ABSTRACT
Twelve female swine were fed in a 3 X 4 crossover design metabolism trial corn-soybean grower diets that contained 0, 10 or 20% sewage sludge over three 19-day periods. The mean values for total digestible nutrients were 79.4, 73.7 and 55.0%; those for metabolizable energy were 3.36, 2.25 and 1.15 Mcal/kg diet; and those for nitrogen retained were 42.8, 44.0 and 25.3%, respectively. Sewage sludge (0, 10, 20%) diets were fed to 31 sows approximately equally divided into the dietary groups during their first two pregnancies, and to their offspring from weaning until market weight. More live pigs were farrowed and weaned per litter from sows fed 20% sludge diets than from the control group. However, 21-day weaning weights of pigs were lower from sows fed the sludge-containing diets. Offspring of both first and second litters fed growing and finishing diets containing sludge from weaning until market weight had decreased daily weight gains and feed efficiency. There were no increases in nine elements (Pb, Cd, Ni, Zn, Cr, Cu, Mn, Fe and Al) in sow's milk or blood. Offspring of sows fed sludge diets showed increases of several elements in selected tissues at weaning and after consuming sludge diets until market weight.
