Journal of Animal Science, Vol 79, Issue 9 2378-2387, Copyright © 2001 by American Society of Animal Science

JOURNAL ARTICLE

Effect of nutrient intake in lactation on sow performance: determining the threonine requirement of the high-producing lactating sow

D. R. Cooper, J. F. Patience, R. T. Zijlstra and M. Rademacher
Prairie Swine Centre Inc., Saskatoon, SK, Canada.

Reproductive performance is steadily increasing within the pork industry; logically, amino acid requirements need to be redefined for sows producing larger litters. The objective of this study was to determine the threonine requirement of the high-producing lactating sow and to determine the effect of lysine on this requirement. A total of 419 PIC C-15 sows were assigned randomly to treatment within parity groups (1, 2, and 3+) and gestation treatment at d 110 of gestation. Lactation diets were formulated to contain 0.80% total lysine (tLYS) with 0.30, 0.35, 0.40, 0.45, 0.50, 0.55, 0.60, or 0.65% total threonine (tTHR) or 1.06% tLYS with 0.40, 0.45, 0.50, 0.55, 0.60, 0.65, or 0.70% tTHR. Litters were standardized to a minimum of 11 piglets within 48 h after farrowing, and sows had free access to feed throughout lactation (lactation length = 20.1 +/- 0.1 d). Sow ADFI exceeded expectation, averaging 6.90, 7.40, and 7.20 kg/d for Parities 1, 2, and 3+, respectively. Daily tLYS intake was 58 g/d (47 g of apparent ileal digestible lysine [dLYS] per day) and 74 g/d (59 g dLYS/d) for the low- and high-lysine group, respectively. Lysine intake did not affect sow or litter performance (P > 0.10). Sows gained an average of 4.8 kg in lactation. Using regression analysis, BW gain was maximized at 0.54% tTHR for all parity groups (quadratic; P < 0.05). Litter weaning weight (67.1, 67.9, and 66.2 kg for Parities 1, 2, and 3+, respectively) and litter weight gain (2.49, 2.53, and 2.44 kg/d for Parities 1, 2, and 3+, respectively) were maximized at 0.53% tTHR using regression analysis, for all parity groups (quadratic; P < 0.05). Based on regression analysis, plasma urea nitrogen on d 10 and 18 was minimized at 0.54% tTHR (P < 0.05). Lysine levels in excess of 58 g of tLYS/d did not benefit sow or litter performance. The requirement for threonine to minimize sow tissue mobilization was 37, 40, and 38 g tTHR/d (28, 30, and 30 g of apparent ileal digestible threonine [dTHR] per day) for Parities 1, 2, and 3+ sows, respectively. The threonine required to maximize litter performance was 36, 39, and 38 g of tTHR/d (28, 30, and 29 g of dTHR/d) for Parities 1, 2, and 3+ sows, respectively. Alternatively, the requirement can be expressed as 14.3 g tTHR (11.8 g dTHR) per kilogram of litter gain.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				K. T. Soltwedel, R. A. Easter, and J. E. Pettigrew Evaluation of the order of limitation of lysine, threonine, and valine, as determined by plasma urea nitrogen, in corn-soybean meal diets of lactating sows with high body weight loss J Anim Sci, July 1, 2006; 84(7): 1734 - 1741. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				X. Guan, B. J. Bequette, P. K. Ku, R. J. Tempelman, and N. L. Trottier The Amino Acid Need for Milk Synthesis Is Defined by the Maximal Uptake of Plasma Amino Acids by Porcine Mammary Glands J. Nutr., September 1, 2004; 134(9): 2182 - 2190. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. P. McNamara and J. E. Pettigrew Protein and fat utilization in lactating sows: I. Effects on milk production and body composition J Anim Sci, September 1, 2002; 80(9): 2442 - 2451. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]