Revisiting the Crude Fiber Issue in Piglet Creep Feed
Revisiting the Crude Fiber Issue in Piglet Creep Feed
This forum has previously published a post about piglet creep feed, and at that time there seemed to be no conclusion. Recently I read several reports, and it seems they say that piglet creep feed containing crude fiber is good. So how high exactly is good? I could not find specific data. Here I summarize the materials I have collected below, and I hope everyone will continue to discuss this issue -- how high exactly is good?
The Dietary Crude Fiber Issue
The core of raising piglets well is to ensure the normal development and health of their digestive system. It is generally believed that piglets' digestive function is not yet fully developed and they cannot ferment carbohydrates, and that fiber in piglet diets will damage the piglets' intestinal mucosa. However, some reports hold that the composition of bacteria in the piglets' gastrointestinal tract is closely related to diet composition, especially the fiber content in the diet, and that dietary fiber can induce microecological balance in the piglets' gastrointestinal tract. Non-starch polysaccharides (NSP), as fermentation products of intestinal microorganisms, although not digested and utilized by piglets, can serve as an energy source for beneficial intestinal microorganisms, help maintain intestinal microecological balance, and prevent digestive function disorders. At the same time, the VFA produced by fiber fermentation in the colon can change water absorption; fiber adsorbs water, improving fecal consistency, and can also promote gastrointestinal peristalsis and chyme flow, thereby increasing the elimination of E. coli and toxins.
But breast milk contains no crude fiber, so according to the bionic principle,it seems one can consider that a high dietary crude fiber level is not good, and a high crude fiber level at least reduces the utilization of protein and amino acids. Although this quantitative relationship has not yet been determined for piglets, in practice one can consider that for every 1% increase in crude fiber level, the apparent protein utilization rate decreases by 1%-1.5%, when calculating the appropriate protein supply in the diet at high crude fiber levels.
Considering the amounts of plant-based ingredients such as corn and soybean meal in normal milk piglet diets, we believe that when designing milk piglet feed formulas, the crude fiber level should be reduced as much as possible -- in fact, it is impossible for us to make normal commercial milk piglet diets contain no crude fiber.
So what level is appropriate in suckling piglet diets? Pigs and chickens have no cellulase in their intestines; lignin is often bound together with cellulose and hemicellulose, preventing enzymes from contacting other nutrients and thereby reducing the digestibility of other nutrients; high lignin causes constipation, especially in young animals. Dietary crude fiber content(X)and digestibility(Y)have the following relationship(the correlation coefficient is-0.66):
Ｙ＝93.84－1.293Ｘ
Therefore, the appropriate level of fiber in suckling piglet diets still awaits further study.
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Thank you, Teacher Mutong, for the summary; it has guiding significance!
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The question is, if creep feed is to increase its crude fiber content, what ingredient is best to use? Plant ingredients are generally only corn and soybean meal, and their fiber content is relatively low to begin with, while other animal proteins, vitamins and minerals, etc. basically contain no crude fiber. If increasing crude fiber is considered, corn alone should not be enough, and the amount of soybean meal is generally not large either, so what is good to add?
---------------------
The following is content seen in a piece of material: crude fiber provides almost no nutrition to piglets, but it can give piglets a feeling of satiety; appropriate crude fiber can absorb a large amount of water in the feces and can also alleviate the loose feces caused by high-protein feed, so crude fiber is also indispensable in weaned piglet diets, with 4% being appropriate.
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About the issue of crude fiber content in piglet diets! It only stays in the literature! However, I rather agree with the original poster's view! In fact, corn and soybean meal already contain non-starch polysaccharides (NSP). I think for the current diet composition and ratio for piglets, how to eliminate antigens in the diet is still the key and the fundamental point.
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Increasing digestible fiber is beneficial; the key is how to distinguish digestible from non-digestible. Current testing methods can only measure total crude fiber; digestible fiber requires digestion trials, which is too troublesome.
---------------------
I have heard that if too much bran is added, high crude fiber will reduce digestibility!
---------------------
The best crude fiber should be fresh wheat bran. I do not know if there is a better ingredient; I have heard apple pomace is also good. I do not know whether anyone has used it in creep feed?
---------------------
Under relatively extensive pig-raising conditions, piglets that eat rice straw do not get diarrhea either. I do not understand why?
---------------------
I remember that I previously did several trials on a pig farm showing that 2% crude fiber is best; a certain amount of crude fiber can reduce diarrhea, and the trial results were evident! The trial data I did before were accidentally formatted, otherwise I would pass them on for you to see! It was by adding a small amount of rice bran!
---------------------
OK, thank you, original poster, for sharing!!
---------------------
Personally, I think: alfalfa fiber is a good fiber source.
The Dietary Crude Fiber Issue
The core of raising piglets well is to ensure the normal development and health of their digestive system. It is generally believed that piglets' digestive function is not yet fully developed and they cannot ferment carbohydrates, and that fiber in piglet diets will damage the piglets' intestinal mucosa. However, some reports hold that the composition of bacteria in the piglets' gastrointestinal tract is closely related to diet composition, especially the fiber content in the diet, and that dietary fiber can induce microecological balance in the piglets' gastrointestinal tract. Non-starch polysaccharides (NSP), as fermentation products of intestinal microorganisms, although not digested and utilized by piglets, can serve as an energy source for beneficial intestinal microorganisms, help maintain intestinal microecological balance, and prevent digestive function disorders. At the same time, the VFA produced by fiber fermentation in the colon can change water absorption; fiber adsorbs water, improving fecal consistency, and can also promote gastrointestinal peristalsis and chyme flow, thereby increasing the elimination of E. coli and toxins.
But breast milk contains no crude fiber, so according to the bionic principle,it seems one can consider that a high dietary crude fiber level is not good, and a high crude fiber level at least reduces the utilization of protein and amino acids. Although this quantitative relationship has not yet been determined for piglets, in practice one can consider that for every 1% increase in crude fiber level, the apparent protein utilization rate decreases by 1%-1.5%, when calculating the appropriate protein supply in the diet at high crude fiber levels.
Considering the amounts of plant-based ingredients such as corn and soybean meal in normal milk piglet diets, we believe that when designing milk piglet feed formulas, the crude fiber level should be reduced as much as possible -- in fact, it is impossible for us to make normal commercial milk piglet diets contain no crude fiber.
So what level is appropriate in suckling piglet diets? Pigs and chickens have no cellulase in their intestines; lignin is often bound together with cellulose and hemicellulose, preventing enzymes from contacting other nutrients and thereby reducing the digestibility of other nutrients; high lignin causes constipation, especially in young animals. Dietary crude fiber content(X)and digestibility(Y)have the following relationship(the correlation coefficient is-0.66):
Ｙ＝93.84－1.293Ｘ
Therefore, the appropriate level of fiber in suckling piglet diets still awaits further study.
---------------------
Thank you, Teacher Mutong, for the summary; it has guiding significance!
---------------------
The question is, if creep feed is to increase its crude fiber content, what ingredient is best to use? Plant ingredients are generally only corn and soybean meal, and their fiber content is relatively low to begin with, while other animal proteins, vitamins and minerals, etc. basically contain no crude fiber. If increasing crude fiber is considered, corn alone should not be enough, and the amount of soybean meal is generally not large either, so what is good to add?
---------------------
The following is content seen in a piece of material: crude fiber provides almost no nutrition to piglets, but it can give piglets a feeling of satiety; appropriate crude fiber can absorb a large amount of water in the feces and can also alleviate the loose feces caused by high-protein feed, so crude fiber is also indispensable in weaned piglet diets, with 4% being appropriate.
---------------------
About the issue of crude fiber content in piglet diets! It only stays in the literature! However, I rather agree with the original poster's view! In fact, corn and soybean meal already contain non-starch polysaccharides (NSP). I think for the current diet composition and ratio for piglets, how to eliminate antigens in the diet is still the key and the fundamental point.
---------------------
Increasing digestible fiber is beneficial; the key is how to distinguish digestible from non-digestible. Current testing methods can only measure total crude fiber; digestible fiber requires digestion trials, which is too troublesome.
---------------------
I have heard that if too much bran is added, high crude fiber will reduce digestibility!
---------------------
The best crude fiber should be fresh wheat bran. I do not know if there is a better ingredient; I have heard apple pomace is also good. I do not know whether anyone has used it in creep feed?
---------------------
Under relatively extensive pig-raising conditions, piglets that eat rice straw do not get diarrhea either. I do not understand why?
---------------------
I remember that I previously did several trials on a pig farm showing that 2% crude fiber is best; a certain amount of crude fiber can reduce diarrhea, and the trial results were evident! The trial data I did before were accidentally formatted, otherwise I would pass them on for you to see! It was by adding a small amount of rice bran!
---------------------
OK, thank you, original poster, for sharing!!
---------------------
Personally, I think: alfalfa fiber is a good fiber source.