URBANA, Ill. – The amount of calcium in pig diets must be calculated precisely. Too much can decrease phosphorus digestibility and feed intake, leading to lower weight gain in pigs.
Hans H. Stein, professor in the Department of Animal Sciences and the Division of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Illinois, and his graduate students have established the optimum ratio of calcium and phosphorus for most pig weight classes. In a recent Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology article, they complete the picture with a recommendation for 11-to-22-kilogram pigs.