
Dietary Omega-6 to Omega-3 Fatty Acid Ratios Affect Sow Reproduction and Piglet Performance
Maximizing the reproductive performance of sows is crucial to optimize pig flow and improve the economics of the production of pork. Many nutritional strategies have been used and there is growing interest in using dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids like the omega-3 fatty acids alpha-linolenic acid...
Dietary Omega-6 to Omega-3 Fatty Acid Ratios Affect Colostrum, Sow and Piglet Plasma Fatty Acid Profiles
Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) have proven health benefits, such as anti-inflammatory properties. Omega-6 PUFA's have the opposite biological activity and since direct competition occurs between them, the ratio is important to maximize the benefits of including omega-3 fatty acids in sow diets. Plant sources...
Does Palatability Affect the Intake of Peas in Pigs?
Field peas are an excellent feed ingredient for swine due to the high content in certain essential amino acids and digestible energy. They are also a major source of income for Western Canada farmers. Concerns about feed intake and taste have led to Canadian farmers...
The Effect of Different Feed Ingredients on Fermentation Metabolites and Nitrogen Excretion in Pigs
Protein and dietary fibre fermentation in the pig intestine may have harmful or beneficial effects on gut health and the environment. Fermentable fibres can be a source of energy for the pig and can also decrease ammonia concentration in the gut. Including fermentable fibre in...
In Vitro Fibre Fermentation Characteristics of Specialty Ingredients with Varying Non-Starch Polysaccharides Levels
New alternative feed ingredients with functional properties to improve gut health while having a positive impact on the environment are wanted in the pork industry. Fermenting dietary fibre in the intestine results in short-chain fatty acids forming which stimulate growth of beneficial bacteria and limits...