Hostname: page-component-74656f9884-8r8nv Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-11-09T23:47:42.305Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The thin sow—observations on digestive efficiency, nitrogen balance and carcass composition

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

R. M. MacPherson ,
Rosa M. Campbell  and
R. I. Smart
R. M. MacPherson
Affiliation:
The Rowett Research Institute, Bucksburn, Aberdeen, AB2 9SB
Rosa M. Campbell
Affiliation:
The Rowett Research Institute, Bucksburn, Aberdeen, AB2 9SB
R. I. Smart
Affiliation:
The Rowett Research Institute, Bucksburn, Aberdeen, AB2 9SB
Get access

Summary

Measurements were made of apparent digestibility of dry matter, nitrogen and lipid, nitrogen balance, pancreatic lipase activity and carcass composition in eight non-pregnant sows during three 10-day balance trials during which the feed intake was 1·1, 0·8 and 2·6 kg/day of a diet containing 14·69% crude protein and 3·0 Meal gross energy/kg DM.

All the sows had similar breeding histories and had completed their fourth lactation. Four were in standard condition (mean body weight, 160 kg) and four in thin condition (mean body weight, 134 kg). All the animals lost weight and were in negative nitrogen balance while on the two lower levels of feed intake; the thin sows lost significantly more N than the standard animals (P < 0·05) and on the lowest level of feeding digestibility of DM by the thin sows was significantly less (P < 0·001).

In both groups there was a rapid recovery in nitrogen retention and in body weight when the food intake was increased.

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 17 , Issue 3 , December 1973 , pp. 287 - 293
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1973

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

REFERENCES

Davidson, J., Mathieson, J. and Boyne, A. W. 1970. The use of automation in determining nitrogen by the Kjeldahl method with final calculations by computer. Analyst 95: 181–183.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dole, V. P. 1956. A relation between non-esterified fatty acids in plasma and the metabolism of glucose. J. clin. Invest. 35: 150–154.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Elsley, F. W. H., Anderson, D. M., McDonald, I., MacPherson, R. M. and Smart, R. 1966. A comparison of the live-weight changes, nitrogen retention and carcass composition of pregnant and non-pregnant gilts. Anim. Prod. 8: 391–400.Google Scholar
Elsley, F. W. H., MacPherson, R. M. and Lodge, G. A. 1968. The effects of level of feeding of sows during pregnancy. III. Body composition. Anim. Prod. 10: 149–156.Google Scholar
Folch, J., Lees, M. and Stanley, G. H. S. 1957. A simple method for the isolation and purification of total lipides from animal tissues. J. biol. Chem. 226: 497–509.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Henderson, C. 1968. A study of the lipase of Anaerovibrio lipolytica: a rumen bacterium. Ph.D. Thesis, Aberdeen University, pp. 8–9.Google Scholar
MacLean, C. W. 1968. The thin sow problem. Vet. Rec. 83: 308–316.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
MacLean, C. W. 1969. Observations on non-infectious infertility in sows. Vet. Rec. 85: 675–682.Google ScholarPubMed