Effects of dietary energy and crude protein levels on growth performance, blood profiles, and nutrient digestibility in weaning pigs

• Published in: Animal bioscience 2019, 32(4), , pp.556-563
• Main Authors: Fang, Lin Hu, Jin, Ying Hai, Do, Sung Ho, Hong, Jin Su, Kim, Byung Ock, Han, Tae Hee, Kim, Yoo Yong
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal experimentation; Animal feeding and feeds; Blood Profiles; Body weight; Crude Protein; Dietary protein; Energy; Feed research; Food and nutrition; Growth; Growth Performance; Nutrient Digestibility; Physiological aspects; Swine; Urea; Weaning Pigs; 축산학
• ISSN: 1011-2367; 2765-0189; 1976-5517; 2765-0235
• DOI: 10.5713/ajas.18.0294

This experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of reducing dietary metabolic energy (ME) and crude protein (CP) levels on growth performance, blood profiles, and nutrient digestibility in weaning pigs. A total of 240 crossbred pigs (Duroc×[Landrace×Yorkshire]) with an average body weight of 8.67±1.13 kg were used for a 6-week feeding trial. Experimental pigs were allotted to a 2×3 factorial arrangement using a randomized complete block design. The first factor was two levels of dietary ME density (low ME level, 13.40 MJ/kg or high ME level, 13.82 MJ/kg) and the second factor was three dietary CP levels based on subdivision of early and late weaning phases (low CP level, 19.7%/16.9%; middle CP level, 21.7%/18.9%; or high CP level, 23.7%/20.9%). Over the entire experimental period, there were no significant difference in body weight among groups, but a decrease in diet energy level was associated with an increase in average daily feed intake (p = 0.02) and decrease in gain-feed ratio (G:F) ratio (p