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Impacts of Two Energy Sources (Modified Soy Oil and Medium Chain Triglycerides) on Growth Performance and Health of Nursery Pigs

2019

This study evaluated the effects of a modified soy oil (MSO) in diets with or without medium chain triglycerides from palm kernel oil (MCT).

The study utilized 1,840 pigs (~19 d of age; 5.4 ± 0.2 kg), 10 pens/treatment, and ~22 pigs/pen. Two barns were blocked separately by pen location and randomly allocated to treatments. Treatments were arranged as a 2 × 4 factorial utilizing diets containing one of four levels of MSO (0, 0.15, 0.25, or 0.40%) and two levels of MCT (without vs with [0.50% d 0 to 7; 0.25% d 7 to 41]). Pen weights were obtained on d 0, 7, 23, and 41 post-weaning, mortalities and removals were tracked, and growth performance parameters were calculated.

Constructed contrasts were: linear and quadratic main effects of MSO, main effect of MCT, and all possible interactions. Overall (d 0 to 41), there was a quadratic interaction (P < 0.01) between MSO and MCT for G:F (without MCT: 0.78, 0.78, 0.79, 0.76; with MCT: 0.78, 0.77, 0.78, 0.78 kg/kg). For growth performance parameters, no other interactions were significant (P > 0.10). Addition of MSO linearly increased (P < 0.01) d 41 BW (19.8, 20.3, 20.5, 20.8 kg), ADG (0.34, 0.35, 0.36, 0.37 kg/d), and ADFI (0.43, 0.46, 0.45, 0.48 kg/d). Including MCT in diets reduced (P < 0.05) d 41 BW (20.6, 20.1 kg), ADG (0.36, 0.35 kg/d), and ADFI (0.46, 0.45 kg/d). Probability of resulting in mortality and removals was linearly reduced (P < 0.01; 13.0, 8.2, 9.5, 6.6%) as MSO increased in the diet. A tendency for a linear interaction (P < 0.10) for probability of receiving injectable antibiotics was observed.

The addition of MSO improved growth performance and health parameters, while MCT reduced the growth performance and did not impact health parameters of nursery pigs.