Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) Less Than 1000 ppm in Drinking Water Did Not Impact Nursery Pig Performance

Abstract

High concentrations of total dissolved solids (TDS) in water have been reported to increase the incidence of diarrhea and reduce nursery pig growth performance. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of drinking water with high concentrations of TDS from sulfate salts on nursery pigs. Weaned pigs sorted to equalize gender were placed in 44 pens with 26 pigs per pen. One of four water treatments was randomly assigned to each pen: (1) combination of CaSO4, MgSO4, and NaSO4; (2) CaSO4; (3) MgSO4; (4) NaSO4. Access to water and feed (nursery diets fed in four phases) was unrestricted throughout. The weights of pens were measured, feed remaining on weigh days was calculated, and pen water meters were read on d 0, 7, 21, 35, and 42. Water treatment did not affect (p > 0.07) average daily gain, average daily feed intake, or gut integrity of pigs. Water disappearance tended to be greater (p = 0.10) in pens receiving the CaSO4 water compared to the combination treatment from d 21 to 35. The TDS concentrations from sulfate salts used in this experiment did not impact the growth performance or feed or water disappearance of newly weaned nursery pigs.