Effect of wild ginseng on the laying performance, egg quality, cytokine expression, ginsenoside concentration, and microflora quantity of laying hens.

The experiment was carried out to study the effect of Korean wild ginseng adventitious root supplementation on the laying performance, egg quality, cytokine expression, ginsenoside concentration, and microflora quantity of Institut de selection Animale (ISA) brown laying hens at 24 weeks old. A total of 90 laying hens were subjected to a completely randomized design at three treatments, five repetitions and six laying hens per replicate. The experiments were divided by diets into the basic feed (CON), basic feed + 0.1% wild ginseng (WG1), and basic feed + 0.5% wild ginseng (WG2). The feeding trial was carried out over a duration of 12 weeks after an initial acclimation period of 2 weeks. Feeds and water were administered ad libitum in mash form, and light was available for 16 hours per day. At the end of study, hen-day egg production (HDEP), average egg weight (AEW), and egg mass (EM) were increased (p <0.05) in WG2 at week 12. Feed conversion ratio (FCR) was decreased (p < 0.05) in WG2 at week 12. The ginsenoside content in egg yolk was increased (p <0.05) in laying hens in the WG2 treatment at week 12. Relative expression of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) was reduced (p < 0.05) in the WG supplemented diets at week 12. The fecal microflora quantity of Lactobacillus was increased (p < 0.05) in WG2 at week 8 to week 12, and Escherichia coli (E. coli) was significantly decreased (p < 0.05) in the WG2 at week 12. We concluded that the result observed in the HDEP, AEW, EM and FCR was due to an increase in ginsenoside content, leading to an improvement in the TNF-α, and fecal microflora quantity such as Lactobacillus and E. coli in the WG2 supplemented diets. We therefore recommend the use of WG at application level 0.5% per basal diet for optimum laying performance in layer hens.

Prediction of calcium and phosphorus requirements for pigs in different bodyweight ranges using a meta-analysis.

Several studies have focused on Ca and P requirements for pigs. These requirements are estimated from their retention and bone formation. However, modern pig breeds have different responses to dietary Ca and P than traditional breeds, and their requirements are expected to change on an annual basis. Besides individual Ca and P needs, the Ca to P ratio (Ca/P) is an important factor in determining requirements. This study aimed to implement a linear and quadratic regression analysis to estimate Ca and P requirements based on average daily gain (ADG), apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of Ca (ATTD-Ca), ATTD of P (ATTD-P), and crude protein (CP) digestibility. Results show that Ca/P had linear and quadratic effects on ADG in the phytase-supplemented (PS) group in both the 6-11 kg and 11-25 kg categories. In the latter category, the CP digestibility was linearly increased in response to increasing Ca/P in the without-phytase (WP) group. In the 25-50 kg category, there was a linear response of ADG and linear and quadratic responses of CP digestibility to Ca/P in the PS group, while a linear and quadratic increase in CP digestibility and a quadratic effect on ATTD-Ca were observed in the WP group. In the 50-75 kg category, Ca/P had significant quadratic effects on ADG in the PS and WP groups, along with significant linear and quadratic effects on ATTD-Ca. In addition, Ca/P had significant quadratic effects on ATTD-P and led to a significant linear and quadratic increase in the CP digestibility in the WP group. In the 75-100 kg category, analysis showed a significant decrease in ATTD-Ca and ATTD-P in the PS and WP groups; in the latter, ATTD-P and ATTD-Ca were linearly decreased by increasing Ca/P. In conclusion, our equations predicted a higher Ca/P in the 6-25 kg bodyweight categories and a lower Ca/P in the 50-100 kg category than that recommended in the literature.

Behavioral and stress responses to feeding time in pregnant sows under limit-fed regime.

We investigated the effect of feeding time on behavior and stress responses in pregnant sows under isocaloric conditions. Twenty-four sows were balanced for parity and randomly assigned to 1 of 3 feeding times. Corn-soybean meal-based diet was fed once at: 0730 (Control, T1), 1130 (T2), and 1530 hours (T3). On average, sows received 7,062 kcal ME/d from 2.20 kg of diet formulated to contain SID Lys/ME of 1.71 g/Mcal. The study was conducted for 28 d (21 d acclimation to the feeding regime and 7 d data collection). Saliva samples were collected every 2 hr for 12 hr in stalls on day 52 of pregnancy. Behavior data were collected 24 hr for 7 d from day 53 of gestating by affixing a remote insights ear tag to each sow. Each sow had 120,960 data points categorized into: "Active," "Feed," or "Dormant". Due to housing constraint, all sows were housed in individual stalls in the same barn presenting a potential limitation of the study. Data were analyzed using PROC MIXED and GLIMMIX procedures of SAS 9.4 for cortisol and behavior data, respectively. Sow was the experimental unit. The area under the curve (AUC) is quantitative evaluation of response as threshold varies over all possible values. A 12-hr cortisol total AUC for sows fed once daily at 1130 hours was reduced relative to sow group fed at 1530 hours (P = 0.046) but similar compared with the control sows (P = 0. 323). The control sows (0730 hours) had reduced total (P < 0.001) and feeding (P = 0.001) activity AUCs relative to sows on 1130 hours but did not differ compared with sows on 1530 hours feeding schedules (P > 0.100). Sows on 1130 hours feeding schedule had greater feed anticipatory activity, 24-hr total activity count, total (P < 0.001) and feeding (P < 0.001) activity AUC compared with sows fed daily at 1530 hours. In conclusion, feeding pregnant sows earlier in the morning (0730 hours) appears to minimize sows' behavior but similar cortisol response. Sows on 1130 hours feeding schedule had greater activities but reduced cortisol concentration, suggesting that elevated sow activity might not necessarily indicate activation of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.

Arginine addition in a diet for weaning pigs can improve the growth performance under heat stress.

The effects of arginine (Arg) and methionine (Met) supplementation on nutrient use in pigs were determined under hot season conditions. A total of five experimental diets including basal diet (CON) were supplemented with two types of amino acids (Arg and Met) and two different amounts of amino acids (0.2% and 0.4%). Under hot season condition, pigs fed with additional Arg were significantly higher in average daily gain (ADG) than the CON group and the ADG increased linearly (p < 0.05) with increasing Arg supplementation. But there was no significant difference with Met supplementation (p > 0.05). The apparent ileal digestibility (AID) of amino acids had no significant difference among treatments (p > 0.05), while d-reactive oxygen metabolites (d-ROMs) concentration in treatments with Arg supplementation, were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than other treatments. In conclusion, exposure of pigs to heat stress does not affect the AID of amino acid, whereas pig fed with additional Arg improved ADG and feed efficiency under heat stress condition.

Behavioral and cortisol responses to feeding frequency in pregnant sows under isocaloric intake.

The study focused on behavioral and cortisol responses to feeding frequency in pregnant sows under isocaloric intake. Twenty-four sows [(Landrace × Yorkshire); BW 216.70 ± 3.98 kg; parity 3.04 ± 0.53] were balanced for parity and randomly assigned to 1 of 3 feeding frequency regimes. Sows were fed corn-soybean meal-based diet 1× [0730 (Control), T1], 2× [half ration at 0730 and 1530 hours, T2], or 3× [one-third portion at 0730, 1130, and 1530 hours, T3] from days 30 to 60 of gestation. Sows received 7055 kcal ME/d during gestation from 2.21 kg of diet formulated to contain SID Lys/ME of 1.71 g/Mcal. Saliva samples were collected every 2 hr from 0630 to 1830 hours on day 52 and assayed for cortisol using ELISA procedure. Behavior data were collected for 7 d from day 53 of gestation by affixing a remote insights ear tag to each sow. Each sow had 120,960 data points categorized into: "Active", "Feed," or "Dormant". Because of housing constraint, all sows were housed in individual stalls in the same room presenting a potential limitation of the study. The data were analyzed using PROC MIXED and GLIMMIX procedures of SAS 9.4 for cortisol and behavior count data, respectively. Sow was the experimental unit. The area under the curve (AUC) is quantitative evaluation of response as threshold varies over all possible values. The T2 sows had reduced 12-hr cortisol AUC compared with control sows (P = 0.024) and T3 sows (P = 0.004), respectively. The T2 sows had lower 3 hr (P = 0.039) and 5 hr (P = 0.015) postfeeding cortisol AUC compared with control sows. Feed anticipatory activity (FAA), 24-hr total activity, and feeding activities (eating and/or sham chewing) were reduced for T2 sows relative to the control and T3 sows (P < 0.01). Consequently, T2 sows had lower 24-hr total activity (P < 0.001) and feeding activities (P < 0.001) AUC compared with both the control and T3 sows, respectively. The T3 sows had greater FAA (P < 0.001) and 24-hr total activity AUC (P = 0.010) compared with control sows. Our data although inconclusive due to small sample size, twice daily feeding appears to be the threshold that reduces sows' total activity AUC, feeding activity AUC, and activation of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, reduced hunger, and exhibit potential to improve sow welfare in relation to once and thrice daily feeding regimes under isocaloric intake per kilogram live metabolic weight.

The Ratio of Dietary n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Influences the Fat Composition and Lipogenic Enzyme Activity in Adipose Tissue of Growing Pigs.

Currently, there is a growing interest among consumers in selecting healthier meat with a greater proportion of essential fatty acids (FA). This experiment was conducted to evaluate the role of different ratios of dietary n-6:n-3 on growth performance, FA profile of longissimus dorsi (LD), relative gene expression of cytokines, meat quality, and blood parameters in finishing pigs. A total of 108 finishing pigs was randomly allotted to three treatments including a control (basal diet) and low ratios (4:1 and 2:1) of n-6:n-3. The 4:1 and 2:1 diets decreased the overall stearic acid in LD. There were reductions in the content of stearic acid, palmitoleic acid, total saturated acid, and n-6:n-3 ratio of LD in pigs fed 4:1 and 2:1 diet compared with the control diet. The 4:1 and 2:1 diets increased the concentration of α-Linolenic acid and polyunsaturated FA in the LD of pigs. Acetyl-CoA carboxylase enzyme gene was down-regulated in pigs fed 2:1 diet compared with finishing pigs fed the control or 4:1 diets. The relative expression of hormone-sensitive lipase was increased in pigs fed 2:1 and 4:1 ratio diets. Lower total cholesterol of plasma was observed in finishing pigs fed 2:1 and 4:1 diets. The cooking loss ratio of meat was lower in pigs fed the 2:1 and 4:1 diets compared with the control diet. Pigs fed the 4:1 and 2:1 diets had greater final body weight. In conclusion, the 2:1 and 4:1 diets have the potential to increase the meat quality and growth performance of pigs.

Age and weight at first mating affects plasma leptin concentration but no effects on reproductive performance of gilts.

The objective of this study was to verify the best mating age of gilts at the first parity. Gilts (n = 86) were divided into nine groups in a factorial arrangement with three Ages (AG1, ≤ 220 d; AG2, 220 to 240 d; AG3, 240 ≤ d), and three weights (WT1 ≤ 140 kg; WT2, 140 to 149 kg; WT3, 150 ≤ kg). A higher body weight gain in AG2 sows during gestation. Sows in AG2 group showed a higher body weight gain at first parity and backfat gain in the parity 2 and 3 during gestation. A greater insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) was observed in AG1 sows compared with AG3 sows at weaning in the second parity. Sows in WT1 group showed a significant positive effect on the plasma IGF-1 at breeding and weaning time in parity 2. Sows in AG3 group showed a higher plasma leptin at breeding, farrowing, and weaning in the parity 1, and at farrowing in parity 2. Sows in WT3 group showed a higher plasma leptin at breeding, farrowing, and weaning in the parities 1 and 2. Considering the insignificant longevity results, the most efficient time for gilts insemination can be at 220 d when their body weight is 140 kg or lower.

Effect of feeding frequency and sow parity based on isocaloric intake during gestation on sow performance.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of feeding frequency and sow parity based on same rate of maintenance energy intake during gestation on sow performance. One hundred and seventy-seven sows [Topigs Norsvin 70, Landrace × Large White, Topigs Norsvin USA, Burnsville, MN; parity 3.80 ± 0.16; initial BW = 211.34 ± 3.37 kg; backfat (BF) 13.57 ± 0.54 mm] were blocked by parity, balanced for BW, and randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatments in a randomized complete block design. Treatments included sows fed corn-soybean meal-based diet 1× daily at 0730 h (control, T1), 2× daily [half ration at 0730 and 1530 h (T2)], or 3× daily [a third portion at 0730, 1130, and 1530 h (T3)], with daily feed quantity kept at 1.25 × maintenance energy intake [100 × (BW)0.75] kcal ME/d. Treatments were imposed from day 30 of gestation. Sows received on average 6,921, 7,129, and 7,399 kcal ME/d from days 30 to 60, days 61 to 90, days 91 to 109 of gestation, respectively. Feeding frequency during gestation had no effect on lactation ADFI (P > 0.10). Sows fed 3× daily during gestation had improved lactation G:F (P = 0.040) compared with sows fed 2× but similar to control sows (P = 0.338). Treatment did not alter BW or BW variations during gestation, lactation, or from days 30 to wean (P > 0.10). Sows fed 2× daily had tendency to gain BF from day 30 to day 109 of gestation (P = 0.053) but tended to lose BF during lactation (P = 0.091) relative to the control sows. Feeding frequency (2× and 3× daily) tended to increase the number of piglets weaned by 0.40 (P = 0.056) and 0.53 (P = 0.098) piglets, respectively, compared with control sows. Sows fed 2× daily during gestation had reduced number of stillborn relative to control sows (P = 0.035). From day 30 to wean, gilts had propensity to lose BF relative to P1+ (P = 0.094), but lost BF compared with P3+ and P6+ sows (P = 0.003). Parity P6+ sows had highest percentage of both 72 h and preweaning piglet mortality than P0, P1+, and P3+ sows (P < 0.05). In conclusion, parity (P6+) had greater lactation BW gain but higher mortalities relative to lower parity sows. Sows fed 2× daily tended to gain BF from days 30 to 109 of gestation and had reduced number of stillborn relative to control sows. It appears that increasing gestation sow feeding frequency from 1× daily to 2× and 3× daily may reduce the number of stillborn and increase litter size at weaning although most of the reproductive traits were not affected.

Effects of Ecklonia cava as fucoidan-rich algae on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, intestinal morphology and caecal microflora in weanling pigs.

OBJECTIVE: In the present study, role of increasing levels of Ecklonia cava (seaweed) supplementation in diets was investigated on growth performance, coefficient of total tract apparent digestibility (CTTAD) of nutrients, serum immunoglobulins, cecal microflora and intestinal morphology of weanling pigs. METHODS: A total of 200 weaned pigs (Landrace×Yorkshire×Duroc; initial body weight 7.08±0.15 kg) were randomly allotted to 4 treatments on the basis of body weight. There were 5 replicate pens in each treatment including 10 pigs of each. Treatments were divided by dietary Ecklonia cava supplementation levels (0%, 0.05%, 0.1%, or 0.15%) in growing-finishing diets. There were 2 diet formulation phases throughout the experiment. The pigs were offered the diets ad libitum for the entire period of experiment in meal form. RESULTS: The pigs fed with increasing dietary concentrations of Ecklonia cava had linear increase (p<0.05) in the overall average daily gain, however, there were no significant differences in gain to feed ratio, CTTAD of dry matter and crude protein at both phase I and phase II. Digestibility of gross energy was linearly improved (p<0.05) in phase II. At day 28, pigs fed Ecklonia cava had greater (linear, p<0.05) Lactobacillus spp., fewer Escherichia coli (E. coli) spp. (linear, p<0.05) and a tendency to have fewer cecal Clostridium spp. (p = 0.077). The total anaerobic bacteria were not affected with supplementation of Ecklonia cava in diets. Polynomial contrasts analysis revealed that villus height of the ileum exhibited a linear increase (p<0.05) in response with the increase in the level of dietary Ecklonia cava. However, villus height of duodenum and jejunum, crypt depth, villus height to crypt depth ratio of different segments of the intestine were not affected. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that Ecklonia cava had beneficial effects on the growth performance, cecal microflora, and intestinal morphology of weanling pigs.

Erratum to: Comparative ileal amino acid digestibility and growth performance in growing pigs fed different level of canola meal.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1186/s40781-015-0055-3.].

Comparative ileal amino acid digestibility and growth performance in growing pigs fed different level of canola meal.

The digestibility of different vegetable protein sources were investigated and the effects of supplementing canola meal (CM) as partial inclusions were studied in growing pigs, to determine the performance parameters and its economic importance. In Exp. 1, four pigs (average initial BW = 15.4 ± 0.35 kg, 5 weeks of age) fitted with simple T-cannula at terminal ileum, were fed four diets following repeated 4 × 4 Latin square design having adoption period of 7 days. Diet 1 was Nitrogen free diet containing corn starch. Diets 2, 3, and 4 were the basal diet supplemented with soybean meal (SBM), rapeseed meal (RSM), and domestic CM respectively. The AID of crude protein was decrease in RSM in comparison to SBM supplementation. The AID of Dietary indispensable amino acids (DIAA) such as Lys, Meth, Pha, and dispensable amino acid Ala, Pro, Asp were decreased (P < 0.05) in RSM supplemented diets. The SID of DIAA does not differ but the SID of Asp was higher (P < 0.05) in RSM and CM diets while SID of Pro was lower (P < 0.05) in RSM in comparison to SBM supplemented diets. In Exp. 2, 192 growing pigs (average initial BW 24.76 ± 2.55 kg) were randomly allotted to four dietary treatments with increasing levels of CM i.e. 0, 3.75, 7.50, and 11.25 % respectively. Diets were fed in meal form for 35 days. Increasing CM levels in diets had no effects (P > 0.05) on growth performance and apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of nutrients and energy. Total weight gain, total feed intake, and feed cost per kg weight gain were not affected by increasing levels of CM in diets but total feed cost (TFC) per pigs was linearly reduced (26.463 to 25.674; P < 0.05). Broadly, the AID, and SID of amino acid was reduced in RSM but was not effected in CM in comparison to SBM supplemented pigs. Moreover, increasing levels of CM in pigs diet had no effect on the ATTD and performance but TFC per pig was reduced. Thus CM inclusion of up to 11.25 % in diets can be used for reducing the production cost in growing pigs without any negative effect.