Comparison of Opaque-2 Corn, Milo and Wheat in Diets for Finishing Swine

Abstract

Two experiments were conducted with finishing pigs to evaluate diets containing regular corn, Opaque−2 corn, milo and wheat.Opaque−2 corn, 0.35% lysine, was inadequate as the sole source of amino acids for maximum rate and efficiency of gain in the finishing pig. However, Opaque−2 corn plus 0.15% supplemental lysine supported gains and gain/feed equal or superior to those of pigs fed a regular corn-soybean meal 12 fo protein diet. Wheat or milo supplemented with appropriate levels of lysine supported satisfactory gains, but on the average were less efficiently utilized than the Opaque−2-soybean meal and Opaque-2 plus lysine diets. Pelleted diets supported more efficient gains than did meal diets. The results reported here indicate that the amino acid pattern of Opaque−2 corn is superior to that of regular hybrid corn for finishing swine.