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Choline is a vital substance involved in various physiological processes that influence brain development, growth, and carcass characteristics in mammals.
Objective: In this study, we investigated how graded supplemental choline chloride affects growth performance, carcass quality, and liver characteristics in grow-finish pigs.
Methods: Pigs (672 barrows and 588 gilts) were obtained from a commercial nursery facility at 8 weeks of age and assigned to treatments based on body weight and sex. Each dietary treatment was provided to 15 replicate pens, with 8 pens of barrows and 7 pens of gilts for each of the 4 dietary treatments. The treatments were as follows: C0: Basal diet with 0% supplemental choline chloride; C300: Basal diet + 0.06% supplemental choline chloride, providing 300 mg/kg choline ions; C600: Basal diet + 0.12% supplemental choline chloride, providing 600 mg/kg choline ions; C900: Basal diet + 0.17% supplemental choline chloride, providing 900 mg/kg choline ions. Pigs were given ad libitum access to feed and water throughout the study and were managed using standard commercial practices.
Results: The results showed that there was no significant impact of choline supplementation on growth performance. However, pigs receiving intermediate levels of supplemental choline had higher tenderloin weights compared to other dietary treatments. Additionally, sex differences were observed in both growth performance and carcass characteristics, as expected.
Conclusion: Graded supplementation of choline chloride did not significantly alter growth performance or carcass characteristics of pigs raised in commercial conditions.
Sommer KM, Burris ES, Jespersen JC, Estes K, Dilger AC, Dilger RN. Graded supplemental choline chloride fed throughout the grow and finish periods elicited minimal influence on growth performance and carcass characteristics of pigs in a commercial setting. J Anim Sci. 2025; 103: skae386. doi: 10.1093/jas/skae386.