High level cereal diets for the growing/finishing pig: II The effect of cereal preparation on the performance of pigs fed diets containing high levels of maize, sorghum and barley

Abstract

(1) In a 3×2 factorial experiment sixty Large White type weaner pigs (30 hogs and 30 gilts) were individually and restrictedly fed to 200 lb live weight, six diets (as wet mashes) containing 70 % of either maize, sorghum or barley, each cereal having been processed by either crimping or grinding prior to inclusion in its respective diet. A further two groups of six litter-mate hog pigs per group were used to measured the digestibility of and the nitrogen retention from these six diets at approximately 50, 110 and 190 lb live weight.2. Grinding gave significantly better digestibility than crimping, the ground diets having significantly higher digestible energy contents than the crimped. Between cereals the order of significant decreasing digestible energy content was from maize to sorghum to barley dietary treatments.3. There were no significant differences between cereals in nitrogen retention. Between processing treatments grinding, in terms of g. retained per kg live weight per day, gave a significantly higher value than crimping, at 107 lb live weight.