Evaluation of Supplemental Choline for Reproducing Sows Housed in Total Confinement on Concrete or in Dirt Lots

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Seventy-six crossbred gilts were used to evaluate choline supplementation (880 mg/kg diet) of a 15% crude protein fortified corn soybean meal diet fed to sows housed in confinement on concrete, or in dirt lots during five or six reproductive cycles. During breeding and gestation, the diet was fed at a level of 1.82 to 2.27 kg per head daily. There was little difference (117 vs. 114) in the total number of litters produced by sows fed diet with or without supplemental choline although sows fed diets with supplemental choline farrowed more live pigs during the fifth and sixth reproductive cycles. However, there were no significant differences in the number and weight of pigs weaned per litter for the choline treatments. The number of gilts and sows that failed to breed initially and after the first parity was greatest for sows housed in concrete as compared to sows housed in dirt lots. This trend was reversed in later parities with about the same number of sows reaching parities five and six. Sows housed in dirt lots consistently farrowed and weaned more live pigs than sows housed on concrete during breeding and gestation. Copyright © 1973. American Society of Animal Science . Copyright 1973 by American Society of Animal Science.

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: