PSVII-12 - Using a Multi-carbohydrolase (Rovabio®Advance) in Grow-finish Pigs: How Does Not Removing Pigs Affect Growth Performance?

Abstract: Fiber degrading enzymes that contain single or multiple carbohydrolases are commonly used in the US commercial swine industry to reduce pig mortality. The objective of this study was to examine how pig removal from experimental treatments affects growth performance, with or without Rovabio® Advance P10% (RA). The animals on test consisted of 1260 DNA barrows that were fed from 5.9 to 133 kg. The four dietary treatments were: Positive Control (PC), Low Nutrient Density Control (LNDC), PC plus RA (PC+), and LNDC plus RA (LNDC+). The SID AA and NE of the ingredients used were determined using the ingredient profile of the PC formulations and the nutritional modeling calculator for RA. The PC and LNDC+ diets were formulated to have similar NE and SID AA content. In the PC+ diets, RA was added on-top, without reformulation. At the start of the trial, 21 weanling pigs were allotted per pen, with a space allowance of 0.67 m²/pig. For the entire growout, feeding RA reduced the percentage of pigs removed from test (PC 8.3%, LNDC 7.9%, vs PC+ 5.4% and LNDC+ 4.4%; P< 0.03). By day 150, the number of pigs per pen did not differ per treatment (P >0.4) (PC 18.85, LNDC 19.12, PC+ 19.85 and LNDC+ 19.72); however, the respective pig space (m²/pig) was 0.74, 0.73, 0.71 and 0.71. Using the number of pigs/pen as a covariate for ADG, 0-41 day ADG was not significant (P >0.59); however, there was a tendency towards significantly lower ADG for pigs on RA between day 107-164 (988g PC, 966g LNDC vs 961g PC+, 961g LNDC+ P=0.054). Pig removal increases the space per pig/pen over the course of an experiment, thus potentially influencing the ADG and other treatment effects. This effect must be accounted for in any research trial when evaluating the efficacy of any nutritional product.