Effects of fibre and energy levels on performance and carcass characteristich of growing-finishing pigs

H. K. Ong and R. I. Hutagalung

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to study the effects of levels of dietary fibre (determined as neutral detergent fibre, NDF) and energy on growth performance and carcass characteristics of growing-finishing pigs. Ninety pigs averaging 25 kg were allocated to nine treatments in a 3 x 3 factorial arrangement with three levels of fibre (10%,15% dan 20% of NDF) and three levels of energy (2.9.3.1 and 3.3 Mcal digestible energy/kg). Average daily gain (ADG) decreased with increased fibre level (P<.01). There were no differences in the average daily feed intake (ADF) among fibre levels. However, feed conversion efficiency increased as fibre level increased. Dressing percentage and backfat thickness decreased while the proportion of digestive tract increased with increased in fibre levels (P<.01). Fibre levels did not effect M. longissimus area, lean cuts, primal cuts and bone ash content. ADG increased while feed conversion efficiency decreased quadratically as energy level increased. There were no significant differences in ADF. Dressing percentage, backfat thickness, and total fatty tissue increased as energy level increased. As the energy level decreased, the percentage of digestive tracts increased. Dietary energy did not affect M. longissimus area, lean cuts, primal cuts and bone ash content. Data obtained indicated. That the optimal energy level for growth performance in growing pigs in Malaysia is in the region of 3.1 Mcal/kg digestible energy (DE).

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