Growth performance, energy, and nutrient digestibility of nursery pigs fed high-shear dry extruded corn and soymeal

Altering the processing method via high-shear dry extrusion of both soybean meal and corn have shown to improve diet energy and digestibility. The objective was to evaluate the effect using high-shear dry extruded corn and mechanically processed soymeal on growth performance, energy, and nutrient digestibility of nursery pigs. A total of 240 newly weaned pigs (5.7 ± 1.3 kg BW) were assigned to 1 of 5 dietary treatments (n = 16 pens per treatment with 3 pigs per pen) in a complete randomized design for three dietary phases over a six-week study duration. Pigs were allowed a 7-d acclimation period where they were fed a common commercial medicated starter pellet diet (d0-7, Phase 1). In phase 2 and 3, experimental diets included: 1) solvent-extracted soybean meal and conventional ground corn (Con), 2) solvent-extracted soybean meal and high-shear dry extruded corn (ECorn), 3) Mechanically processed soymeal and conventional corn (ExSoy), and 4) Mechanically processed soymeal and high-shear dry extruded corn (same ME and Lysine as treatment 1-3) (Comb), and 5) Mechanically processed soymeal and conventional corn (energy floated with same Lys:ME) (Comb+). The phase 2 mash test diets contained 0.40% titanium dioxide as a digestibility marker (d8-21) and phase 3 test diets were fed from d22-42. Pigs were individually weighed on day 0, 7, 21 and 42 and feed disappearance was recorded to calculate ADFI and Gain:Feed within phase 1, 2 and 3, and overall (phase 2 and 3 combined). Data were analyzed using pen as the experimental unit. Compared to the Cont, end BW did not differ in the ECorn and ExSoy treatment, while Comb and Comb+ pigs were 13-17% lighter (26.1, 24.2, 24.0, 22.6 and 21.5 kg, respectively, P=0.004). Overall, the Con fed pigs had 30% higher ADG and 12-21% increase in feed efficiency compared to either Comb or Comb+ treatments (P< 0.001). Overall ADFI did not differ. During phase 3, Con and ECorn fed pigs observed increased ADG and feed efficiency compared to pigs fed either Comb treatment (Both P=0.002, respectively). Compared to Cont, ECorn and Comb+ had higher GE ATTD coefficients, while ExSoy and Comb were lower (82.1, 84.6, 86.9, 78.7 and 79.1%, respectively, P < 0.001). Nitrogen ATTD coefficients were highest in Comb+, followed by ECorn, Cont, ExSoy and Comb (84.4, 78.8, 77.9, 73.0 and 72.3%, respectively, P< 0.001).

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