• Animal Bioscience
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.461-474
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• 2022

Objective: This experiment investigated the effects of supplementing vitamin D₃-fortified sow and progeny diets with 25(OH)D₃ on growth performance, carcass characteristics, immunity, and pork meat quality. Methods: The present study involved the assessment of supplementing the diet of sows and their progeny with or without 25 (OH)D₃ in a 2×2 factorial arrangement on the performance and production characteristics of wean-finish pigs. Forty-eight multiparous sows were assigned to a basal diet containing 2000 IU/kg vitamin D₃ and supplemented without (CON) or with (TRT) 50 ㎍/kg 25 (OH)D₃. At weaning, a total of 80 pigs each from CON and TRT sows were allocated to weaning and growing-finishing basal diets fortified with 2,500 and 1,750 IU/kg vitamin D₃ respectively and supplemented without or with 50 ㎍/kg 25(OH)D₃. Results: Sows fed 25(OH)D₃-supplemented diets improved pre-weaning growth rate of nursing piglets. A significant sow and pig weaning diet effect was observed for growth rate and feed efficiency (p<0.05) during days 1 to 42 post-weaning. Pigs consuming 25(OH)D₃-supplemented diets gained weight faster (p = 0.016), ate more (p = 0.044) and tended to convert feed to gain more efficiently (p = 0.088) than those fed CON diet between days 98 and 140 post-weaning. Supplemental 25(OH)D₃ improved water holding capacity and reduced drip loss of pork meat, increased serum 25(OH)D₃ level, produced higher interleukin-1 and lower interleukin-6 concentrations in blood circulation, downregulated myostatin (MSTN) and upregulated myogenic differentiation (MYOD) and myogenic factor 5 (MYF5) gene expressions (p<0.05). Conclusion: Supplementing vitamin D₃-fortified sow and wean-finish pig diets with 50 ㎍/kg 25(OH)D₃ significantly improved production performance suggesting their current dietary vitamin D₃ levels are insufficient. In fulfilling the total need for vitamin D, it is strongly recommended to add 50 ㎍/kg 25(OH)D₃ "on top" to practical vitamin D₃-fortified sow and wean-finish pig diets deployed under commercial conditions.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.739-746
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• 2016

A total of 152 pig farms were randomly selected from the five provinces in South Korea. During the experiment, the average temperature and relative humidity was $24.7^{\circ}C$ and 74% in summer and $2.4^{\circ}C$ and 53% in winter, respectively. The correlation between floor space allowance (FSA) and productivity index was analyzed, including non-productive sow days (NPD), number of weaners (NOW), survival rate (SR), appearance rate of A-grade pork (ARA), and days at a slaughter weight of 110 kg (d-SW) at different growth stages. The objectives of the present study were i) to determine the effect of FSA on the pig productivity index and ii) to suggest the minimum FSA for pigs based on scientific baseline data. For the pregnant sow, NPD could be decreased if pregnant sows were raised with a medium level (M) of FSA (3.10 to $3.67m^2/head$) while also keeping the pig house clean which improves hygiene, and operating the ventilation system properly. For the farrowing sows, the NOW tended to decrease as the FSA increased. Similarly, a high level of FSA (H) is significantly negative with weaner SR of farrowing sows (p-value = 0.017), indicating this FSA tends to depress SR. Therefore, a FSA of 2.30 to $6.40m^2/head$ (very low) could be appropriate for weaners because a limited space can provide a sense of security and protection from external interruptions. The opposite trend was observed that an increase in floor space (> $1.12m^2/head$ leads to increase the SR of growing pigs. For the fattening pigs, H level of FSA was negatively correlated with SR, but M level of FSA was positively correlated with SR, indicating that SR tended to increase with the FSA of 1.10 to $1.27m^2/head$. In contrast, ARA of male fattening pigs showed opposite results. H level of FSA (1.27 to $1.47m^2/head$) was suggested to increase productivity because ARA was most affected by H level of space allowance with positive correlation ($R^2=0.523$). The relationship between the FSA and d-SW of fattening pigs was hard to identify because of the low $R^2$ value. However, the farms that provided a relatively large floor space (1.27 to $1.54m^2/head$) during the winter period showed d-SW was significantly and negatively affected by FSA.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.59 no.12
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• pp.28.1-28.8
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• 2017

Background: Major amino acids in pig diets are Lys, Met, Thr, and Trp, but little is known about the requirements for the other essential amino acids, especially on odorous compounds and microbial characteristics in feces of growing-finishing pigs. To this end, different levels of amino acid composition added to diets to investigate the effects of amino acid composition on microbial characteristics and odorous compounds concentration. Methods: A total eight (n = 8) barrows (Landrace ${\times}$ Yorkshire ${\times}$ Duroc) with an average bodyweight of $89.38{\pm}3.3kg$ were individually fed diets formulated by Korean Feeding Standards 2007 (old version) or 2012 (updated with ideal protein concept) in metabolism crates with two replication. After 15-day adaptation period, fresh faecal samples were collected directly from pigs every week for 4 weeks and analysed for total volatile fatty acids (VFA), phenols and indoles by using gas chromatography. The nitrogen was determined by Kjeldahl method. Bacterial communities were detected by using a 454 FLX titanium pyrosequencing system. Results: Level of VFA tended to be greater in 2012 than 2007 group. Among VFAs, 2012 group had greater (p < 0.05) level of short chain fatty acids (SCFA) than control.Concentration of odorous compounds in feces was also affected by amino acid composition in pig diet. Levels of ammonium and indoles tended to be higher in 2012 group when compared with 2007 group.Concentration of phenols, p-cresol, biochemical oxygen demand, and total Kjeldahl nitrogen, however, were lower (P < 0.05) in 2012 treatment group compare to 2007. The proportion of Firmicute phylum were decreased, while the Bacteriodetes phylum proportion increased and bacterial genera includingCoprococcus, Bacillus, and Bacteroides increased (p < 0.05) in 2012 compare to 2007 group. Conclusion: Results from our current study indicates that well balanced amino acid composition reduces odor by modulating the gut microbial community. Administration of pig diet formulated with the ideal protein concept may help improve gut fermentation as well as reduce the odor causing compounds in pig manure.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.329-334
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• 2009

Aujeszky's disease (AD) is a respiratory, infectious viral illness associated with high mortality, especially in neonatal piglets and has frequently been considered an economically important disease in many endemic countries. Although AD is still occurring in a geographically defined region in Korea, little attention has been paid to the economics of AD. In this study, partial budget technique was used to develop a simulation model to measure financial losses following the disease epidemic in a swine operation utilizing stochastic or deterministic parameters from the literatures and the index case herd of AD occurred in 2005, where available and applicable. For the infected case herd with a 12500-pig, the total economic loss for this operation was estimated to be about 199 million Korean won (95% confidence interval [CI] 148,645,000-250,741,000). Given net loss due to death of a pig at sow level was 119,000 won, total loss for the case herd with 1200 sows accounted for 143 million won (95% CI 92,599,000-193,729,000). The net loss of the death of one pig at growing and fattening level resulted in loss of 46,000 won (95% CI 40,000-53,000) and 126,000 won (95% CI 122,000-131,000), respectively. Taking into account for the number of pigs raised in the case herd, total loss amounted to 8 million won (95% CI 7,167,000-9,347,000) and 12 million won (95% CI 11,959,000-12,891,000), for growers and fatteners, respectively, assuming 63% of saved feed intake when a pig dies halfway through the respective period. Under the model's assumptions, suckling pig mortality was the major factors of loss in estimating the economic consequences (approximately 71.8% of the total loss). The high economic losses of a herd infected with AD suggest that the effective and region-specific control measures should be implemented in disease endemic foci.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.347-354
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• 2015

This study evaluated whether dietary supplementation of tapioca could alleviate the negative effects of palm kernel meal (PKM) on growth performance and meat quality in growing and finishing pigs. In experiment 1, 120 73-dold crossbred growing pigs [$(Yorkshire{\times}Landrace){\times}Duroc$], with an average body weight of $31.7{\pm}4.5kg$, were used in a 3-week trial. In experiment 2, 120 108-d-old crossbred finishing pigs [$(Yorkshire{\times}Landrace){\times}Duroc$], with an average BW of $52.6{\pm}4.2kg$ were used in a 10-week trial. Treatments were: CON, a corn-soybean meal-based diet; PKM, 8% PKM, and TPKM, 8% PKM and 10% tapioca. No difference was observed in growth performance or meat quality among treatments in growing pigs. In finishing pigs, no difference was observed in growth performance or meat quality among CON and TPKM dietary treatments. Finishing pigs fed PKM decreases in final BW and ADG compared with those fed CON. Meat quality was not affected by dietary treatments. In conclusion, dietary supplementation of tapioca alleviated anti-nutritional effect of PKM on growth performance in growing and finishing pigs. Thus, the PKM with tapioca could be an available alternative energy source to reduce the cost of pig diets.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.235-243
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• 2017

A total of 112 crossbred pigs [(Yorkshire ${\times}$ Landrace) ${\times}$ Duroc] with an average body weight (BW) of $27.98{\pm}1.28kg$ were used to evaluate the effects of replacing soybean meal (SBM) with rapeseed meal (RSM) as a source of protein on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, blood characteristics, and fecal noxious gas emission in growing pigs. The pigs were blocked and stratified based on BW into one of four dietary treatments in a 6-week trial. Each treatment consisted of 7 replicate pens with 4 pigs per pen (2 barrows and 2 gilts). Treatments were 1) maize-SBM based diet, 2) diet containing 2% RSM, 3) diet containing 4% RSM, and 4) diet containing 6% RSM. Supplementation with RSM resulted in no differences in growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and noxious gas emission, as compared with SBM supplementation during the experimental period (p > 0.05). Pigs fed with increased dietary RSM (0, 2, 4, and 6% of feed) had linear decreases in average daily gain (ADG) (p = 0.010) and nitrogen digestibility (p = 0.036) and a linear increase in blood creatinine concentration. In conclusion, RSM fed pigs had no detrimental effects on their growth performance, nutrient digestibility, blood characteristics, and fecal noxious gas emissions, as compared with SBM fed pigs. Thus, RSM is a good alternative to SBM as a protein source in growing pigs' diets.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.16 no.9
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• pp.1326-1331
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• 2003

The aim of the study was to assess the efficacy of Toyocerin, a probiotic containing Bacillus toyoi spores, on the health status and productivity of pigs, during nursery, growing and finishing phases. On a commercial farrow-to-finish farm in Greece, 3 experimental groups were formed, each of 72 weaned piglets. The pigs of the first group (T1 group; negative controls) received normal feed with no antimicrobials or probiotics, the pigs of the second group (T2 group) received the same type of feed but supplemented with 1.0${\times}$10$^9$, 0.5${\times}$10$^9$ and 0.2${\times}$10$^9$ spores per kg of feed at weaning, growing and finishing stage, respectively, and the pigs of the third group (T3 group) were fed with Toyocerin at the dose of 1.0${\times}$10$^9$ spores per kg of feed during the entire fattening period (weaning, growing and finishing stages). The results have shown that, compared to the controls, Toyocerin treated pigs had reduced incidence of postweaning diarrhoea (p<0.05). Enterotoxigenic strains of Escherichia coli were detected in faecal samples of 0% to 25% of pigs of the treated groups, but in 33.5% to 50% of pigs of the non-treated group (p<0.05). Over the negative controls, a significant improvement of weight gain (4.5% and 8.3% for T2 and T3 groups, respectively), and of feed conversion ratio (6.6% and 13.0% for T2 and T3 groups, respectively) was observed. The 76.5% of the carcasses of the T3 group was classified in the top three categories of the EUROP scale (S, E and U), whilst the respective figures were 47.8% for T2 group and only 10.5% for T1 group (p<0.05).

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.24 no.8
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• pp.1157-1163
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• 2011

This study was conducted to determine the effect of the inclusion of different levels of ensiled cassava leaves (variety KM94) in the diets on performance and carcass characteristics of growing pigs in Vietnam. A total of 40 crossbreds pigs (Large White${\times}$Mong Cai, 20 males and 20 females) with an initial live weight of 23.5 kg (SD = 0.86) were randomly allocated to one of the four pens across 5 units. Four experimental diets were formulated for two growth periods, period 1 (60 days) for 20 to 50 kg and period 2 lasted 30 days, from 50 kg until slaughter. Four diets were formulated containing inclusion levels of ensiled cassava KM94 leaves diet of 0, 10, 15 and 20% in the DM. Diets were formulated based on previously determined ileal amino acid digestibility values of the KM94 products and were isonitrogenous and isocaloric on a metabolizable energy basis. Each pen of pigs was randomly assigned to one of the four dietary treatments. Dry matter intake and final weight tended to decreased with increasing levels of ensiled cassava KM94 leaves in the diet while there was a significant (p = 0.022) decrease in average daily gain. Protein depositions of the F1 pigs tended (p = 0.093) to decrease with increasing inclusion levels of ensiled cassava KM94 leaves. There was no significant difference in feed conversion ratio, carcass quality and fat gain between the groups of pigs. There were clear differences in feed costs among the experimental diets (p = 0.001) with increasing levels of ensiled cassava KM 94 leaves in the diet reducing feed costs. It was concluded that, in diets for growing pig, inclusion of ensiled cassava leaves reduces growth rate of pigs in Vietnam but increases profitability as measured by feed costs.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.71-77
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• 2022

African swine fever (ASF) is a fatal viral disease in pigs, with a short incubation period and causing immediate death. Few studies exist on the Asian epidemic ASF virus (ASFV) challenge in older pigs, including growing and fattening pigs and sows. We aimed to investigate clinical outcomes, pathomorphological lesions, and viral distribution in organs of 3-month-old growing pigs that were inoculated with the ASFV isolated in Vietnam. The clinical outcomes were recorded daily, and the dead or euthanized pigs immediately underwent necropsy. Viral loads were determined in 10 major organs using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The average incubation period in growing pigs was more delayed (5.2±0.9 dpi) than that in weaned pigs, and the clinical signs were milder in growing pigs than in weaned pigs. The digestive and respiratory clinical signs in growing pigs showed at the end period of life, but these were observed at an early stage of infection in weaned pigs. The pathomorphological features were severe and nonspecific with hemorrhagic lesions in various organs. The viral loads in organs from growing pigs were higher than those from piglets, and the number of viral copies was related to gross lesions in the tonsil and intestine. In the absence of vaccines against ASF, early clinical detection is important for preventing the spread of the virus. Our findings elucidated that the clinical signs and gross lesions in growing pigs differed from those in weaned pigs, which provide valuable information for diagnosis of pigs with suspected ASF infection.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.286-293
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• 2020

Objective: Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of corn particle size and lipid form on the apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of energy and nutrients in diets for growing pigs. Methods: In Exp. 1, thirty barrows (initial body weight [BW], 53.1±3.9 kg) were allotted to 1 of 5 diets formulated with 96.9% corn ground to 441, 543, 618, 659, and 768 ㎛, respectively. In Exp. 2, thirty-six barrows (initial BW, 54.7±3.6 kg) were allotted to 1 of 6 diets formulated by including 2% or 15% corn germ (CG 2 or CG 15), 1% or 6% corn oil (CO 1 or CO 6), 1% CO+2% corn germ meal (CO 1+CGM 2), or 6% CO+15% corn germ meal (CO 6+CGM 15), respectively. Results: The ATTD of gross energy (GE) and the digestible energy (DE) in diet and corn grain linearly decreased as the corn particle size increased (p<0.05) from 441 to 768 ㎛. Particle size had a quadratic effect (p<0.05) on the ATTD of neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber in diets, and which firstly increased and then decreased as the corn particle size increased from 441 to 618 ㎛ and 618 to 768 ㎛, respectively. The ATTD of GE, ether extract (EE), and the DE in CO 1 diet and CO 6 diet was greater (p<0.05) than that in CG 2 diet and CG 15 diet, respectively. The ATTD of EE in CO 6 diet and CO 6+CGM 15 diet was greater (p<0.05) than that in CO 1 diet and CO 1+CGM 2 diet. Conclusion: Less than 618 ㎛ was recommended for corn particle size in growing pig's diet and extracted lipid had greater digestibility than the intact lipid in corn. Higher concentration of extracted CO had greater digestibility of EE compared with lower concentrations of CO diet.