Effects of lysine and energy intake during late gestation on weight gain and reproductive performance of gilts and sows under commercial conditions

Abstract Text: This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of Lys and energy intake during late gestation on reproductive performance of gilts and sows. A total of 1,105 females (PIC 1050) were used from d 90 of gestation until farrowing. Treatments were a 2×2×2 factorial having 2 parity groups (P1 or P2+), 2 standardized ileal digestible (SID) Lys intakes (10.7 or 20.0 g/day), and 2 energy intakes (4,503 or 6,704 kcal/d intake of NE). Females were housed in pens by parity level, blocked by weight and individually assigned to the dietary treatments within each weight block. Diets were corn-soybean meal based. Data were analyzed using generalized linear mixed models consisting with pen as the experimental unit for parity and the individual female as the experimental unit for dietary treatments. Bonferroni adjustment was used to adjust multiple comparisons. Dietary treatments were Low–Lys, Low–Energy (LL), High–Lys, Low–Energy (HL), Low–Lys, High–Energy (LH), and High–Lys, High–Energy (HH). There were Lys × Energy (P<0.001) and Parity × Energy (P<0.001) interactions for BW gain. Increasing Lys or energy increased (P<0.001) BW gain of both gilts and sows; however, the magnitude of response was greater when Lys and energy were increased together (LL: 11.94 ± 0.40, HL: 14.90 ± 0.40, LH: 18.45 ± 0.40, HH: 23.75 ± 0.40 kg ± SEM). Further, under high energy intake, there was no evidence for differences (P = 0.996) in BW gain between gilts (21.44 ± 0.39 kg) and sows (20.76 ± 0.60 kg). However, sows fed low energy intake had less (P < 0.001) BW gain (11.95 ± 0.60 kg) than gilts (14.89 ± 0.39 kg). There was no evidence for differences between dietary treatments in total pigs born (P > 0.17; LL: 15.1 ± 0.02; HL: 14.7 ± 0.02; LH: 14.9 ± 0.02; HH: 14.9 ± 0.02) or born alive (P > 0.215; LL: 14.1 ± 0.02; HL: 13.8 ± 0.02; LH: 13.7 ± 0.02; HH: 13.9 ± 0.02). There was no evidence for differences between dietary treatments in total litter birth weight (P > 0.19; LL: 19.3 ± 0.21; HL: 19.1 ± 0.21; LH: 19.2 ±0 .21; HH: 19.5 ± 0.21 kg). In conclusion, even though the dietary treatments caused large differences in BW gain among gilts and sows, 10.7 g of SID Lys and 4,503 kcal of NE/day was enough to maintain total litter birth weight.

Keywords: energy, lysine, sows