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The influence of dietary energy on feed efficiency in grow-finish swine

  • Chapter
Feed efficiency in swine

Abstract

It is widely accepted within the field of nutrition that there is a very close relationship between the concentration of energy in the diet and the feed efficiency achieved by a group of pigs. All other things being equal, increasing dietary energy concentration will normally improve feed efficiency. However, in commercial practice, all other things are not equal, so the statistical correlation between dietary energy and feed efficiency is in reality very small. This is because so many factors influence feed efficiency outcomes. Some are related to the pig and some are related to the physical, social and health environment in which the pig lives. And some are related to dietary energy and how the pig uses this energy for maintenance and for growth. It is only through a thorough understanding of energy metabolism that we can begin to most effectively manage feed efficiency on the farm by manipulating dietary energy concentration and dietary energy supply. This chapter will provide an overview of energy metabolism in the pig: (1) defining exactly what energy is; (2) describing the dietary sources of energy; (3) explaining energy metabolism and discussing why it is so much more complicated than the metabolism of nutrients in the diet; (4) describing the various energy systems; and (5) explaining how energy is ultimately used by the pig for maintenance and for growth. The chapter will also discuss the importance of feed intake, and how this will become even more critical for success in the future when diets are likely to contain less energy than they do today. The chapter will end by taking the information on energy metabolism presented in this chapter and applying it in a practical circumstance to assemble very specific recommendations on how to improve feed efficiency in the pig.

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  1. Department of Animal Science, Iowa State University, 201 Kildee Hall, Ames, IA, 50011-3150, USA

    J. F. Patience

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Patience, J.F. (2012). The influence of dietary energy on feed efficiency in grow-finish swine. In: Patience, J.F. (eds) Feed efficiency in swine. Wageningen Academic Publishers, Wageningen. https://doi.org/10.3920/978-90-8686-756-1_5

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