Growth and Digestibility Studies with Young Pigs Fed Various Levels and Sources of Calcium

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Abstract
A total of 202 pigs weaned at 2 weeks of age were used in a series of five experiments to study the influence of dietary calcium level and source on growth and apparent digestibility of dry matter, ether extract and crude protein. In the three experiments where calcium levels of 0.40 and 0.88% were compared, the higher level significantly depressed growth rate. Similar differences in growth rate were also obtained with rations containing either 0.52 or 0.70% calcium. When ration calcium was increased by increments of 0.10 from 0.40 to 0.80%, daily gains tended to decrease linearly with increasing calcium. In all experiments the most efficient utilization of feed occurred with the low calcium rations. Neither rate nor efficiency of gain were significantly influenced by the sources of supplementary calcium used in this study or by varying the ration concentration of chlortetracycline. Contrasting results were obtained with apparent digestibility determinations. In one experiment the digestion coefficients for dry matter, ether extract and crude protein were comparable with pigs that received either 0.40 or 0.88% dietary calcium. The 0.88% calcium in another experiment significantly reduced digestibility of ether extract and crude protein. Dry matter and crude protein digestibility was significantly lowered when gypsum rather than ground limestone or oyster shell supplied the supplementary calcium. Copyright © . .