A 3 x 2 trial was conducted to determine the effects of adding canola oil (0, 5, or 10%) and copper sulfate (0 or 250 ppm Cu) to diets of growing-finishing swine on performance, carcass characteristics, and carcass fat fatty acid composition. The trial used 180 pigs (27 kg). Grower diets (.80% lysine for 0% canola oil diet) were given from 27 to 57 kg of BW and finisher diets (.64% lysine) from 57 to 102 kg. Diets were formulated to constant ME:lysine ratio within the grower and finisher phases. Over the entire growing-finishing period, the addition of canola oil to the diets resulted in linear improvements in rate of gain (P less than .05) and feed efficiency (P less than .01). Dietary additions of canola oil had no effect (P greater than .10) on resulting backfat thickness or longissimus muscle area but resulted in reductions (P less than .01) in loin marbling and color and carcass fat firmness, mostly noted in pigs fed the diets with 10% canola oil. Canola oil additions at 5 and 10% levels, respectively, resulted in a 23 and 37% reduction (P less than .01) in saturated fatty acids, 3 and 8% increase (P less than .01) in monounsaturated fatty acids, and 37 and 77% increase (P less than .01) in polyunsaturated fatty acids in the carcass fat compared with the diets without canola oil. The addition of canola oil to diets of growing-finishing swine had a favorable influence on animal performance and on increasing the unsaturated:saturated ratio of the carcass fat.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

A cooperative research study involving 1,080 litters was conducted at eight stations to determine the effects of additional feed during the last 23 d of gestation on reproductive performance of sows and on preweaning performance of their pigs. Primiparous and multiparous sows were fed fortified corn- or sorghum-soybean meal diets (14% crude protein). Control sows received 1.82 kg/d from March through November and 2.27 kg/d from December through February. Treated sows were fed an additional 1.36 kg of feed/d from d 90 of gestation to farrowing. Sows were allowed to consume the same diet ad libitum during a 21-d lactation. Additional feed in late gestation resulted in greater (P less than .001) sow weight gain from d 90 to d 110 of gestation (16.8 vs 9.0 kg) and greater (P less than .001) parturition-lactation weight loss (21.3 vs 16.4 kg). Total weight gain from breeding to 21 d of lactation favored sows that received extra feed (27.5 vs 22.7 kg; P less than .001). Sows receiving extra feed had more live pigs at farrowing (10.05 vs 9.71, P = .06) and at 21 d postpartum (8.35 vs 8.06, P = .09), and the pigs were heavier at birth (1.48 vs 1.44 kg, P = .003) and at 21 d (5.37 vs 5.20 kg, P = .006). Lactation feed intake and number of days from weaning to estrus were not affected by treatment. The results indicate that additional feed in late gestation improves reproductive performance in sows. In this study, the cost of an additional 31 kg of feed/sow was more than offset by the value of the additional sow weight gain (approximately 5 kg), the additional .3 of a pig/litter at weaning and the additional 2.6 kg of total litter weaning weight.

No abstract

Crossbred female swine (n = 393) were used in a multiparity study at five experiment stations to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation of folic acid (FA) on serum folates status and reproductive performance. The dietary treatments were a corn-soybean meal basal diet (calculated FA, .34 ppm) supplemented with 0, 1, 2, or 4 ppm FA. Experimental diets were fed continuously from a minimum of 21 d before first mating throughout the entire study. At one station, blood samples for radioimmunoassay determination of serum folates concentration were collected by vena cava puncture at mating, d 55 of gestation, d 110 of gestation, and at weaning. Stage of reproduction and dietary FA supplementation affected (P < .005) serum folates concentrations. Serum folates declined from mating to d 55, remained low at d 110, and returned to higher levels at weaning. Linear increases (P < .001) in serum folates with increasing level of dietary FA were observed at each reproductive stage. Over the course of the study, reproductive performance criteria including total pigs born, live pigs at birth and d 21, and individual pig and litter weight at birth and d 21 were not affected (P > .10) by inclusion of FA in the diet. The number of days postweaning to estrus also was not affected by FA treatment. Under the conditions of this experiment, increasing level of FA in the diet had a pronounced effect in attenuating decreased serum folates concentration during gestation but was without benefit to reproductive performance.

The effects of dietary fat or fructose supplementation during late gestation and lactation on sow milk production and composition and on progeny were examined. On d 88 of gestation, 24 sows were allotted by parity to three dietary treatments (eight sows/treatment). Treatments were 1) a 12.5% crude protein, corn-soybean meal control, 2) the control + 10% added fat or 3) the control + 23% high fructose corn syrup. All treatments were fed to supply 1.82 kg/d of the control diet from d 89 of gestation to parturition with sows in treatments 2 or 3 receiving .18 kg of additional fat or .53 kg of additional high fructose corn syrup, respectively. Feed was gradually increased from d 1 to 7 of lactation to 4.54 kg/d of the control diet (plus .45 kg of added fat and 1.33 kg of added fructose for treatments 2 and 3) and remained at these levels for the remainder of the 21 d lactation period. All treatments were iso-nitrogenous; treatments 2 and 3 were iso-caloric. Litter birth weights, number of pigs born alive, weaning weights and piglet survival rate were not affected by sow treatment. Stillbirths were less (P less than .05) for sows fed fat. Lipid content of milk 24 h post-farrowing was greater (P less than .05) from sows fed fat compared with sows fed fructose. Milk production estimates indicated that multiparous sows fed fat produced more (P less .05) milk than sows fed the control diet. On d 112 of gestation and d 15 of lactation, serial blood samples were drawn to monitor sow response to a glucose challenge (1 g/kg body weight).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)