The Effects of Energy and Lysine Concentrations in Grower Diets for Pigs on Performance from 8 to 12 Weeks of Age

• Published in: Irish journal of agricultural and food research 2002-06, Vol.41 (1), p.95-104
• Main Authors: Weatherup, R. N., Beattie, V. E., McCracken, K. J., Henry, R. W., McIlroy, S. G., Smyth, S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal productions; Biological and medical sciences; Crop science; Diet; Digestion; Energy intake; Experimentation; Feed intake; Food; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Meat science; Protein digestion; Swine; Terrestrial animal productions; Vertebrates
• ISSN: 0791-6833; 2009-9029

Two trials were conducted to examine the effects of offering diets with a range of energy and lysine concentrations on the performance of growing pigs from 8 weeks of age for a period of 28 days. Cereal/soya diets were formulated to contain 15.5, 14.4, 13.4 and 12.4 MJ digestible energy (DE)/kg with either 226 (high) or 194 (low) g crude protein/kg in a 4 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments. Diets were offered ad libitum to 192 individually-housed pigs (Trial 1) and to 1317 group-housed pigs in groups of approximately 20 (Trial 2). In the finishing phase, all pigs were offered the same commercially available diet over a 9-week period. There were no significant interactions between dietary energy and lysine concentration on growth performance. At the lower energy concentrations, feed intake increased (P < 0.001) but DE intake was reduced (P < 0.001) in Trial 1. Live-weight gain (g/day) was similar at all energy concentrations. In Trial 2, pigs had similar feed intakes at all energy concentrations with the result that DE intake, daily live-weight gain and feed conversion ratio were poorer (P < 0.001) at the lower energy concentrations. Growth performance was not adversely affected by reducing lysine concentration in either trial.