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Prairie Swine Centre is an affiliate of the University of Saskatchewan
Prairie Swine Centre is grateful for the assistance of the George Morris Centre in developing the economics portion of Pork Insight.
Financial support for the Enterprise Model Project and Pork Insight has been provided by:
Byproduct Feed Ingredients for Swine Diets – Opportunities and Challenges
Posted in: Nutrition, Pork Insight Articles by admin on April 1, 2010 | No Comments
Biofuel production, and grain and oil processing produces byproducts, and these can be used in swine diets to reduce feed costs. The nutritional value of byproducts varies greatly with the parent source, the type of processing, and the individual processing plant. Some of the byproducts used are high fibre, and generally high fibre reduces performance, but the digestibility of fibre also varies. DDGS is a commonly used byproduct, and it has a typical nutrient profile similar to corn, but it does alter the fat characteristics when used in high percentages. Bakery byproducts have good nutritional value, though they are often priced higher than other byproducts due to competition for their use. Corn gluten feed has also been included at high levels into diets with success, and could be further utilized by different enzymes or pelleting. Wheat shorts have 85% the nutritional value of corn, and can be included up to 40% for grow-finish pigs. Finally, soybean hulls have higher fibre, protein, and energy than other byproducts, but should only be included up to 5%. Choosing a reliable source for byproducts and sticking with one byproduct can help maintain performance while reducing feed costs.
The Use of Byproducts and High Fiber Ingredients in Swine Diets
Posted in: Nutrition, Pork Insight Articles by admin on | No Comments
With increased feed costs more producers are including byproducts as part of their diet formulation. DDGS is commonly used and the nutrient value can vary greatly, making it important to have a consistent source. Switching to a diet with byproducts should be done gradually otherwise there may be an impact on ADG. The iodine value measures unsaturated fatty acids, which in turn indicate fat firmness. DDGS can have an impact on IV, and also on carcass yield. To avoid reduced carcass yield, it is recommended to stop feeding byproducts several weeks before market. Extra care should be taken before feeding byproducts to sows. The feed should be free of mycotoxins, and the same ingredients should be used for gestation and lactation diets. Finally, when mixing a diet it is important to not overload the mixer, as this could cause uneven distribution of amino acids and additives.
Milk Production and Nutritional Requirements of Modern Sows
Posted in: Nutrition, Pork Insight Articles, Production by admin on | No Comments
As litter sizes increase, it is important that the sow is able to produce enough milk. Nutrition and genetics contribute to milk production, but other factors like feed intake, body condition, and water intake can influence it as well. Milk production can remain high if a sow is given adequate energy and amino acids. The lysine requirement for sows is 62 g/day SID, but the percent in food changes with parity. Gilts require the highest percent because they have a lower feed intake, so increasing the percent will help avoid a parity 2 dip. Synthetic lysine can also be added up to 0.30% for all parities. Energy amount and type both influence milk production. In this study, ad lib feeding systems increased feed intake 7% compared to hand feeding. As well, with an ESF feed intake was maximized by feeding 1.8, 1.8, and then 2.7 kg of feed for the first three days of lactation, and then fully feeding. Bump feeding (increasing feed the last 2-3 weeks of gestation) is not recommended for over condition sows, and more research is needed to determine if there is any benefit for other sows. Adding additional fat to lactation diets has had limited success. One study found increased litter gain in P3+ sows, and another found increased gain in litters that was not maintained post-weaning.
Epidermal Growth Factor-Expressing Lactococcus lactis Enhances Intestinal Development of Early-Weaned Pigs
Posted in: Nutrition, Ontario Pork, Pork Insight Articles by admin on February 10, 2010 | No Comments
Stress and incomplete gastrointestinal development in early-weaned piglets represent significant challenges in commercial swine farming. Orally ingested recombinant epidermal growth factor (EGF) has been shown to remain biologically active in the gastrointestinal tract as well as stimulate intestinal development, reducing the incidence of pathogen infection and diarrhea. We have previously shown that the food-grade bacterium Lactococcus lactis can be genetically altered to express biologically active EGF when fed to early-weaned mice. In this study, we assigned 8 pigs to
each of 4 groups that were given EGF-expressing L. lactis (EGF-LL), empty vector-expressing L. lactis (EV-LL), recombinant human EGF, or unsupplemented bacterial media, all of which were delivered as 50-mL i.g. doses twice per
day. All pigs were killed after 14 d to examine intestinal morphology. Pigs in the EGF-LL group had greater jejunal and duodenal villus heights (P,0.0001) and intestinal length (P = 0.049) than pigs in the control group. Immunohistochemistry with antibodies against proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) revealed that the proliferation of intestinal cells was significantly greater in the EGF-LL group than in the control group. PCNA expression and intestinal length also were greater in the EV-LL group, which received L. lactis that did not express EGF, than in the control group (P = 0.049), further supporting the use of naturally occurring intestinal microbes as desirable vectors for recombinant protein delivery. Our data demonstrates the feasibility of delivering a growth factor using common probiotic bacteria to farm animals for commercial practice.
Formulating diets for growing pigs: economic and environmental considerations
Posted in: Nutrition, Pork Insight Articles, Swine Innovation by admin on October 22, 2009 | No Comments
Traditionally a pig’s diets is created based on two pieces of criteria, growth and cost. A diet that focuses on maximizing growth and minimizing costs overlooks some externalities such as environmental impacts. Nitrogen and phosphorus are two nutrients implemented in a pigs diet to enhance growth, although excessive amounts of these two nutrients in a diet will cause more of the nutrients to go undigested and excreted by the pig. When manure is disposed the excreted phosphorus and nitrogen build up in soils resulting in pollution of surface and ground water. This paper proposes a linear model which considers environmental impacts as well as economic impacts with the intentions of helping hog farmers and mill operators develop cost effective pig diets while not harming the environment. The authors developed a multi-criteria model that considers minimum nitrogen and phosphorus excretion and minimum costs. The models were based off real world diets and costs from Quebec and France and then compared. After making the comparisons the results showed that it is possible to limit the amount of harmful nutrients excreted while still keeping costs down. This information has value to producers, mill operators and also policy makers who can set limitations or incentives to help protect the environment from soil saturation.
Generation of epidermal growth factor–expressing Lactococcus lactis and its enhancement on intestinal development and growth of early-weaned mice
Posted in: Nutrition, Ontario Pork, Pork Insight Articles, Production by admin on July 29, 2009 | No Comments
Epidermal growth factor (EGF) plays an important role in intestinal proliferation and differentiation. Previous studies
by others have shown that administration of EGF into the ileum lumen enhances intestinal development. Objective: The objective was to examine the feasibility of expressing and delivering EGF via Lactococcus lactis to earlyweaned mice to enhance intestinal development at this critical transition stage. Design: EGF-expressing L. lactis (EGF-LL) was generated with a recombinant approach. Early-weaned mice were orally gavaged with the recombinant bacteria. Body weight, mean villous height, and crypt depth in the intestine were measured to examine the influence of EGF-LL on the intestinal development of early-weaned mice in vivo. Populations of EGF-LL were shown to survive throughout the intestinal tract, and the recombinant EGF protein was also detected in intestinal contents. Weight gain was significantly greater in mice that received EGF-LL than in control mice fed phosphatebuffered saline or L. lactis transformed with the empty vector backbone but was comparable with that of the positive control mice that received recombinant human EGF. EGF-LL increased mean villous height and crypt depth in the intestine. Immunohistochemistry also confirmed that enterocyte proliferation was enhanced in mice that received EGF-LL, as evidenced by the greater number of cells stained with proliferative cell nuclear antigen in the intestine. This study showed that EGF-LL had beneficial effects on the intestinal growth of newly weaned mice. The combination of growth factor delivery and a probiotic approach may offer possibilities for formulating dietary supplements for children during their weaning transition stage.
Sow Feeding Management During Lactation
Posted in: Nutrition, Pork Insight Articles by admin on April 1, 2009 | No Comments
Larger litter sizes and higher body weights in modern sows mean they must produce more milk, but also have higher maintenance requirements. In order to support maintenance and lactation the feed intake of sows should be maximized during lactation, but this can be affected by feeding regimes during other phases and by other factors during lactation. Dry sows should not be overfed and should be fed based on BCS, as overweight sows will have reduced lactation feed intake and other health issues which can lead to earlier culling. After farrowing, feed allowance should rapidly increase and sows should be fed multiple meals to allow them to eat at their leisure. Sows should be fed to appetite, which is close to ad libitum. Room temperature should be a compromise between keeping piglets warm (26-30°C) and keeping sows comfortable (12-20°C), one way is to provide heat lamps for piglets and to keep the room slightly cooler (around 20°C). Heat stress in sows can result in lower milk production, and piglets may need to be supplemented with milk or creep feed. Water availability, flow, and quality are all important to maintain sow appetite. Feed intake is also affected by the care sows receive from people, and comfort of the sow from crate, feeder, and drinker design.
Lowering Feed Costs
Posted in: Economics, Nutrition, Pork Insight Articles by admin on | No Comments
Feed costs remain (and are expected to remain) the major cost in pig production. In Great Britain, the cost of producing 1kg of meat is higher than other major pork producing countries, and they also have lower production levels. In the UK, reducing feed costs is complicated by variables that are hard to control due to the production system used. This includes lack of environmental control due to semi-intensive housing, use of straw, the use of old housing or large group housing, and disease. Feed costs can be reduced by reducing wastage, competition for nutrients, or increasing feed utilization. Competition for nutrients can be from disease presence, fungi such as fusarium, and yeast or bacteria in feed. Improper nutrient utilization can occur due to feed formulation imbalances, inaccurate nutritional values, and particle size. Some of the basic requirements of increasing daily feed intake are to have feed in the feeder when the pig wants it, have the feed accessible, have adequate feeder space, placing the feeder to avoid fouling, uniformly blending feed, and controlling formulation changes to avoid anti-nutritional factors. Other considerations include having strategies to counter the effects of hot weather, being aware of breed-specific feed intake curves, running feed intake trials regularly, and monitoring of ingredient changes in different loads for liquid feeding. The use of co-products in feed can help reduce costs, although there are problems to consider before incorporating them into a diet. The nutrient profile is not always consistent and can deteriorate in storage, storage tank uniformity needs to be monitored and controlled, the nutrient profile should be analyzed regularly, co-products may be less palatable, co-products can carry contaminants, and handling may be challenging.
Fractional Protein Synthesis Rates Are Similar When Measured by Intraperitoneal or Intravenous Flooding Doses of L-[ring-2H5]Phenylalanine in Combination with a Rapid Regimen of Sampling in Piglets
Posted in: Nutrition, Ontario Pork, Pork Insight Articles by admin on July 24, 2008 | No Comments
Fractional protein synthesis rates (FSR) are widely measured by the flooding dose technique via either an i.g. or an i.v. route. This study was conducted to compare differences in tracer incorporation and FSR in organs and tissues of fed piglets. The piglets were surgically implanted with catheters and randomly assigned to receive a flooding dose of Phe (1.5 mmol/kg body weight, 40 percent molar enrichment with [2H5]Phe) in saline administered via an i.p. or an i.v. route. [2H5] Phe free-pool enrichment in plasma increased logarithmically (P , 0.05) from 0 to 25% in the i.p. group, whereas it
rose to a peak level within 3 min of the tracer injection and then decreased linearly (P , 0.05) in the i.v. group. Intracellular free-pool tracer enrichments in organs and tissues were within the range of the values measured for the plasma-free pool (25–27%), reaching the flooding status. Administration of the tracer via the i.p. and i.v. routes induced a logarithmical pattern (P , 0.05) of a surge in plasma cortisol concentrations within 30 min. Measurements of FSR in plasma, cardiac muscle, and skeletal muscles were lower (P , 0.05) in the i.p. than in the i.v. group due to the adverse effect of cortisol surge being more dramatic (P , 0.05) in the i.p. than in the i.v. group at 30 min of the post-tracer administration. We conclude that FSR may be measured by the flooding dose through an i.p. or an i.v. route and the i.p. route may underestimate FSR by the flooding dose for plasma, cardiac muscle, and skeletal muscles. This concern may be addressed by a fast regimen of sampling to be completed within 12–20 min after an i.p. route of tracer injection.
Enhanced Resistance to Bacterial Infection in Protegrin-1 Transgenic Mice
Posted in: Environment, Nutrition, Ontario Pork, Pork Insight Articles by admin on April 29, 2008 | No Comments
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria have become a public health concern. It was suggested that one source of resistant pathogens may be food-producing animals. Alternative approaches are therefore needed to enhance the resistance of farm animals to bacterial infection. Protegrin-1 (PG-1) is a neutrophil-derived antimicrobial peptide that possesses activity against a wide range of bacteria and enveloped viruses. Here we report on the production of transgenic mice that ectopically expressed PG-1 and compare their susceptibilities to Actinobacillus suis infection with those of their wild-type (WT) littermates. Of the 126 mice that were challenged with A. suis, 87% of the transgenic mice survived, whereas 31% of their WT littermates survived. The PG-1 transgenic mice had significantly lower bacterial loads in their lungs and reduced numbers of pulmonary pathological lesions. The antimicrobial function of PG-1 was confirmed in vitro by using fibroblast cells isolated from the transgenic mice but not the WT mice. Moreover, differential blood cell counts in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid indicated greater number of neutrophils in PG-1 transgenic mice than in their WT
littermates after bacterial challenge. Our data suggest that the ectopic expression of PG-1 in mice confers enhanced resistance to bacterial infection, laying the foundation for the development of livestock with improved resistance to infection.