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Four experimental diets were studied, including two cereal types (corn, CO, or wheat/barley combination, WEB), and two different particle sizes (500 µm or1000 µm). Diets were isoproteic and isoenergetic, but WEB had a higher content of gross fat, and fibre. A total of 304 sows were studied during the lactation period (21 days). Collection of data included weight and back fat depth of the sows, before farrowing and at weaning, and the weight of the piglets when born and at weaning. Feed intake of the sows was also controlled.
Results indicated that sows fed 500 µm diets showed a lower feed intake compared to those receiving 1000 µm diets (5.23 vs 5.45 kg, P < 0.01). Type of cereal did also influence feed intake, being the intake of CO fed sows lower than that presented in WEB fed sows. Although body weight of the sows at weaning was not affected by dietary treatments, WEB fed sows presented higher back fat losses during lactation. Particle size of the diets did not have an effect on the performance of the piglets, but litters from sows fed the WEB diet presented a higher gain during the lactation compared to CO, consequently body weight of the piglets at weaning was also higher in WEB fed sows (7.28 kg vs 6.96 kg, P < 0,01). Weaning to oestrus interval was not modified by the dietary treatments.
The authors conclude that grain for sow lactation diets does not need to be ground below 1000 µm in order to improve the performance of the sows. Concerning the type of cereal, it is pointed out that the differences found between CO and WEB diets may be consequence of the composition differences, and mainly in terms of gross fat content.
Martel Kennes, Y., Cormier, I., Green, D., Guillou, D., E. Hall, R., James, B., Moore, J., Nash, M., Niver, J., Roy, M. (2006) Journées Recherche Porcine, 38, 171-176.
