<p dir="ltr">Maximizing growth performance in swine production, in the face of larger litter sizes and potential milk limitations, is crucial. This thesis explores the impact of various nutritional strategies, including creep feeding, dietary sweeteners, glutamine supplementation, sensory additives, and low crude protein diets on piglet lactation and nursery growth performance. Data in this thesis were analyzed using the GLM procedure in SAS 9.4. In the first study (Chapter 2), fifty-one sows and their litters (17/creep treatment) were used to evaluate the effects of creep feeding and nursery diets on piglet growth. Ten days prior to weaning, litters were assigned to three treatments: control creep feed (CF-CON), CON + garlic-based flavoring (50 ppm Allium XL; CF-ALL-XL), and no creep feed (NO-CF). Post-weaning, 506 pigs were allotted to either control (CON) or flavored (ALL-XL) nursery diets in a 3x2 factorial design with 10 pens/treatment, each containing 7 or 8 pigs. Nursery dietary treatments were fed in phases 1 and 2, followed by common phase 3 and 4 diets. Weekly body weights (BW) and feed intake were recorded to calculate average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), and feed efficiency (G:F). Creep feeding treatment during lactation did not affect litter or piglet BW gain pre-weaning. ALL-XL did not affect total creep feed intake (CON=114 g/pig vs. ALL-XL=110 g/pig). Providing CF-CON or CF-ALL-XL during lactation increased ADFI on d 2, 3, and 4 post-weaning (P<0.013). Pigs fed either CF-CON or CF-ALL-XL increased week 1 nursery ADFI (8.8%; P<0.02), numerically increased ADG (5.2%), and greater d7 BW (P=0.055). Overall (d0-35), pigs fed CF-CON had greater ADG (P<0.05) and ADFI (P<0.05) than CF-ALL-XL with No-CF pigs being intermediate in ADG and greater ADFI (P<0.05) than CF-ALL-XL fed pigs. Final BW (P<0.05) was greater for CF-CON fed pigs than CF-ALL-XL fed pigs with No-CF pigs being intermediate (23.5 kg, 23.0 kg, 23.3 kg, respectively). Nursery dietary flavoring treatment (CON vs ALL-XL) did not affect post-weaning ADG, ADFI, or G:F at any point during the study (P>0.12). In the second study (Chapter 3), fifty-seven sows and their litters were used to test the effects of creep feed and a dietary sweetener (Taktik) on piglet lactation and nursery performance in low lactose diets. Six days prior to weaning, litters were assigned to either control creep feed (CF-CON), control + sweetener (50 ppm Taktik; CF-TAK), or no creep (No-CF). Post-weaning, 550 pigs were assigned to control (CON) or sweetened (Taktik, 50 ppm; TAK) nursery diets in a 3x2 factorial design with 10 nursery pens per treatment, each containing 9 or 10 pigs. There were no significant differences in litter weight, weight gain, or piglet weight during lactation due to CF treatment. However, CF-CON pigs tended to have higher litter feed intake (P=0.060) and ADFI per pig (P=0.059) during lactation. During the first week post-weaning, CF-CON pigs had higher ADFI (P<0.05), ADG (P<0.05), and d7 BW compared to CF-Tak pigs and No-CF pigs. During d 6-14 CF-CON pigs had greater ADG (P<0.05) and ADFI (P<0.05) than CF-Tak pigs and the No-CF pigs tended (P<0.10) to also have greater ADFI than CF-Tak pigs. Overall (d0-34), CF-CON pigs had higher ADG and ADFI compared to CF-Tak pigs (P<0.05) and No-CF pigs tended (P<0.10) to have greater ADG than CF-Tak pigs. There were no significant differences (P>0.15) in ADG, ADFI, or G:F between CON and TAK nursery diet treatments. In the third study (chapter 4), thirty-one sows and their litters were utilized to test the effects creep feed and nursery diets supplemented with or without glutamine on lactation and nursery performance as well as creep feeder type impacts. During lactation there were three dietary treatments: control creep feed (CF-CON), control creep feed + glutamine (0.40%; CF-GLUT), or no creep feed (No-CF). There were two creep feeder types: plastic (PLAST) or stainless steel (SS), that were evenly distributed between the creep feed treatments. Post-weaning 270 pigs were allotted to either control (CON) or control + glutamine (0.40%; GLUT) nursery diets with pigs previously given or not glutamine creep feed continuing to receive similar glutamine treatment in the nursery period and the No-CF pigs being evenly split to CON and GLUT nursery diets. Litter weights and creep feed intake were recorded on d -7 and 0 (weaning). During nursery there were 7 pens/treatment with 6 or 7 pigs/pen, blocked by initial BW within creep treatment. Neither glutamine creep feeding treatments affected litter or piglet weaning weights (P>0.24). Pigs given creep feed during lactation had increased ADFI during the first week post-weaning (P<0.03) but did not result in greater overall nursery growth performance. The inclusion of glutamine in creep feed or nursery diets did not improve growth performance at any point during the study. In the fourth study (chapter 5), 416 weanling pigs were used to test the effects of a sensory feed additive (SA; Luctamax) on control (CON) and low crude protein (LCP) nursery diets in a 2x2 factorial design (CON, CON+SA, LCP, LCP+SA) with 15 replicate pens of 6 or 7 pigs/pen. Decreased dietary CP (4%) was achieved by removing or decreasing fish meal and soy concentrate in phases 1 and 2 and reducing soybean meal in phase 3 and adding synthetic amino acids to maintain amino acid ratios (NRC 2012). The SA was included at 0.1% in Phase 1 and 2 diets and 0.05% in Phase 3 diets. During PH1 (d 0-7) pigs receiving the CON diets tended (P=0.065) to have a higher G:F compared to pigs receiving LCP diets. For the remainder of this study there were consistent interactions between dietary CP and SA. When SA was added to the LCP diet ADFI slightly increased but when SA was added to CON diet ADFI decreased and these changes in feed intake often led to similar dietary interactions in ADG. During PH2 (d 7-21), pigs fed CON or LCP+SA diets had higher ADFI (P=0.032) and tended to have a higher ADG (P=0.094) but reduced G:F (P=0.100) compared to pigs fed CON+SA or LCP diets. In PH3 (d 21-36), pigs fed CON or LCP+SA diets had a higher ADG (P=0.027) and ADFI (P=0.011) compared to CON+SA or LCP diets. During PH3 pigs fed LCP diets had higher ADFI (P<0.001) but reduced G:F (P<0.0001) than pigs fed CON diets. Overall (d0-36), pigs fed CON or LCP+SA diets had higher ADFI (P=0.016) and tended to have a higher ADG (P=0.059) but reduced G:F (P=0.067) compared to pigs fed CON+SA or LCP diets. For the entire nursery period, pigs fed CON diets had a higher G:F (P<0.001) compared to pigs fed LCP diets, while LCP pigs tended to have a higher ADFI (P=0.054) compared to CON pigs. Feeding LCP diets during PH2 decreased feed costs/kg of gain but feed cost were increased (P<0.0001) during PH3 when LCP diets were fed compared to CON diets. These studies highlight the potential benefits and limitations of various nutritional strategies in enhancing piglet growth performance. Creep feeding, dietary sweeteners, glutamine supplementation, sensory additives, and low crude protein diets can potentially influence post-weaning performance, but their effectiveness depends on specific conditions and formulations. Further research is needed to optimize these strategies for improved swine production efficiency.</p>

Thesis (MScAgric)--Stellenbosch University, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The following study is to determine if a creep feed balanced for limiting essential amino acids (EAA) at a certain non structural carbohydrate (NSC) level will elicit greater responses than lambs reared on a commercial creep feed. Lysine, Threonine, Methionine, Isoleucine, Phenylalanine and Leucine were determined as the limiting amino acids for nursing lambs. These amino acids were incorporated into the creep feed treatments CF1 and CF2 representing 157 g CP/kg, 477 g NSC/kg and 179 g CP/kg, 508 g NSC/kg, respectively. A commercial creep feed with no optimisation for EAA is represented as CFC with 139 g CP/kg and 455 g NSC/kg. A negative control (CON) treatment represents lambs receiving no creep feed but with ad libitum access to suckle their dams while feeding on kikuyu pasture. A growth trial was conducted on Merino x Döhne-Merino cross twin lambs averaging a birth weight of 4.42 kg ± 0.11 for 60 days following with a digestibility trial towards the end of the trial. Half of the lamb crop was slaughtered at an average live weight of 23.6 kg ± 0.56. The M. longissimus dorsi was removed on both the left and right half of the carcass between the 2nd - 3rd last thoracic vertebrae and the 4th - 5th lumbar vertebrae. A sample from the rumen wall was taken at the rumino-reticular fold to determine development characteristics. Results indicate that the feed conversion ratio for the CFC lambs were better than CF1 (P = 0.052) but not more than CF2 (P = 0.307). The FCR was 0.88, 1.19 and 1.01 (kilogram feed required to gain 1 kg in bodyweight) for CFC, CF1 and CF2, respectively. Dressing percentage was higher for CF2 than for both CFC (P = 0.012) and CF1 (P = 0.077). Along with BUN data it was concluded that the high CP level of CF2 resulted in the higher fat deposition. The optimised creep feeds had higher nitrogen and energy balances than the commercial CFC, this implicates that the optimised creep feeds were more efficiently utilised. Optimised creep feed treatments had longer papillae than CON (P < 0.0001). Papillae of creep feed 2 was longer than CFC (P = 0.0537). Papillae width decreased as the NSC level increased thus it is surmised that higher NSC levels resulted in longer but thinner papillae. Rumen muscularization was equally developed between all the treatments and was ascribed to the lambs’ access to course roughage. Meat quality in terms of physical and chemical characteristics was found to be in range with that expected for lambs at higher slaughter weights (40 kg). In conclusion, the balancing of the limiting EAA increases the benefits of creep feeding while simultaneously being more efficiently utilised. Intensive sheep production systems may benefit from the feeding of such creep feeds provided it fits economically into their farming system. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die volgende studie is om te bepaal of 'n kruipvoer wat gebalanseerd is vir beperkende essensiële aminosure (EAA) by 'n vasgestelde nie-strukturele koolhidraat (NSK) vlak verbeterde groei sal ontlok teenoor lammers wat grootgemaak word op 'n kommersiële kruipvoer. Lisien, Treonien, Metionien, Isoleusien, Fenylalanien en Leusien is bepaal as die beperkende aminosure vir suipende lammers. Hierdie aminosure is opgeneem in die geoptimiseerde kruipvoer behandelings CF1 en CF2 wat 157 g RP/kg, 477 g NSK/kg en 179 g RP/kg, 508 g NSK/kg onderskeidelik verteenwoordig. 'n Kommersiële kruipvoer met geen optimalisering vir EAA is verteenwoordig as CFC met 139 g RP/kg en 455 g NSK/kg. 'n Negatiewe kontrole (CON) behandeling is verteenwoordig deur lammers wat geen kruipvoer ontvang het nie, maar wat ad libitum toegang tot hul ooi gehad het om te soog terwyl die ooi op ‘n kikoejoeveld wei. 'n Groei proef is uitgevoer met Merino x Döhne-Merino kruis tweelinglammers met ‘n gemiddelde geboorte gewig van 4,42 ± 0,11 kg vir 60 dae en 'n verteerbaarheids proef is na aan die einde van die studie uitgevoer. Helfte van die lam kudde is geslag by die lewende gewig van 23,6 ± 0, 56 kg. Die M. longissimus dorsi was op beide die linker-en regter helfte van die karkas tussen die 2de - 3de laaste torakale werwels en die 4de - 5de lumbale werwels verwyder. 'n Monster van die rumen wand is geneem langs die rumino retikulêre vou sodat die rumen ontwikkeling eienskappe daarmee bepaal kon word. Resultate dui daarop aan dat die voeromsetverhouding (VOV) vir CFC lammers beter was as vir CF1 (P = 0,052), maar nie meer as vir CF2 (P = 0,307) nie. Die VOV was 0,88 , 1,19 en 1,01 (kilogram voer wat nodig is om 1 kg liggaamsmassa aan te sit) vir CFC, CF1 en CF2 onderskeidelik. Uitslag persentasie vir CF2 was hoër as beide CFC (P = 0,012) en CF1 (P = 0,077). Saam met die bloed, urea en stikstofbalans data is daar tot die gevolgtrekking gekom dat die hoë RP inhoud van CF2 gelei het tot ‘n hoër vetneerlegging. Die geoptimaliseerde kruipvoere het ‘n hoër stikstof- en energiebalans gehad teenoor die kommersiële CFC behandeling wat dus impliseer dat die optimale kruipvoere doeltreffender benut was. Die geoptimaliseerde kruipvoer behandelings het langer papillae gehad as CON (P < 0,0001). Papillae lengte van die CF2 behandeling is langer as die van CFC (P = 0,0537). Papillae breedte het dunner geraak soos wat die NSK-vlak gestyg het dus word vermoed dat hoër NSK-vlakke langer maar dunner papillae tot gevolg het. Rumen bespiering is ewe ontwikkeld tussen al die behandelings en word toegeskryf aan die lammers se toegang tot growwe ruvoer. Vleis kwaliteit in terme van fisiese- en chemiese eienskappe was inlyn met wat verwag kan word vir lammers by hoër slaggewigte (40 kg). Ten slotte, die balansering van beperkende aminosure verhoog die voordele van kruipvoeding en word terselfdertyd doeltreffender benut. Intensiewe skaap produksie stelsels kan dus voordeel trek uit die voeding van sodanige kruipvoere mits dit ekonomies pas in die boerdery stelsel.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:27:29Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2007-02-27Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T19:56:21Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 loureiro_cmb_me_jabo.pdf: 193126 bytes, checksum: 7871454a59e8dd164e24e73028d35ee6 (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Avaliou-se o efeito do extrato de própolis na redução da verminose e sobre os parâmetros hematológicos e bioquímicos de 18 cordeiros Ile de France (nove machos não-castrados e nove fêmeas) dos 5 aos 15 kg de peso corporal, no desmame. Os animais foram distribuídos em três tratamentos, constituídos por dietas isoprotéicas e isoenergéticas, com adição ao concentrado de 0, 15 e 30 mg de extrato de própolis a 11%/kg de peso corporal . O delineamento experimental foi o inteiramente casualizado em esquema de parcela subdividida no tempo. Observou -se que a contagem de ovos por grama de fezes foi influenciada pelos diferentes tratament os. Nos cordeiros estudados, a ad ição de 30 mg de extrato de própolis foi mais efetiva em reduzir o número de ovos tipo Stron gylida por grama de fezes, do que a de 15 mg e a que não continha o extrato, indicando uma possível redução na ovoposição dos endoparasitos. As contagens globais de hemácias, neutrófilos bastonetes e monócitos, taxa de hemoglobina e o percentual de hematócrito apresentaram efeito para interação entre os tratamentos e as datas de observação. Não houve diferenças para as contagens de leucócitos, neutrófilos segmentados e linfócitos, já os eosinófilos variaram dentro do período de coleta. Em relação aos parâmetros bioquímicos analisados, o extrato de própolis não afetou as concentrações séricas de uréia, creatinina, albumina, bilirrubina direta e indireta, e plasmática de glicose. Já os níveis séricos d e colesterol, proteínas totais e bilirrubina total diferiram entre os tratamentos. Com base nos resultados, concluí-se que a adição de extrato de própolis às rações dos cordeiros não provocou alterações importantes nos parâmetros hematológicos e bioquímicos, que indicassem reações adversas à sua administração, além de ser uma possível alternativa no controle da verminose em cordeiros. / The effect of the propolis extract was evaluated in the reduction of the nematodes and on the hematological and bioch emical parameters of 18 lambs Ile of France (nine no-castrated males and nine females) of the 5 to the 15 kg of corporal weight, in it weans them. The animals were distributed in three treatments, constituted by protein and energy concentration diets, with addition to the concentrate of 0, 15 and 30 mg of propolis extract to 11%/kg of corporal weight. The experimental delineation was entirely occurred in portion outline subdivided in the time. It was observed that the counting of eggs for gram of feces was influenced by the different treatments. In the studied lambs, the addition of 30 mg of extract of propolis was more effective in reducing the number of eggs type Strongylida for gram of feces, than the one of 15 mg and the one that didn't contain the extra ct, indicating a possible reduction in the eggs of the endoparasites. The global countings of the red cells, neutrophiles and monocytes, hemoglobin tax and the percentile of hematocrits presented effect for interaction among the treatments and the dates fo r observation. There were not differences for the leucocytes countings, segmented neutrophiles and lymphocytes, whereas the eosinophiles varied inside of the collection period. In relation to the analyzed biochemical parameters, the extract of propolis did n't affect the serum urea, creatinine, albumin, direct and indirect, and plasmatic bilirubin concentration of glucose. The serum levels of cholesterol, total proteins and total bilirubin differed among the treatments. On base in the results, I was ended th at the addition of extract of propolis to the rations of the lambs didn't provoke important alterations in the hematological and biochemical parameters, that they indicated adverse reactions to his/her administration, besides being a possible alternative in the control of the nematodes in lambs.