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This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: jas.2008-1325v1 87/4/1502    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 Hinson, R. B. Articles by Richert, B. T. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Hinson, R. B. Articles by Richert, B. T.

Effect of feeding reduced crude protein and phosphorus diets on weaning-finishing pig growth performance, carcass characteristics, and bone characteristics^1,2

R. B. Hinson^*, A. P. Schinckel^*, J. S. Radcliffe^*, G. L. Allee, A. L. Sutton^* and B. T. Richert^*,3

^* Department of Animal Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2054; and Department of Animal Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia 65211-5300

³ Corresponding author: brichert{at}purdue.edu

Two experiments were conducted to determine the effects of feeding a corn- and soybean meal-based diet (control) or a low nutrient excretion (LNE) diet, formulated with reduced dietary CP and additional synthetic AA, low phytic acid corn, and phytase, on pig growth performance during the grower (BW = 32 to 77 kg) and finisher (BW = 78 to 126 kg) periods and on carcass and bone characteristics at slaughter. Pigs (32 ± 1.3 kg of BW, Exp. 1; 6.7 ± 0.27 kg of BW, Exp. 2) were blocked by sex and BW and randomly allotted to a control or LNE diet. Pigs were housed in 4 rooms during the nursery period and in 2 rooms during the grower and finisher periods, with individual and identical ventilation systems. Pigs were phase fed 3 nursery diets for 5 wk (Exp. 2) and phase fed 2 grower and 2 finisher diets for 16 wk (Exp. 1 and 2). Pigs were housed 4 or 5 pigs/pen with 9 pens·sex^–1·treatment^–1 during the nursery period and 4 or 5 pigs/pen with 5 pens·sex^–1·treatment^–1 in the grower phase and 2 or 3 pigs/pen in the finisher phase. Individual BW and pen feed disappearance were recorded weekly in the nursery period and every 2 wk in the grower-finisher period. Pigs were scanned ultrasonically at d 34 of the nursery period and wk 8 and 16 of the grower-finisher period to determine backfat depths and LM area. Ten pigs·sex^–1·treatment^–1 were slaughtered at wk 16 of each experiment to determine carcass characteristics. Overall growth performance was not different during each experiment. However, nursery G:F (control = 0.65; LNE = 0.60), grower ADG (Exp. 1 and 2), and grower G:F (Exp. 2) were reduced (P < 0.05) when the LNE diets were fed. Diet had no effect on 10th-rib carcass data in either experiment. Metatarsal bone ash percentage was reduced (P < 0.05) when the LNE diets were consumed in both experiments. Feeding LNE diets resulted in the maintenance of overall growth performance, bone variables, and carcass characteristics. However, further refinements are still required in the nursery and grower phases of pig production to optimize LNE diet use by the swine industry.

Key Words: bone characteristic • carcass composition • crude protein • low-phytate corn • phosphorus • pig growth