title: Dietary preferences for feeds varying in threonine concentration by the piglet.
abstract: Two choice feeding trials were carried out to investigate if weaned piglets prefer feeds varying in threonine (Thr) content. In exp 1, two control groups were fed either a 0.57% Thr (negative control) or a 0.67% Thr (positive control) feed. Two other groups had the choice from 2 feeds containing 0.57% or 0.62% Thr (Thr-choice 1) and 0.57% or 0.67% Thr (Thr-choice 2). In exp 2 the two control groups were fed either a 0.50% Thr (negative control) or a 0.62% Thr (positive control) feed and the Thr-choice groups had the choice from 2 feeds containing 0.50% or 0.56% (Thr-choice 1) and 0.50% or 0.62% Thr (Thr-choice 2), respectively. In exp 1, animals of the Thr-choice 1 showed a significant preference for the feed with the higher Thr content but in the Thr-choice 2, both feeds on offer were chosen at random. In exp 2 the preference for the higher Thr feeds in the Thr-choice groups 1 and 2 was on average 71% and 72%, respectively. In both experiments, the data of growth performance and plasma amino acid and urea pattern indicated a suboptimal Thr supply in the negative control and the Thr-choice 1 group. It is concluded that piglets are able to detect metabolic changes caused by a marginal Thr supply and that they change their feeding behaviour in order to overcome deficiency.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Sciences, Division of Animal Nutrition and Production Physiology, Technical University of Munich, Hochfeldweg 6, 85350 Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany. ettle@wzw.tum.de
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ettle
authors.forename: F X
authors.initials: FX
authors.lastname: Roth
mesh_terms: D000596:Amino Acids / Q000097:blood; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D002755:Choice Behavior / Q000187:drug effects*; D002852:Chromatography, Ion Exchange / Q000379:methods; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004563:Electrochemistry; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000187:drug effects*; D005518:Food Preferences / Q000187:drug effects*; D013552:Swine; D013912:Threonine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D013912:Threonine