Improvement of Barley Rations for Swine. III. Effect of Fiber from Barley Hulls and Purified Cellulose in Barley and Corn Rations

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Abstract
A 2 × 3 factorial experiment was used to compare effects of fiber from barley hulls or purified wood cellulose in barley and corn rations for growing swine. Digestible energy values and digestion coefficients were subsequently obtained with pearled barley rations diluted with either hulls or purified wood cellulose. Response of pigs to fiber from barley hulls differed from that to fiber from purified wood cellulose. A depressed growth rate and feed conversion efficiency was noted when barley hulls were included in barley and corn rations as compared to basal pearled barley or corn rations. Cellulose, when added to pearled barley and corn, also tended to depress growth rate, but the increase in feed required per unit of gain was not as great as with fiber from the barley hull. Backfat thickness was reduced more by barley hulls than by cellulose. Rations containing fiber from barley hulls were less digestible than similar rations containing equivalent amounts of fiber in the form of purified wood cellulose. It is suggested that the barley hull does more than dilute available nutrients of the ration. The observation that fibers from different sources vary in their effects on growth and fattening is supported by this study.