Effect of Level of Dietary Calcium-Phophorus during Growth and Gestation on Performance, Blood and Bone Parameters of Swine

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Abstract
One-hundred and ninety-two crossbred weanling gilts (7.25 kg) were assigned to one of two treatments—(A) .65% Ca, .50% P or (B) .975% Ca, .75% P—and fed to an average weight of 92.8 kilograms. Average daily gain (.65 and .67 kg, respectively) and feed/gain were not affected by dietary treatment, but average daily feed intake was lower (P<.05) for gilts on treatment A (1.87 vs 1.95 kg). At the end of the growth phase, 96 gilts were slaughtered and bone strength parameters and physical characteristics were examined. Average peak force and bending moment of the third and fourth metatarsal bones were lower (P<.001) for gilts fed treatment A. However, no difference in maximum stress was observed between treatment groups. In phase 2, gilts from phase 1 were randomly allotted to two gestation treatments: (A) 13 g Ca, 10 g P/day, and (B) 19.5 g Ca, 15 g P/day. Gestation group A included 23 of the 45 gilts from growth treatment A (phase 1) while gestation group B contained the remaining 22 gilts from growth treatment A. The 46 gilts that had been fed growth treatment B were assigned to gestation groups in the same way. Gilts were individually fed until 109 days of gestation and given a lactation diet containing .75% Ca, .50% P for an average of 42 days. Analysis of the fourth metatarsal showed lower (P<.05) peak force values for gilts in gestation group A than for those in group B. Of the 23 gilts originally allotted to the combined growth-gestation treatment AA, seven had to be removed because they were unable to stand. These results suggest that levels of .65% Ca, .50% P from 7 to 93 kg and 13 g Ca, 10 g P/day during gestation are not adequate to meet Ca and P requirements of the gilt during growth and gestation. Copyright © 1981. American Society of Animal Science . Copyright 1981 by American Society of Animal Science.