Select menhaden fish meal products can be replaced with peptone products without impairing performance, and provide more options when producers are looking for alternative protein sources in nursery pig diets

December 22, 2010

2 Min Read
Peptone Products Can Replace Fish Meal In Nursery Pig Diets

Select menhaden fish meal products can be replaced with peptone products without impairing performance, and provide more options when producers are looking for alternative protein sources in nursery pig diets.

A total of 360 nursery pigs weighing 12 lb. and 21 days of age were used in a 35-day study to evaluate the effects of select menhaden fish meal (SMFM), PEP2+ (also known as Ferm-O-Tide), Peptone 50 and PEP-NS on nursery pig performance.

PEP2+, Peptone 50 and PEP-NS are all porcine intestinal mucosa products, but differ based on the carriers with which they are co-dried. PEP2+ is co-dried with enzymatically processed vegetable proteins. Peptone 50 is co-dried with a vegetable protein. PEP-NS uses byproducts from corn wet milling.

Phase 1 diets were fed in pellet form from Day 0 to 8. Phase 2 diets were fed in meal form from Day 8 to 21. A corn-soybean meal diet was fed from Day 21 to 35.

Six dietary treatments included a control diet containing 2.5% spray-dried animal plasma (SDAP) in Phase 1, followed by no specialty protein sources in Phase 2; a diet containing 5% SDAP in Phase 1 and 3% SMFM in Phase 2; a blend of 5% SDAP and 3% SMFM during Phase 1, and 6% SMFM during Phase 2; a blend of 5% SDAP and 3% PEP2+ during Phase 1, and 6% PEP2 during Phase 2; a blend of 5% SDAP and 3% PEP 50 during Phase 1, and 6% PEP 50 during Phase 2; and a blend of 5% SDAP and 3% PEP-NS during Phase 1, and 6% PEP-NS during Phase 2.

In Phase 1, there were no differences in feed/gain among pigs fed any of the dietary treatments.

During Phase 2 (Day 8 to 21), pigs fed 6% PEP2+ had greater average daily gain compared to the control pigs, 3% or 6% fish meal, with pigs fed PEP 50 and PEP-NS recording intermediate gains.

Furthermore, pigs fed 6% PEP2+ had the greatest improvement in feed/gain compared to pigs on all other diets.

Overall, pigs fed diets containing PEP2+ had increased average daily gain and average daily feed intake compared to pigs on the control diet.

Pigs fed 3% PEP2+ during Phase 1 and 6% PEP2+ during Phase 2 had greater average daily feed intake vs. pigs fed 3% SMFM during Phase 1 and 6% SMFM during Phase 2.

The peptone products performed well as specialty protein sources to replace select menhaden fish meal in Phase 2 nursery pig diets, and pigs fed PEP2+ had greater average daily gain than those fed fish meal.

Researchers: A.J. Myers, M.D. Tokach, R.D. Goodband, S.S. Dritz, J.M. DeRouchey and J. L. Nelssen, all of Kansas State University; J. Moline and Xu Gouxu, Midwest Ag Enterprises, Inc., Marshall, MN; and B.W. Ratliff and D.M. McKilligan of TechMix, Inc., Stewart, MN. For more information, contact Myers by phone (970) 216-9883 or e-mail [email protected].

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