A note on further studies on sodium salicylate as a growth stimulant for growing pigs receiving diets with or without copper sulphate

Abstract

SUMMARYResults are reported of an experiment with 60 pigs (12 pigs/treatment) covering the growing period between 22 and 87·5 kg live weight in which the growth-stimulating properties of sodium salicylate were examined either as a single additive or with copper sulphate. The pigs were individually fed a wet diet ‘to appetite’ and the quality of the carcasses was assessed at slaughter.No significant improvement in live-weight gain or feed: gain ratio was obtained when either 200 or 700 mg of sodium salicylate/kg was added to the diet. When 700 mg of salicylate was given together with 250 mg Cu/kg diet, the response in growth rate was significantly higher than that obtained from the addition of copper alone.There was no significant treatment effect on carcass quality as assessed by linear measurements, nor on the dry matter, nitrogen or ash contents of the gluteus medius muscle.