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This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: jas.2006-464v1 85/6/1530    most recent Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Eisemann, J. H. Articles by van Heugten, E. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Eisemann, J. H. Articles by van Heugten, E.

Response of pigs to dietary inclusion of formic acid and ammonium formate^1,2

Department of Animal Science and Interdepartmental Nutrition Program, North Carolina State University, Raleigh 27695

³ Corresponding author: Joan_Eisemann{at}ncsu.edu

The objective of this study was to determine the optimal inclusion rate of dietary formic acid-ammonium formate (composition by weight was 62% formic acid and 37% ammonium formate) in nursery and grower-finisher diets or grower-finisher diets only. At weaning (d 21 ± 2), 224 pigs (equal numbers of gilts and barrows) were blocked by BW within sex (28 pigs per BW block, 4 pigs per pen) and assigned randomly to 1 of 7 dietary treatments within each block. Dietary treatments (TRT), listed as percentage of dietary formic acid-ammonium formate in the nursery (NR) and the grower-finisher (GRF) diets, were as follows (NR and GRF): TRT 1: 0.0 and 0.0; TRT 2: 1.2 and 1.0; TRT 3: 0.0 and 1.0; TRT 4: 1.0 and 0.8; TRT 5: 0.0 and 0.8; TRT 6: 0.8 and 0.6; and TRT 7: 0.0 and 0.6. During the grower 2 (GR2) period, pigs fed treatments containing formic acid-ammonium formate in the nursery diets (TRT 2, TRT 4, and TRT 6) had greater (P < 0.05) ADG and G:F than pigs fed diets containing formic acid-ammonium formate in the grower period only (TRT 3, TRT 5, and TRT 7). Average daily feed intake tended to decrease (NR1, P = 0.07) or decreased (NR2, P < 0.05) for pigs fed formic acid-ammonium formate in the nursery (TRT 2, TRT 4, and TRT 6) compared with pigs fed control diets (TRT 1, TRT 3, TRT 5, and TRT 7). The ADFI also decreased (P < 0.05) during the GR1 and GR2 periods for pigs fed diets containing formic acid-ammonium formate compared with pigs fed control (TRT 1). In the combined nursery data, there was no effect (P > 0.10) of treatment on ADG. Pigs on diets containing formic acid-ammonium formate ate less feed (P < 0.05) and had improved G:F (P < 0.05) compared with pigs on the control treatments (TRT 1, TRT 3, TRT 5, and TRT 7). Combining the grower-finisher phases, G:F was greater (P = 0.05) for pigs fed diets containing formic acid-ammonium formate than for pigs fed the control feed. The efficiency of gain (i.e., G:F) was improved by 3.5% for pigs fed all formic acid-ammonium formate treatments and ranged from 2.3 (TRT 7) to 5.9% (TRT 4) compared with pigs fed control (TRT 1). Combining all phases from nursery to finisher, the G:F ratio tended (P = 0.08) to be greater for pigs fed formic acid-ammonium formate compared with pigs fed control. The efficiency of gain was improved by 3.0% for pigs fed all formic acid-ammonium formate treatments, ranging from 1.8 (TRT 7) to 5.2% (TRT 4), compared with pigs fed the control diet (TRT 1).

Key Words: ammonium formate • formic acid • growth performance • pig

² We thank G. Huntington, C. Powell, S. Beasley, C. Salmon, J. Plummer, E. Fritts, K. McCaughey, C. Fogal, K. Frick, L. Roberson, D. McLaurin, H. Settlemyre, L.Tancredi, J. Asbill, J. Hamilton, D. St. Hilaire, J. Rogerson, K. Magee, and N. Muley for their assistance in conducting the experiment and R. Condon for his assistance with the statistical analysis.