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Efficacy of Furazolidone in Grower Diets on Subsequent Performance of Swine - a Cooperative Study^1,2,

University of Kentucky, Lexington 40546 , Texas Tech University, Lubbock 79409 and Kansas State University, Manhattan 66502

Abstract

Nine experiments were conducted at three stations to evaluate the efficacy of furazolidone as a growth promoter in diets for young swine and to determine if an early growth response is maintained after the additive is withdrawn from the diet. A total of 528 pigs (24 replications, 132 pigs/treatment) initially averaging 12 kg body weight were fed' a nonmedicated basal diet or a diet with 110 ppm furazolidone for 5 wk, 165 ppm furazolidone for 3 wk or 220 ppm furazolidone for 2 wk. After withdrawal of furazolidone, the basal diet was fed to the end of the test, at which time the pigs averaged 93 kg. During the initial 2-wk period, pigs fed furazolidone gained 15.4% faster (P<.001) and required 8% less (P<.001) feed per unit of gain than control pigs fed the nonmedicated diet. At 5 wk, pigs previously fed furazolidone gained 8.4% faster (P<.001) and 4.5% more efficiently (P<.001) than controls. By 10 wk, pigs previously fed furazolidone maintained a slight advantage in growth rate over controls (2.6%, P<.10), but feed/gain responses were similar for the two groups. By the end of the experiment, the early growth response from furazolidone was completely lost. Although there were differences in growth responses among stations, the treatment response patterns were similar for each station, with no evidence of a treatment x station interaction. The results suggest that failure to include an antimicrobial agent in the finishing diet may result in a loss of the growth advantage that occurs when antimicrobials are fed during the early growth stages.

¹ Approved as paper no. 83-5-82 of the Kentucky Agr. Exp. Sta., Dept. of Anim. Sci.

² This study was supported in part by a grant-in-aid from Norwich Pharmacal Co. (Presently Norwich Eaton Pharmaceuticals, Inc.), Norwich, NY 13815.