Journal article

Publication year: 1999

Pages: 1-7

Journal: Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition

Volume number: 82

Issue number: 1

ISSN: 0931-2439

DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1439-0396.1999.00211.x

Publisher: Wiley

Abstract: 
The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of varying the dietary energy density on growth performance of piglets at two different ratios between lysine and energy. Therefore, two experiments with piglets were carried out using a bi-factorial design. In the first experiment piglets a ere fed diets containing either 13.0 or 14.0 MJ ME/kg at two lysine:energy ratios of 0.8 and 0.9 g/MJ ME. The second experiment included the concept of phase feeding. In the first phase (8-20 kg live weight), the piglets were fed diets with 13.0 or 14.0 MJ ME/kg at a lysine:energy ratio of 0.9 g/MJ ME. In the second phase (20-30 kg of live weight), the ratio between lysine and energy was also varied (0.8 or 0.9 g/MJ ME). Both experiments clearly demonstrated that the supply of lysine ro piglets limits growth performance. At a lysine supply of 0.9 g/MJ, an increase in the energy density of the diet from 13.0 to 14.0 MJ/kg failed to improve the growth performance of the piglets. Ar a dietary energy density of 13.0 MJ ME/kg, a lysine:energy ratio of 0.8 g/MJ ME resulted in suboptimal performance parameters in both phases relative to a lysine:energy ratio of 0.9 g/MJ ME. Therefore, at a dietary energy density of 13 MJ ME/kg, a lysine : energy ratio of 0.9 g/MJ ME during the whole rearing period is recommended. At the low lysine:energy ratio of 0.8 g/MJ ME, increasing the dietary energy from 13.0 to 14.0 MJ ME/kg increased the feed intake and body-weight gain of piglets. However, this effect might instead be due to the increased absolute concentration of lysine in the diets (1.12 versus 1.04%) than to the increased energy density of the diet per se. From the results of this study, it is concluded, that diets containing between 13 and 14 MJ ME/kg and a lysine : energy ratio of 0.9 g/MJ ME are recommended for use in the feeding of piglets during the complete rearing period. Reducing the dietary lysine:energy ratio from 0.9 to 0.8 g/MJ ME during the rearing period, as sometimes recommended, resulted in suboptimal growth performance of the piglets.

Harvard Citation style: Roth, F., Eder, K. and Kirchgeßner, M. (1999) The effect of energy density and the lysine to energy ratio of diets on the performance of piglets, Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition, 82(1), pp. 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1439-0396.1999.00211.x

APA Citation style: Roth, F., Eder, K., & Kirchgeßner, M. (1999). The effect of energy density and the lysine to energy ratio of diets on the performance of piglets. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition. 82(1), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1439-0396.1999.00211.x