Amino acid supplementation counteracts negative effects of low protein diets on tail biting in pigs more than extra environmental enrichment.

Low protein (LP) diets may increase the occurrence of damaging behaviours, like tail biting, in pigs. We investigated the effect of supplementing a LP diet with indispensable amino acids (IAA) or environmental enrichment on tail biting. Undocked pigs (n = 48 groups of 12) received either a normal protein diet (NP), a LP, LP with supplemented IAA (LP+), or LP diet with extra environmental enrichment (LP-E+) during the starter, grower, and finisher phase. Performance, activity, behaviour, and body damage were recorded. LP and LP-E+ had a lower feed intake, growth, and gain-to-feed ratio, and were more active than NP and LP+ pigs. LP-E+ pigs interacted most often with enrichment materials, followed by LP, LP+, and NP pigs. LP pigs showed more tail biting than all other groups during the starter phase and the finisher phase (tendency) compared to NP and LP+ pigs. Thus, LP-E+ only reduced tail biting in the starter phase, whereas LP+ tended to do so throughout. Tail damage was more severe in LP pigs than in NP and LP+, with LP-E+ in between. In conclusion, IAA supplementation was more effective than extra environmental enrichment in countering the negative effects of a low protein diet on tail biting in pigs.

Production performance and plasma metabolite concentrations of broiler chickens fed low crude protein diets differing in Thr and Gly.

The aim of the study was to test the interaction between Thr and Gly in low crude protein (CP) diets in 7 to 28 d broilers on production performance and plasma metabolites. A total of 2,040 broilers were allocated to 17 treatments. A positive control (PC) diet (20.5% CP) was formulated to be adequate in dietary Thr and Gly. A negative control (NC) diet (18.5% CP, deficient in Thr and Gly) was supplemented with crystalline l-Thr and Gly to obtain a 4 Thr × 4 Gly design. Dietary Thr was tested at an apparent faecal digestibility (AFD) Thr-to-Lys ratio, which was 55%, 58%, 61% or 64%, and dietary Gly was tested at an AFD (Gly + Ser)-to-Lys ratio, which was 135%, 142%, 149% or 156%. Plasma samples were collected at 28 d. The low CP diet, formulated at 64% Thr and 156% Gly, resulted in a higher body weight gain (BWG) (P < 0.01) and similar feed conversion ratio (FCR) as the high CP treatment (PC). FCR was improved (P < 0.001) by l-Thr supplementation. Quadratic response to dietary Thr was significant for feed intake (FI), BWG and FCR (P < 0.01). A near-significant interaction for Thr × Gly was observed for FI and BWG (P linear = 0.091 and P = 0.074, respectively). Gly did not affect production performance. An interaction between Thr × Gly on plasma free AA level was observed (P < 0.05). Free AA concentration in plasma linearly decreased with increase in AFD Thr-to-Lys ratio, and increased with increase in AFD (Gly + Ser)-to-Lys ratio. Plasma uric acid concentration was higher in PC than in all of the other diets, and plasma triglyceride concentration was decreased by l-Thr supplementation, but not by Gly. In conclusion, Gly was not limiting for growth at low dietary CP level unless Thr was deficient, showing that adequate amounts of Thr in broiler diets can overcome marginal supply of Gly and Ser and allow reduction of dietary CP from 20.5% to 18.5% for broilers from 7 to 28 d of age.