Responses to variations in dietary energy intakes by growing pigs 1. Estimates of digestible and metabolizable energy requirements for maintenance

Abstract

SUMMARYGroups of individually-fed pigs, each of three gilts and three castrates of mean live weights 18, 31, 46, 58, 72 and 80 kg, were given for 20 days feed allowances based on the ARC estimates of energy required for maintenance, assuming an efficiency of utilization of digestible energy (DE) of 77% for maintenance. As the actual diet used had a higher DE value than that calculated before the start of the experiment, DE intakes (260·3 W056) were about 4·0% above the ARC values.There was no statistically significant change in live weight over the period of study. This supports the validity of the ARC estimates, if maintenance is defined as a lack of change in body weight.The metabolizable energy (ME) intakes (248·3 W0·56) which maintained weight were also close to other estimates of ME requirements.