Sows

Digestible and metabolizable energy in soybean meal and soybean hulls when fed to growing pigs or sows

Values for digestible energy (DE) and metabolizable energy (ME) in feed ingredients are usually determined in growing pigs and subsequently applied to all groups of pigs. Results of recent research, however, indicate that the energy content of soybean meal (SBM) is greater than previously thought when fed to growing pigs. This increase in energy may be due to changes in the pigs themselves or differences in methodology, but there are no recent experiments assessing DE and ME in SBM when fed to sows. Therefore, it remains unclear if sows also have greater DE and ME in SBM compared with current book values. Likewise, there are no recent data for the DE and ME in soybean hulls although soybean hulls are often added to diets for gestating sows. Therefore, an experiment was conducted to test the hypothesis that gestating and lactating sows have greater DE and ME in SBM and soybean hulls than growing pigs and that DE and ME in SBM fed to both growing pigs and sows are greater than current book values. The second hypothesis was that there is no difference in apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of gross energy (GE) and DE between gestating and lactating sows.

Keywords: 
Digestibility, Energy, Sows, Soybean hulls, Soybean meal
Authors: 
Yeonwoo, Lee, Stein
Publication Type: 
Research Reports

Effects of spray dried plasma on litter growth performance and oxidative stress and inflammation of sows kept in a hot environment

Bailey, Hannah M., Natalia S. Fanelli, Joy M. Campbell and Hans H. Stein. 2025. Effects of spray dried plasma on litter growth performance and oxidative stress and inflammation of sows kept in a hot environment. Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology (2025) 16:13. doi.org/10.1186/s40104-024-01139-9 Link to full text.

Keywords: 
cytokines, Lactation, Sows, Spray Dried Plasma, Weanling pigs
Authors: 
Bailey, Fanelli, Campbell, Stein
Publication Type: 
Peer-reviewed journal articles

Determination of energy values in pistachio shell powder and soybean hulls fed to gestating and lactating sows

Kim, Yeonwoo, Su A. Lee, and Hans H. Stein. 2024. Determination of energy values in pistachio shell powder and soybean hulls fed to gestating and lactating sows. Translational Animal Science, 2024, 8, txae135. doi.org/10.1093/tas/txae135 Link to full text.

Keywords: 
Digestibility, Energy, Fiber, pistachio shell powder, Sows, Soybean hulls
Authors: 
Kim, Lee, Stein
Publication Type: 
Peer-reviewed journal articles

Concentrations of energy in pistachio shell powder fed to gestating sows and lactating sows

Kim, Yeonwoo, Su A Lee, Hans H. Stein. 2024. Concentrations of energy in pistachio shell powder fed to gestating sows and lactating sows. J. Anim. Sci Vol. 102, Suppl. S2. P 90 - 91. doi.org/10.1093/jas/skae102.102 Link to abstract.

Keywords: 
Energy, pistachio shell, Sows
Authors: 
Kim, Lee, Stein
Publication Type: 
Abstracts

Effects of xylanase or a stimbiotic on growth performance and total tract digestibility of nutrients by pigs weaned from sows fed a lactation diet without or with xylanase

Acosta, Jessica P., Gemma Gonzalez Ortiz, Hans H. Stein. 2024. Effects of xylanase or a stimbiotic on growth performance and total tract digestibility of nutrients by pigs weaned from sows fed a lactation diet without or with xylanase. J. Anim. Sci Vol. 102, Suppl. S2. P 87 - 88. doi.org/10.1093/jas/skae102.099 Link to abstract.

Keywords: 
Digestibility, Growth performance, Sows, stimbiotic, Weanling pigs, Xylanase
Authors: 
Acosta, Gonzalez Ortiz, Stein
Publication Type: 
Abstracts

Concentration of Digestible Energy in Corn-Based Diets Fed to Gestating and Lactating Sows is Increased by Adding Xylanase to the Diets

Acosta Medellin, Jessica P., Charmaine D. Espinosa, Gemma Gonzalez Ortiz, Hans H. Stein. 2023. Concentration of Digestible Energy in Corn-Based Diets Fed to Gestating and Lactating Sows is Increased by Adding Xylanase to the Diets. J. Anim. Sci., Volume 101, Issue Supplement 2, Pages 35–36, doi.org/10.1093/jas/skad341.040. Link to abstract.

Keywords: 
Dietary fiber, Energy, Sows, Xylanase
Authors: 
Acosta, Espinosa, González, Stein
Publication Type: 
Abstracts

Digestibility of energy by gestating and lactating sows and concentrations of digestible and metabolizable energy in diets containing pistachio shell powder or soybean hulls

California is a leading producer of pistachios in the United States and globally and it is estimated that annual production will reach 2.08 billion pounds in 2031. As a result, about 31.2 million pounds of shells will be produced after the nuts are processed for human consumption. Pistachio shells have been viewed as a waste product and are frequently disposed of using ecologically friendly practices. However, it is possible that pistachio shell powder can be used as a high fiber ingredient for swine. Specifically, gestating sows may benefit from the high fiber concentration in pistachio shell powder because this may increase satiety and reduce stress. However, at this time, there is no information about the nutritional value of pistachio shell powder when fed to sows. Therefore, an experiment was conducted to test the hypothesis that apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of gross energy (GE) and concentrations of digestible energy (DE) and metabolizable energy (ME) in pistachio shell powder are not different from those in soybean hulls when fed to gestating sows. The second hypothesis was that the ATTD of GE and DE in pistachio shell powder are not different from those in soybean hulls when fed to lactating sows.

Keywords: 
Digestibility, Energy, hulls, pistachio shell, Sows, Soybean hulls
Authors: 
Kim, Lee, Stein
Publication Type: 
Research Reports

Xylanase and a stimbiotic increased growth performance and total tract digestibility of nutrients in diets for weanling pigs, but feeding sows xylanase in lactation did not influence pig growth performance

Arabinoxylans are the predominant fiber component in cereal grains and cereal co-products. They have a backbone of β-(1− 4) linked xylose units with side chains of arabinose, glucuronic acid, acetyl, and phenolic acids. Xylanase hydrolyzes the β-(1− 4) glycosidic bonds between xylose units in the backbone and releases a mixture of xylose and xylo-oligosaccharides that can be either absorbed or fermented by pigs. Previous data indicate that xylanase increased the degradation of dietary fiber and increased energy digestibility in diets for growing pigs and lactating sows. Xylo-oligosaccharides improve growth performance of nursery pigs because they serve as prebiotics that modulate gut microbiota. A stimbiotic (i.e., xylanase in combination with xylo-oligosaccharides) may improve growth performance of weanling pigs to a greater extent than either additive alone by shifting the intestinal microbiome to favor fiber fermentation. However, there are no data on possible effects of xylanase in sows diets on growth performance and intestinal health of the offspring or on the impact of the stimbiotic on digestibility of nutrients when fed to nursery pigs. Therefore, an experiment was conducted to test the hypothesis that xylanase or a stimbiotic improves growth performance and the apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of dry matter (DM), gross energy (GE), and total dietary fiber (TDF), and the concentration of digestible energy (DE) of diets for weanling pigs, but that the effect is greater in offspring of sows fed xylanase in lactation than in offspring of sows not fed xylanase.

Keywords: 
Digestibility, Growth performance, Sows, stimbiotic, Weanling pigs, Xylanase
Authors: 
Acosta, Gonzalez-Ortiz, Stein
Publication Type: 
Research Reports

Exogenous xylanase increases digestibility of energy and fiber in diets for gestating and lactating sows

Exogenous enzymes may improve the fermentability of dietary fiber in swine diets by hydrolyzing non-starch polysaccharides into oligosaccharides and sugars. In particular, the enzyme xylanase hydrolyzes the β-(1-4) glycosidic bonds between the xylose units in the backbone of arabinoxylans in cereal grains and grain coproducts, resulting in the release of a combination of xylose, arabinose, and xylo-oligosaccharides from arabinoxylans that can be fermented by pigs. Previous data indicate that xylanase increased the degradation of dietary fiber and increased energy digestibility in diets for growing pigs; however, there are limited data for the impact of xylanase on energy and fiber digestibility in gestating and lactating sows. Therefore, an experiment was conducted to test the hypothesis that exogenous xylanase added to diets for gestating and lactating sows will increase the apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of gross energy and total dietary fiber (TDF), and increase the concentrations of digestible energy (DE) and metabolizable energy (ME) during two reproductive cycles.

Keywords: 
Digestibility, Energy, Fiber, Sows, Xylanase
Authors: 
Acosta, Espinosa, Gonzalez-Ortiz, Stein
Publication Type: 
Research Reports

Effects of dietary levels of calcium, phosphorus, and 1-alphahydroxycholecalciferol on digestibility, retention of calcium and phosphorus, and concentration of metabolizable energy in diets fed to sows in late-gestation

Lee, Su A., and Hans H. Stein. 2022. Effects of dietary levels of calcium, phosphorus, and 1-alphahydroxycholecalciferol on digestibility, retention of calcium and phosphorus, and concentration of  metabolizable energy in diets fed to sows in late-gestation. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 102: 184–188 (2022) dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjas-2021-0018. Link to full text.

Keywords: 
Calcium, Digestibility, Energy, Phosphorus, Sows, vitamin D supplementation
Authors: 
Lee, Stein
Publication Type: 
Peer-reviewed journal articles

Comparative digestibility of energy, dry matter, and nutrients by gestating and lactating sows fed corn-soybean meal diets without or with full fat or defatted rice bran

The physiological stage of pigs may influence total tract digestibility of nutrients because the digestibility of energy and some nutrients increases as body weight increases, but the impact of physiological stage may be greater for high-fiber diets than for diets with less concentration of fiber. Full fat rice bran (FFRB) and defatted rice bran (DFRB) are produced in the rice milling process and is available for animal feeding. However, because of the high concentration of dietary fiber, FFRB and DFRB may be better suited for diets fed to sows than for diets for weanling or growing pigs, but there is a lack of data on the digestibility of energy and nutrients in FFRB and DFRB fed to sows. Therefore, the objective of this experiment was to test the null-hypothesis that the apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of gross energy (GE), dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), and P in a corn-soybean meal diet and in diets containing FFRB or DFRB is not different between lactating sows and gestating sows if both groups are allowed to consume their diet on an ad libitum basis.

Keywords: 
Digestibility, Energy, Rice bran, Sows
Authors: 
Oliveira, Stein
Publication Type: 
Research Reports

Calcium and phosphorus in late gestation.

Lee, Su A, and H. H. Stein. 2022. Calcium and phosphorus in late gestation. National Hog Farmer, On-line edition, January, 2022. Link to full text.

Keywords: 
Calcium, Phosphorus, Gestation, Sows
Authors: 
Lee, Stein
Publication Type: 
Extension Reports and other non-refereed publications

Hybrid rye may replace up to 75% of the corn in diets for gestating and lactating sows without negatively impacting sow and piglet performance

McGhee, Molly L., Hans. H. Stein. 2021. Hybrid rye may replace up to 75% of the corn in diets for gestating and lactating sows without negatively impacting sow and piglet performance. Journal of Animal Science, 2021, Vol. 99, No. 9, 1–9. doi.org/10.1093/jas/skab230. Link to full text.

Keywords: 
cereal grains, Corn, Hybrid rye, Sows
Authors: 
McGhee, Stein
Publication Type: 
Peer-reviewed journal articles

Young Scholar Presentation: Digestibility of calcium and phosphorus in feed ingredients fed to gestating sows and growing pigs

Lee, Su A, Hans H. Stein. 2020. Young Scholar Presentation: Digestibility of calcium and phosphorus in feed ingredients fed to gestating sows and growing pigs. J. Anim. Sci. 98(Suppl. 3): 111. doi.org/10.1093/jas/skaa054.188. (Abstr.). Link to abstract.

Keywords: 
Calcium, Phosphorus, Sows
Authors: 
Lee, Stein
Publication Type: 
Abstracts

Dietary calcium decreases digestibility of phosphorus in late gestating sows, but blood biomarkers may be used to predict bone formation and resorption

Lee, Su A, Mike R. Bedford, Hans H. Stein. 2020. Dietary calcium decreases digestibility of phosphorus in late gestating sows, but blood biomarkers may be used to predict bone formation and resorption. J. Anim. Sci. 98(Suppl. 3): 105. doi.org/10.1093/jas/skaa054.179.(Abstr.). Link to abstract.

Keywords: 
Calcium, Phosphorus, Sows
Authors: 
Lee, Bedford, Stein
Publication Type: 
Abstracts

Effects of concentration of calcium and phosphorus and 1-alpha-hydroxycholecalciferol (1-α-OH-D3) on digestibility and retention of calcium and phosphorus and concentration of digestible energy in diets fed to sows in late-gestation

Absorption of Ca and P by active transport in the small intestine is regulated by calcitriol, which is the active form of vitamin D (1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol) and the hormones calcitonin and PTH. One-alpha-hydroxycholecalciferol (1-α-OH-D3) is an active vitamin D3 analog that does not require the second hydroxylation step for vitamin D3 to be active. It is possible that supplementation of 1-α-OH-D3 may increase absorption of Ca and P.

The requirement for Ca and P by gestating sows increases in late gestation compared with early- and mid-gestation because of increased needs by the developing fetuses. It is also possible that dietary concentrations of Ca and P affect the rate of absorption of Ca and P in sows but data to demonstrate this have not been reported. Therefore, the objective of this experiment was to test the hypothesis that the Ca and P concentrations in diets fed to gestating sows in late gestation and supplementation of 1-α-OH-D3 affect apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) and retention of Ca and P as well as the ATTD of GE and concentration of DE in diets. The second hypothesis was that there is an interaction between dietary Ca and P concentrations and supplementation of 1-α-OH-D3 in diets fed to gestating sows.

Keywords: 
Calcium, Phosphorus, Digestibility, Energy, Sows
Authors: 
Lee, Stein
Publication Type: 
Research Reports

Increasing calcium from deficient to adequate concentration in diets for gestating sows decreases digestibility of phosphorus and reduces serum concentration of a bone resorption biomarker

Lee, Su A.,  L. Vanessa Lagos, Mike R. Bedford, and Hans H. Stein. 2020. Increasing calcium from deficient to adequate concentration in diets for gestating sows decreases digestibility of phosphorus and reduces serum concentration of a bone resorption biomarker. Journal of Animal Science, 2020,  Vol. 98: No. 3:1-8.

Keywords: 
biomarkers, Calcium, Digestibility, Phosphorus, Retention, Sows
Authors: 
Lee, Lagos, Bedford, Stein
Publication Type: 
Peer-reviewed journal articles

Digestibility, retention of Ca and P changes during gestation

Lee, Su A, and H. H. Stein. 2019. Digestibility, retention of Ca and P changes during gestation. National Hog Farmer. January 31, 2019. Link to full text.

Keywords: 
Digestibility, Ca, P, Sows, Gestation, Feed
Authors: 
Lee, Stein
Publication Type: 
Extension Reports and other non-refereed publications

Sows in mid-gestation have reduced digestibility and retention of calcium and phosphorus compared with growing pigs

Lee, S., C. Walk, and H. Stein. 2018. Sows in mid-gestation have reduced digestibility and retention of calcium and phosphorus compared with growing pigs. 14th International Symposium on Digestive Physiology of Pigs. Adv. Anim. Biosci. Volume 9, Issue S2, 9:S193-194. (Abstr.). Link to abstract

Keywords: 
Sows, Gestation, Digestibility, Retention, Calcium, Phosphorus, Growing pigs
Authors: 
Lee, Walk, and Stein
Publication Type: 
Abstracts

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