L-arginine supplementation of milk liquid or dry diets fed to pigs after weaning has a positive effect on production in the first three weeks after weaning at 21 days of age
A Hernandez, CF Hansen, BP Mullan, JR Pluske, 2009, Animal Feed Science and Technology 154:102–111.
04-Jun-2010 (16 years 4 days ago)Dietary requirement for arginine (ARG) is high in young pigs due to its role as nitrogen (N) carrier in tissue proteins and its key role in gastrointestinal growth and development. However, the post-weaning period is associated with low and irregular intake of dry feed. An effective way to increase dry matter (DM) intake after weaning is to offer milk liquid diets such that ARG added to a milk liquid diet could be a more efficacious means of increasing ARG intake compared with addition to a dry diet. In this regard, we tested the hypothesis that dietary supplementation with ARG will increase performance of pigs after weaning. The specific aims of the study were to compare the effects of ARG added to a milk liquid or dry diet on production indices and, second, to measure levels of circulating urea and AA as a preliminary means to elucidate possible mechanisms of action.
A total of 48, 21-day-old weaned pigs, was used in a 2×2 factorial arrangement of treatments with the factors being diet type (milk liquid replacer vs. dry feed) and l-arginine (ARG) supplementation (0 vs. 6 g ARG/kg) to test the hypothesis that dietary supplementation with ARG would increase performance of pigs after weaning. Pigs were fed the experimental diets for 10 d (days) after weaning and then transitioned over a 3-d period to a dry Phase II diet fed in meal form devoid of supplemental ARG. The study ended at d 21. There were five replicates (pens) per treatment (a total of 12 pigs per treatment). Blood samples were collected from two pigs per replicate on d 7 and 16 of the experiment, and free amino acids (AA) and plasma urea nitrogen (PUN) levels analysed.
Milk-fed pigs outperformed (P<0.001) dry-fed pigs for the first 10 d of the experiment as well as for the total 21-d period. At d 7, milk-fed pigs had higher (P<0.05) levels of most free indispensable and dispensable amino acids in their plasma. In both the milk-fed and dry-fed pigs supplemented with ARG, average daily feed intake (ADFI, P<0.05) and average daily gain (ADG, P<0.05) were increased during the dietary transition period (d 11–14), when pigs were being changed to the Phase II diet. The difference in production in the transition period caused a tendency for ARG-supplemented pigs to eat more feed (P<0.1) and grow faster (P<0.5) over the 21-d experimental period. Pigs supplemented with ARG had higher plasma ARG levels (P<0.05) at d 7 after weaning and lower plasma urea levels (P<0.05) at both d 7 and 16 after weaning.
These data show the benefits of feeding a milk liquid diet as well as of ARG supplementation after weaning on production indices.
A total of 48, 21-day-old weaned pigs, was used in a 2×2 factorial arrangement of treatments with the factors being diet type (milk liquid replacer vs. dry feed) and l-arginine (ARG) supplementation (0 vs. 6 g ARG/kg) to test the hypothesis that dietary supplementation with ARG would increase performance of pigs after weaning. Pigs were fed the experimental diets for 10 d (days) after weaning and then transitioned over a 3-d period to a dry Phase II diet fed in meal form devoid of supplemental ARG. The study ended at d 21. There were five replicates (pens) per treatment (a total of 12 pigs per treatment). Blood samples were collected from two pigs per replicate on d 7 and 16 of the experiment, and free amino acids (AA) and plasma urea nitrogen (PUN) levels analysed.
Milk-fed pigs outperformed (P<0.001) dry-fed pigs for the first 10 d of the experiment as well as for the total 21-d period. At d 7, milk-fed pigs had higher (P<0.05) levels of most free indispensable and dispensable amino acids in their plasma. In both the milk-fed and dry-fed pigs supplemented with ARG, average daily feed intake (ADFI, P<0.05) and average daily gain (ADG, P<0.05) were increased during the dietary transition period (d 11–14), when pigs were being changed to the Phase II diet. The difference in production in the transition period caused a tendency for ARG-supplemented pigs to eat more feed (P<0.1) and grow faster (P<0.5) over the 21-d experimental period. Pigs supplemented with ARG had higher plasma ARG levels (P<0.05) at d 7 after weaning and lower plasma urea levels (P<0.05) at both d 7 and 16 after weaning.
These data show the benefits of feeding a milk liquid diet as well as of ARG supplementation after weaning on production indices.