Effect of vitamin C and space allowance on performance of weanling pigs. NCR-89 Committee on Confinement Management of Swine.
The influence of space allowance and vitamin C supplementation on rate and efficiency of weight gain and mortality of weanling pigs was investigated in a cooperative study that involved 11 experiment stations in the North Central Region (NCR-89). The factorially arranged treatments were .124 vs .248 m2 of floor space/pig and 0 vs 625 ppm vitamin C added to a corn-soybean meal-dried whey diet. The 1,296 pigs (36 replications) averaged 27 d of age and 6.9 kg at the start of the 28-d feeding trial. Crowded pigs (.124 m2/pig) consumed 11.2% less (P less than .01) feed and grew 11.0% slower (P less than .01) than those allowed twice as much space (.248 m2/pig). Crowding did not affect (P greater than .05) gain/feed ratio. Neither vitamin C supplementation nor the interaction between space allowance and vitamin C influenced (P greater than .05) performance or mortality. None of the treatments influenced (P greater than .05) body weight variation between pigs within pens. There were station effects (P less than .01) for all criteria, except mortality, but there were no station x treatment interactions (P greater than .05). In the environments represented at 11 experiment stations, dietary vitamin C was not necessary for optimum performance of weanling pigs.
D000821:Animal Feed; D000818:Animals; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005527:Food, Fortified; D006799:Housing, Animal; D013552:Swine / Q000254:growth & development*; D015430:Weight Gain
D001205:Ascorbic Acid