Artificial rearing of pigs

Abstract

1. The butterfat in a whole-milk diet was replaced by either beef tallow, coconut oil or soya-bean oil. The diets contained 280 g fat and 720 g dried skim milk per kg and were supplemented with vitamins A, D, E and K.2. These diets were offered as a milk, containing 200 g solids/Kg, to pigs weaned at 2 d of age during a 26 d experiment. The pigs were fed at hourly intervals to a scale based on live weight (scaleE).3. The performance of the pigs and the apparent digestibility of the dietary fats indicated that soya-bean oil was equal to butterfat. Butterfat was slightly superior to coconut oil and markedly superior to beef tallow.4. The amount and composition of the fatty acids were studied in the proximal, mid and distal portions of the small intestine. When the beef tallow diet was given there was an increased amount of total fatty acids in the digesta of the small intestine, mainly in the distal portion. The digesta contained the smallest quantity of fatty acids when the soya-bean oil diet was given. The fatty acid composition of the digesta indicated that the short- and medium chain fatty acids from all the diets were well utilized, but an increasing proportion of stearic acid occurred in the distal portion of the small intestine. The interpretation of changes in fatty acid composition in the digesta in relation to absorption is discussed.