Effect of Pelleting Diets and Dietary Components on the Performance of Young Pigs

Abstract

Five experiments involving 228 crossbred pigs weaned at 2 to 3 weeks of age were conducted. The effects of pelleting a diet or its cereal component upon its utilization were evaluated. There were no significant effects on rate of gain. Daily feed intake was variably affected, with no definite trends established. Extreme hardness of the pellet, or the powdery texture sometimes resulting from grinding the pellet (with either a hammermill or roller-grinder), reduced voluntary feed intake particularly for the first few days. In four of the five trials pelleting resulted in a higher gain-feed ratio. Pooled data of the five trials showed this difference to be significant. Pelleting and regrinding the cereal (corn or wheat) portion prior to mixing in the diet gave results similar to pelleting the mixed diet. Proximate analysis of corn samples taken prior to and after pelleting showed that pelleting resulted in significantly less crude fiber and significantly more total nitrogen. Enzymatic digestion of the above samples indicated that pelleting had rendered the starch fraction of corn more susceptible to enzyme action. Copyright © 1965. American Society of Animal Science . Copyright 1965 by American Society of Animal Science