Effect of the substitution of soybean meal and sorghum for cull chickpeas on the apparent digestibility of nutrients in diets for growing pigs

Abstract Text: The objective of this experiment was to determine the effect of the substitution of soybean meal and sorghum  for cull chickpeas (CP average value of 24%, and 3.0 Mcal ME/ kg, crude fat 5%) on apparent digestibility of nutrients in  diets for growing pigs. Six pigs (BW = 36.15 ± 1.5 kg; Large White × Landrace × Large White × Pietrain) were used in a replicated Latin Square Design. Pigs were assigned to consume one of three diets: 1) Diet with 18.2% CP and 3.2 Mcal ME/kg, containing sorghum 68.6%, soybean meal 27.4 %, and premix 4.0 % (CONT); 2) Diet with 17% CP and 3.2 Mcal ME/kg with sorghum 48.5%, cull chickpeas 35%, soybean meal 10.0%, vegetable oil 2.5%, and premix 4.0% (CHP35), and 3) Diet with 20.5% CP and 3.1 Mcal ME/kg with sorghum 17.0 %, cull chickpeas 70%, soybean meal 5.0%, vegetable oil 4.0%, and premix 4.0% (CHP70). Pigs were individually placed in metabolic crates (0.6 × 1.2 m). The adaptation period was 6 days and sample collection period was 4 days. From each diet and period, one kg of diet was taken as a sample and the total fecal production was collected. Feed Intake (1.88, 1.86 and 1.68 kg/day) was not affected by treatments (P=0.10) for CONT, CHP35 and CHP70, respectively. Apparent digestibility of DM (82.9, 83.7 and 82.9 %) was equal (P = 0.81) across treatments. Apparent digestibility of crude protein was not altered (P=0.35) by CHP inclusion (78.4, 77.5 and 76.0 %). These results suggest that cull chickpeas can be used up to 70% in growing pig diets without affecting nutrient digestibility.

Keywords: chickpeas
digestibility
pigs