Various Levels of Milk By-products in Weaner Diet on Growth Performance, Blood Profiles, Carcass Characteristics and Economical Analysis in Pigs from Weaning to Finishing

Abstract

This experiment was conducted to evaluate various levels of milk by-products in weaning pig diet on growth performance, blood profiles, carcass characteristics and economical analysis on weaning to finishing pigs. A total of 160 weaning pigs ([Yorkshire × Landrace] × Duroc), average 7.01 ± 1.32 kg body weight (BW), were alloted to one of four treatments by BW and sex in 10 replications with 4 pigs per pen in a randomized complete block (RCB) design. Pigs were fed each treatment diet with various levels of milk by-products (Phase 1: 0, 10, 20 and 30%, Phase 2 : 0, 5 10 and 15%), respectively. In feeding trial, BW, ADG and ADFI were declined linearly (P<0.01) as low levels of milk by-products treatment diets were provided to weaning pigs. This growth response by dietary treatment was continued until late growing period. However, differences of growth performance by high milk by-products treatment in weaning period were disappeared and significant difference was not observed among treatments at the end of experiment. The concentration of BUN, IgA and IgG had no significant difference among dietary treatments. The incidence of diarrhea in weaning period was not affected by milk by-products treatment. Pork color, pH and proximate analysis of longissimus muscle did not show differences among treatments. In addition, cooking loss was lowered when weaning pigs were fed low milk by-products treatment diet subsequently WHC was increased in high milk by-products treatment. When pigs were fed high milk by-products treatment diet during weaning period, feed cost to 110 kg of market weight was increased approximately 11% compared to no milk by-products treatment. Consequently, weaning pig diet without milk by-products had no negative effect on growth performance of finishing pigs and showed the most economical efficiency.