The Effect of Feeding Different Levels of a Cellulosic Material to Swine1

Abstract

Twenty-four individually fed pigs were employed in three separate studies to observe the effect of feeding diets in which from 5 to as high as 20 percent of the corn starch in a purified basal ration was replaced by a cellulose product (Ruffex). Although considerable individual variation was encountered, growth rate and feed utilization appeared to be adversely affected by the higher levels of Ruffex ingested. Results of digestion trials showed the crude fiber of the diets to be poorly digested at all levels and its inclusion depressed the apparent digestibility of the protein, nitrogen-free extract, and ether extract portions of the diet. Carcass characteristics could not be correlated with the level of fibrous material fed.