Effect of High Dietary Canola Meal Inclusion in Gestation and Lactation Sow Diets with or without Enzyme Supplementation on Reproductive Performance, Milk Composition and Nutrient Digestibility

The aim was to determine the effects of high canola meal (CM) inclusion in gestation and lactation diets on reproductive performance, milk composition and nutrient digestibility of sows. Forty-five sows with an average parity of 3.1 (SD = 0.75) were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 dietary treatments (n = 15) consisting of a corn-soybean meal control diet, control diet containing 30% CM with or without a multi-enzyme complex (MC). Both gestation and lactation diets were formulated to be similar in standardized ileal digestible amino acid content and NE value and to meet or exceed NRC (2012) nutrient recommendations for sows. Sows were individually housed and were offered the experimental diets from d 60 of gestation until weaning on d 21. Sows were weighed and backfat thickness measured on d 60 and 111 of gestation, and on d 0 and 21 post-farrowing. Litters were weighed on d 0 and 21. Weaning to estrus interval in sows was recorded. Blood and milk samples were collected 2 h post-feeding from sows on d 0 and 21 to determine the plasma urea nitrogen (PUN) content and milk composition. On d 10, 11 and 12 post-farrowing, fecal samples were collected from sows to determine energy and nutrient digestibility. There were no dietary effects on lactation feed intake, sow backfat change, weaning to estrus interval and milk composition (P > 0.10). However, during lactation sows fed CM-containing diets with MC had lower (3.3 vs. 6.0 kg; P < 0.05) BW loss than those fed the control diet. There were no dietary effects on the number of piglets farrowed, born alive, weaned and piglet ADG (P > 0.10). Sows fed diets containing CM with or without MC had lower (4.4, 4.9 vs. 6.4 mmol/L; P < 0.05) PUN values compared with those fed the control diet on d 21 post-farrowing. Apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of energy and nutrients showed no dietary effects except for ATTD of P, wherein sows fed CM-containing diets with MC showed higher (41.7 vs. 32.6%; P < 0.05) P digestibility compared to those fed CM-containing diets without MC. In conclusion, the inclusion of up to 30% CM in gestation and lactation diet can support satisfactory sow and piglet performance without affecting energy and nutrient digestibility. Moreover, enzyme supplementation had no effect on sow or piglet performance except for sow BW loss and P digestibility.