Fishmeal can go if diet balance right
By Jessica Buss
REPLACING FISHMEAL with a soya-based product HP300 in weaned pig diets saw growth rates suffer, so pigs were 0.7kg lighter by 28 days post-weaning, in research reported at the British Society of Animal Science conference.
Researchers at the University of Aberdeen say that, in the first week post-weaning, using HP300 as an alternative to fishmeal resulted in a similar weight gain. But by 28 days after weaning at 27 days of age, there was a clear difference, with the fishmeal-fed pigs having gained 12.55kg compared with 11.81kg for the HP300-fed pigs.
The study involved 720 pigs with fishmeal included as 10% of the diet or HP300 at 13% to allow for differences in crude protein content.
But in a separate study, reported by feed specialists Forum Bioscience and Provimi SCA, piglets coped as well without fishmeal in diets as they did with it included.
Over 43 days from weaning, pigs offered a lower protein diet without fishmeal matched those fed higher protein with fishmeal for growth rates, feed conversion and health, said Forum”s Mike Overend (see table).
The diets were a typical protein of 22% for three weeks then falling to 20% and low protein starting at 19% and reducing to 18.5%. Both were fed with and without fishmeal and standardised for amino acid supply using BSAS Nutrient Require<00AD>ment Standards for Pigs 2003.
“Over the transition from milk to solid food, lowering feed protein or changing the type of protein is a practical way to cut the incidence and severity of post-weaning scours. In the study there were no digestive disorders on any of the treatments.
“The results show pig performance can be maintained with lower protein as long as BSAS guidelines for amino acid content are observed, which is the essence of the precision protein approach,” said Dr Overend.