Abstract
Baby pigs and growing pigs (4.6 and 23.1 kg initial weight, respectively) were used to study the effect of source (lard or hydrolyzed fat) and level (5 or 10% of the diet) of fat on performance and ether extract digestibility. Total weight gain by baby pigs was not affected by fat source but decreased as the level of fat increased from 5 to 10%. Growing pigs fed diets containing fat gained more than pigs fed the basal diet, and weight gains were greater by pigs fed diets containing 10% fat than by pigs fed diets containing 5% fat. Fat source did not affect the weight gains of growing pigs. Lard improved feed:gain ratios of baby pigs but hydrolyzed fat did not. Feed:gain ratios of growing pigs fed diets containing fat were lower than ratios of pigs fed the basal diet and decreased as the fat level was increased from 5 to 10%. Feed intake was not affected by the dietary treatments, but growing pigs fed fat-supplemented diets consumed more energy than pigs fed the basal diet. The addition of fat to the diet of baby pigs increased either extract digestibility, and increasing the level of fat from 5 to 10%, increased ether extract digestibility of diets containing lard but decreased the digestibility of diets containing hydrolized fat. The age of the pig significantly affected ether extract digestibility. In a second study, baby pigs were allowed a choice between two of four diets that contained 10% starch, lard, tallow or hydrolyzed fat. Baby pigs consumed more of diets containing lard or hydrolyzed fat than of diets containing starch. Diets containing lard were preferred to diets containing hydrolyzed fat, but no preference was observed between diets containing tallow and diets containing lard or hydrolyzed fat. Copyright © 1975. American Society of Animal Science . Copyright 1975 by American Society of Animal Science.