Authors
PT Bellatty, DC England, WH Kennick, PT Cheeke
Publication date
1981/12
Journal
23rd Annual Swine Dad'
Pages
27
Description
2. Reduced average daily gain and increased feed per unit of gain are greater with barley rations than with corn or milo rations. This result is interpreted to be caused by reduction of energy content of the ration to critically lower levels by substituting alfalfa in barley rations which are already lower in energy than corn or milo rations. 3. Inclusion of the antibiotic ASP-250 in a wheat-based ration in which
40 percent of the wheat was replaced by alfalfa has resulted in gains and feed efficiency equivalent to a wheat ration with only 20 percent of the wheat replaced by alfalfa without inclusion of the antibiotic. These experiments also indicate that average daily feed intake (including differences in feed wastage that may have occurred) generally was not markedly changed by inclusion of alfalfa at various levels of substitution for grain. Powley et al.(1981) concluded that reduced daily energy intake is the essential cause of reduced daily gains when alfalfa levels in the ration are increased. Baird, McCampbell and Allison (1970) concluded that daily energy intake, not fiber content of the ration, is responsible for performance and carcass changes resulting from feeding high fiber rations.