Fat Utilization by Three-week Weaned Pigs

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Abstract
In many studies involving the inclusion of dietary fat in the diets of starter pigs the response to dietary fat was confounded by differences in the intake of other essential nutrients. Piglets (52) weaned at 3 wk of age were assigned to diets to which 10% lard was or was not added. In 1 treatment the protein, vitamin and mineral levels of the diets were increased to maintain a constant nutrient-calorie ratio whereas in another treatment lard replaced starch with adjustments made for the increased energy level of the diet. The addition of 10% lard to the diet of 3-wk weaned pigs did not lead to a reduction in feed intake when protein, vitamins and mineral levels of the diet were increased and nutrient-calorie ratio was thus maintained unchanged. The addition of lard to an adjusted starter diet improved average daily gain and feed conversion efficiency. The addition of lard to an unadjusted diet led to a slight reduction in feed intake and no improvement in pig performance relative to pigs fed the control diet.