Protein and Amino Acid Nutrition of Gravid Swine

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Abstract
Apart from a few well-recognized nutrient deficiencies, the diet of the sow has little influence on the pig at birth or its subsequent development. That the dietary intake by the sow is immaterial is not the case, but rather, within the range of quality and quantity of constituents normally encountered, she effectively buffers her offspring, both before and after birth, against nutritional inadequacy. The usual criteria of reproductive performance (total and live pigs farrowed, birth weight and livability) are unresponsive to various levels of protein during the last third of gestation. The daily intake of 230 gm. protein and 6,100 kcal. of metabolizable energy from a mixture of corn and soybean meal was sufficient to maximize nitrogen retention. Nitrogen retention increased as gestation progressed, but the level of dietary nitrogen required to maximize retention remained relatively constant. The gravid gilt was found to require, as a percent of the diet, 0.42, 0.37, 0.28, 0.34 and 0.46% lysine, isoleucine, sulfur-bearing amino acids, threonine and valine, respectively. Maximum requirements of 0.17% histidine, 0.30% phenylalanine and 0.07% tryptophan were determined with a casein-amino acid diet. All diets supplied the equivalent of 12% crude protein. Nitrogen retention was increased by lysine and tryptophan supplementation of an all-corn diet, however, total retention was only slightly in excess of the calculated fetal needs, therefore allowing minimal extrauterine deposition. Copyright © 1967. American Society of Animal Science . Copyright 1967 by American Society of Animal Science