Short communication: Effects of porcine plasma or combined sodium butyrate and Bacillus subtilis on growth and health of grain-fed veal calves.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of incorporating 2 commonly used additives or spray-dried porcine plasma in calf milk replacer (CMR) on calf performance and health. Male Holstein calves (n = 158) transported from auction barns and local dairy farms were randomly assigned to receive 1 of 3 decoquinate-containing CMR for the first 49 d of the experiment: all milk protein and no additives (CONT); 15% of crude protein (CP) replaced with spray-dried porcine plasma, no additives (PLM); or all milk protein and an added combination of sodium butyrate (rate 1.4 kg of butyric acid/Mt) and Bacillus subtilis (1.28 million cfu/g of feed; BB). All milk replacers were formulated to contain 26% CP and 17% fat, 2.4% Lys, and 0.8% Met, and were bucket-fed at daily feeding rates of 520 g during wk 1 and 2, 650 g during wk 3, and 900 g during wk 4 and 5, in a total of 4, 5, and 6 L of solution, respectively. Calves were offered texturized calf starter (18% CP) upon arrival until wk 3 and transitioned to a corn and pellet ration with 2% straw (18.1% CP). No prophylactic administration of antibiotics occurred. All calves were gradually weaned over a 2-wk period. Calves were individually housed until weaned and then housed in groups of 5 in a mechanically ventilated facility in southwestern Ontario, Canada. Fecal scores, treatments administered (antibiotic or supportive therapy), and mortalities were recorded daily. Body weight was measured using a digital scale at arrival and at 14, 49, 56, and 78 d after arrival. No differences were found among the groups with respect to growth, feed efficiency, or incidence of diarrhea or respiratory infection treatment. Calves supplemented with BB had a greater hazard of mortality over the growing period compared with CONT. An interaction was found between the BB group and the level of total serum protein, with the BB group having a lower proportion of days with a fecal score of 3 when the calves had a higher total serum protein level. Calves fed PLM had a lower proportion of d with a fecal score of 3 relative to CONT but no difference in the proportion of d with a fecal score of 2 or higher. This study found that the addition of spray-dried plasma in CMR reduced diarrhea severity; however, supplementing BB was associated with a higher hazard of calf mortality and had a varying response on fecal score.

Efficacy of dietary spray dried plasma protein to mitigate the negative effects on performance of pigs fed diets with corn naturally contaminated with multiple mycotoxins.

The ability of spray dried plasma protein (SDPP) to reduce the negative effects of multiple mycotoxins from naturally contaminated corn on weaned pig performance and health was investigated (n = 180; 6.84 ± 0.11 kg). For 12 d after weaning, pigs were fed phase 1 nursery diets with either 0% SDPP (PP0) or 6% SDPP (PP6). After 12 d, pigs were fed phase 2 diets for 3 wk. Pigs fed PP0 in phase 1 continued to be fed a phase 2 diet with no SDPP (PP0/PP0) or were fed a diet including corn naturally contaminated with multiple mycotoxins (M), labeled PP0/PP0M. Pigs fed SDPP in phase 1 were fed either a diet with no SDPP (PP6/PP0), a diet with M and no SDPP (PP6/PP0M), a diet with M and 3% SDPP (PP6/PP3M), or a diet with M and 6% SDPP (PP6/PP6M). During phase 1, pigs fed PP6 had increased (P < 0.05) ADG, ADFI, and G:F, whereas immunological parameters were not altered. During phase 2, pigs consuming PP0/PP0M had reduced ADG (P < 0.01) and ADFI (P < 0.05) in contrast to pigs fed PP0/PP0, whereas the performance of pigs fed PP6/PP0M was intermediate to pigs fed PP0/PP0M and PP6/PP0. The ADG and ADFI did not differ for pigs fed PP0/PP0M and PP6/PP0M during phase 2. Performance of pigs fed PP6/PP3M in contrast to pigs fed PP6/PP0M during phase 2 did not differ; however, these pigs had lower (P < 0.05) tumor necrosis factor α and tended (P = 0.094) to have lower DNA damage. During phase 2, ADG and ADFI of pigs fed PP6/PP6M did not differ from pigs fed PP6/PP0M, but G:F tended (P = 0.067) to be increased in pigs fed PP6/PP6M. Over the entire study period, pigs fed PP0/PP0M had reduced (P < 0.05) ADG and tended (P = 0.067) to have reduced ADFI. During this time, pigs fed PP6/PP0M tended to have greater ADG and ADFI (P = 0.093 and P = 0.067, respectively) compared with pigs fed PP0/PP0M. Overall, feeding a diet with SDPP improved growth performance and feed intake of young pigs directly after weaning. Feeding multiple M had a negative impact on growth performance of pigs during this trial. This response was more significant when pigs were not fed SDPP in phase 1. Overall, when combining phase 1 and 2 performance data, daily gain and feed intake tended to be reduced when pigs were not fed 6% SDPP in phase 1. This study indicates that the composition of diets fed immediately after weaning may be important for pigs that subsequently are under a M challenge.

The addition of ground wheat straw as a fiber source in the gestation diet of sows and the effect on sow and litter performance for three successive parities.

A regional experiment was conducted at 8 experiment stations, with a total of 320 sows initially, to evaluate the efficacy of adding 13.35% ground wheat straw to a corn-soybean meal gestation diet for 3 successive gestation-lactation (reproductive) cycles compared with sows fed a control diet without straw. A total of 708 litters were farrowed over 3 reproductive cycles. The basal gestation diet intake averaged 1.95 kg daily for both treatments, plus 0.30 kg of straw daily for sows fed the diet containing ground wheat straw (total intake of 2.25 kg/d). During lactation, all sows on both gestation treatments were fed ad libitum the standard lactation diet used at each station. Response criteria were sow farrowing and rebreeding percentages, culling factors and culling rate, weaning-to-estrus interval, sow BW and backfat measurements at several time points, and litter size and total litter weight at birth and weaning. Averaged over 3 reproductive cycles, sows fed the diet containing wheat straw farrowed and weaned 0.51 more pigs per litter (P

Effects of dietary spray-dried plasma protein on sow productivity during lactation.

Seventy-two primiparous and multiparous sows (36 per dietary treatment) farrowed in 4 groups were used to evaluate the effects of spray-dried plasma protein (SDP) on sow and litter performance during lactation. Dietary lactation treatments consisted of a corn-soybean meal control and a corn-soybean meal diet containing 0.5% SDP. Both diets were formulated to contain 1.0% total Lys and 3.46 Mcal/kg of ME and were fed from d 107 +/- 1.2 of gestation to weaning. Sows were allotted to dietary treatment based on breed, parity, and the date of d 107 of gestation. Litters were standardized within diet, and pigs were weaned at an average age of 19 +/- 2.1 d. Sows were fed 3 times daily during lactation. After weaning, sows were fed a common gestation diet and checked twice daily for estrus. Sows were grouped by parity (young sows, 3) for statistical analysis. The data were analyzed as a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of treatments; the factors were parity (3) and SDP (0 or 0.5%). Treatment differences were considered significant at P < 0.10. Mature sows had a greater BW on d 107 of gestation, on d 1 postfarrowing, and at weaning; greater lactation ADFI; and greater litter BW after cross-fostering, but pig survival to weaning was decreased. Sows fed SDP had a greater gestation interval, litter BW at weaning, and litter ADG, with 1 less lactation day. The effect of SDP addition was dependent on sow parity, as noted by numerous SDP x parity interactions. The addition of SDP increased lactation ADFI in mature sows but decreased ADFI in young sows. Mature sows fed SDP had a greater number of pigs weaned per litter, litter and pig weaning weights, pig survival to weaning, and number of pigs weaned per litter weighing more than 3.6 kg, but the SDP diet had little to no effect on these responses in young sows. Subsequent farrowing data were collected, but no dietary treatment effects (P > 0.10) were observed. The results of this research indicate that SDP increased productivity of sows in parity 4 or greater.

Impact of irradiation and immunoglobulin G concentration on absorption of protein and immunoglobulin G in calves fed colostrum replacer.

The objective of this study was first to evaluate whether irradiation treatment of a commercial colostrum replacer (CR) affected acquisition of passive immunity. If the irradiation treatment negatively affected the acquisition of passive immunity, the second objective was to evaluate whether an increased total IgG mass, in a single feeding of CR derived from bovine serum fractions, could compensate for this effect. Acquisition of passive immunity was assessed by 24-h serum IgG levels, serum protein levels, apparent efficiency of absorption (AEA) of IgG, and the ability to prevent failure of passive transfer (FPT) in day-old dairy calves fed a single feeding of CR. Single-dose packs of CR were sent to a commercial irradiation facility for electron-beam irradiation at 3 to 7 kGy (low irradiation) or 15 to 20 kGy (high irradiation). Fifty-six Holstein, Jersey, or crossbred calves were randomly assigned to 1 of 5 treatments: 1) 130 g of IgG (460 g of CR), no irradiation; 2) 130 g of IgG (460 g of CR), low irradiation; 3) 160 g of IgG (518 g of CR), low irradiation; 4) 190 g of IgG (575.4 g of CR), low irradiation; and 5) 130 g of IgG (460 g of CR), high irradiation. All CR were reconstituted in water and mixed in a household blender to a constant solids concentration of 18.7%. Increasing doses of irradiation (130 g of Ig with no, low, or high irradiation) resulted in a linear decrease in 24-h serum IgG and AEA of IgG, and increased the percentage of calves with FPT. Increasing the IgG mass in the CR (130, 160, and 190 g of Ig with low irradiation) resulted in a linear increase in 24-h serum IgG and serum total protein levels, and a linear decrease in AEA of IgG. There was no effect of increasing the mass of IgG fed on the percentage of calves with FPT. The correlation between serum IgG and serum total protein at 24 h was positive; however, at 24 h the irradiation treatments reduced the serum IgG-to-serum total protein ratio. In this study, CR isolated from bovine serum, providing 130 g of IgG in the first feeding and receiving either no irradiation or a low irradiation treatment, was sufficient to prevent FPT in calves.

Effects of ethanol extraction and duration of heat treatment of soybean flakes on the utilization of soybean protein by growing rats and pigs.

Three experiments were conducted to determine the effects of ethanol extraction and duration of heat treatment of soybean flakes on the utilization of soybean protein by growing rats and pigs. In the first experiment, the treatments were no extraction or extraction with a 55% ethanol-water mixture (v/v), and heat treatments of 0, 5, 10, 20 and 40 min in an autoclave. Ethanol extraction improved rate (P less than .002) and efficiency of gain (P less than .001) of rats. As heat treatment was increased from 0 to 20 min, rate of gain increased, but it decreased again as heating time was increased from 20 to 40 min (P less than .03). In Exp. 2 and 3, 45 pigs were used in a growth assay and 54 were used in a N balance experiment to determine the effects of ethanol extraction on under-, intermediate- and over-processed soybean flakes (i.e., 5, 20 and 60 min of autoclaving). The heat treatments were applied either without, before or after extraction with ethanol. Responses in rate and efficiency of gain to ethanol extraction were greater for soybean flakes heated for either 5 or 60 min than for the soybean flakes heated for 20 min. When pooled across heat treatment, pigs fed the soybean flakes heated before or after extraction with ethanol gained faster (P less than .001), had greater gain:feed (P less than .001) and lower plasma urea concentrations (P less than .002) than pigs fed soybean flakes heated without extraction. Feeding soybean flakes heated and extracted with ethanol also resulted in greater apparent N retention (P less than .003), apparent N digestibility (P less than .001) and apparent biological value (P less than .03) than soybean flakes that were heated without extraction. Ethanol extraction improved the protein quality of soybean flakes, especially when the flakes were under- or overprocessed with heat.

Effect of dietary fluorine on growth, blood and bone characteristics of growing-finishing pigs.

Three hundred eighty-four growing-finishing pigs were used in two experiments to determine the effect of dietary fluorine (F) on growth, blood and bone physical characteristics. Fourteen dietary treatments were formulated by supplementing F (as NaF) to a milo-soybean meal basal diet (7 ppm F) to provide levels of 7, 132, 257, 382, 507 and 632 ppm F for Exp. 1, and 7, 25, 43, 61, 79, 97, 115 and 133 ppm F for Exp. 2. Average daily gain (ADG) and average daily feed intake (ADFI) were not affected (P greater than .09) when F was fed at levels between 7 and approximately 132 ppm. Average daily gain and ADFI were reduced (P less than .0001) for pigs consuming diets with F concentrations greater than 132 ppm (Exp. 1). Feed conversion was not affected (P greater than .17) by any level of F fed. Serum F and alkaline phosphatase concentrations increased (P less than .01) with increasing dietary F levels. Serum and bone Ca and P concentrations were not affected (P greater than .13) by dietary F levels (Exp. 1). In Exp. 1 and 2, bone F increased (P less than .0001) and metatarsal stress and modulus of elasticity decreased (P less than .0001) as level of F increased in the diet. Bone thickness decreased quadratically (P less than .02) in Exp. 1 and linearly (P less than .0007) in Exp. 2 with increased dietary F levels. Scanning electron microscopy showed an increase in porosity of bones from pigs fed the higher levels of F. Growing-finishing pigs were able to tolerate approximately 132 ppm F for growth, but all of the F levels (greater than or equal to 7 ppm) fed in these two experiments affected bone integrity.

Zinc-amino acid complexes for swine.

Two experiments were conducted to determine the effect of sources of dietary zinc on gain, feed conversion and blood and bone traits of swine. In the first experiment 96 pigs were used in a 28-d study. The pigs were fed diets with no supplemental Zn or with either 9 or 12 ppm supplemental Zn from zinc sulfate (ZnSO4), zinc methionine (ZnMet) or zinc methionine with picolinic acid (ZnMet w/PA), each with or without 5% added corn oil. There were differences (P less than .05) in average daily gain (ADG) and average daily feed intake (ADFI) between the pigs fed the two organic Zn sources, with those fed ZnMet w/PA showing the better gains and feed conversion. However, neither organic Zn source resulted in pig performance that was different from either the diet with no supplemental Zn or the diets supplemented with Zn from ZnSO4. In the second experiment the same dietary Zn sources and treatments were fed as in Exp. 1 except that corn oil was deleted as a variable. No differences in ADG, ADFI, feed/gain (F/G) or in changes in serum Zn or Cu were observed among treatments during either the 21-d nursery or the 56-d growing periods. During the subsequent 56-d finishing period ADG and ADFI were greater (P less than .01) for pigs fed the Zn-supplemented diets than for those fed the diets without supplemental Zn. There were no differences among treatments in F/G during the finishing period. Zn content of bone ash was lower (P less than .01) in the non-Zn-supplemented pigs. These data suggest that the Zn sources used are of similar biological value and do not support the theory that picolinic acid aids Zn absorption.

Effects of excess arginine with and without supplemental lysine on performance, plasma amino acid concentrations and nitrogen balance of young swine.

Three experiments were conducted to determine the effects of excess arginine on performance, plasma amino acid levels and N balance of young pigs (initial weights 6.9, 7.0 and 10.3 kg, respectively). In a 28-d growth trial, various amounts of arginine (0 to 1.6%) were added to a conventional starter diet. Addition of arginine decreased (P less than .01) average daily feed intake (ADFI) and gain (ADG), but had no effect on feed efficiency (G/F). Plasma urea, arginine and ornithine concentrations were elevated (P less than .001) by the increasing dietary arginine levels at d 14 and 28. Plasma histidine levels were reduced (P less than .01) at d 28. Plasma lysine levels exhibited a cubic response (P less than .05) at d 14, but were not affected by excess arginine at d 28. In a second growth trial ADFI and ADG were decreased (P less than .05), but G/F was not affected by the addition of 1.6% dietary arginine. Lysine supplementation (0, .15 or .30%) increased performance in the absence of excess arginine, but the main effect of lysine was not significant for any performance criteria. As in the first experiment, plasma concentrations of urea, arginine and ornithine were increased (P less than .001) by the addition of arginine. Plasma histidine was not affected by either arginine or lysine. Plasma lysine levels were reduced (P less than .001) by dietary arginine and increased (P less than .001) by lysine. In a N balance experiment, addition of 1.6% dietary arginine increased N digestibility, but decreased apparent biological value. Nitrogen balance was not affected by added arginine. Lysine addition did not improve any of these three indices of N utilization. The inability of lysine supplementation to alleviate any of the adverse effects of excess arginine in young swine indicates that the reduced performance is caused by a generalized amino acid imbalance, and not by a specific interference with lysine utilization in the manner of a classical arginine-lysine antagonism.

Effect of level of dietary calcium-phosphorus during growth and gestation on calcium-phosphorus balance and reproductive performance of first-litter sows.

Twenty-four bred gilts were used in a Ca-P metabolism trial. Twelve gilts were fed gestation treatment A (13 g Ca, 10 g/day), while the other 12 were fed gestation treatment B (19.5 g Ca. 15 g P/day). One-half of the gilts in each treatment group were fed .65% Ca, .50% P from 7 to 94 kg, and half were fed .975% Ca, .75% P for the same period. Treatment B gilts excreted more (P less than .005) fecal and urinary P. Twenty-four first litter sows fed the same treatment diets during growth and gestation and given .75% Ca, .50% P during lactation were used in a Ca and P balance trial conducted from day 38 to 42 of lactation. No difference in fecal, urinary or milk Ca or P were noted between sows fed the different diets during growth or gestation. A higher (P less than .05) value for Ca balance during lactation was observed for sows fed treatment diet B during gestation than for those fed gestation diet A. There were growth treatment x gestation treatment interactions (P less than .05) for both Ca and P balance. No differences were noted in total pigs farrowed, total pigs farrowed alive, average weaning weight or number of pigs weaned. Birth weights were higher (P less than .05) for pigs from sows fed diet B during gestation than for pigs from sows fed diet. A. Pre- and postfarrowing weights, weaned sow weight and lactation gain were similar regardless of treatment fed during growth or gestation.