Effects of Pelleting, Pasture and Selected Diet Ingredients on the Incidence of Esophagogastric Ulcers in Swine2

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Abstract
Pelleted diets fed in both the creep and grower-finisher diets produced significantly more total ulcers and a higher mean ulcer value in pigs than did the use of meal in both creep and grower-finisher feeds, or the use of a pelleted creep followed by a meal grower-finisher. Data on the group receiving a meal creep followed by a pelleted grower-finisher were intermediate. Using pasture with a pelleted growing-finishing diet significantly reduced the total number of ulcers, and the mean ulcer score compared to those pigs receiving pellets in confinement. Increasing dehydrated alfalfa from 3 to 6% in the pelleted diet resulted in a significant decrease in the number of pigs having ulcers and in the mean ulcer score, with no differences in average daily gain or feed efficiency. There were no significant differences between the groups of pigs fed meal with 3% alfalfa or those fed pellets with 6% alfalfa in number of ulcers (none), mean ulcer score, average daily gain or feed efficiency. The use of 20% oats or 3% NaHCO3 in the pelleted diet did not reduce the number of ulcers nor the mean ulcer score.