Alternative protein crops in diets of organically housed weanling pigs

Summary

The effects of feeding weanling piglets diets with three different levels of three organic protein crops on performance and health were studied. Diets with 10, 20 or 30% field beans (Vicia faba, variety Aurelia, tannin-free), 10, 20 or 30% white lupins (Lupinus albus, variety Dieta, alkaloid-low) and 20, 40 or 60% quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa, variety Atlas, saponin-free) were compared with a control diet containing 15% soybean expeller and 2.2% soybeans. Besides, the apparent ileal digestibility and the apparent total tract digestibility of nutrients of the control diet and the diets with 30% field beans, 30% lupins and 40% quinoa were assessed. At weaning, 1,055 weanling piglets were assigned to one of the 10 experimental treatments. The piglets were monitored from weaning till four weeks after weaning. Piglets were housed in groups of 14 piglets. Diets were fed ad libitum by single-space dry feeders. At the end of the performance trial, 40 piglets were selected for the digestibility trial. At day 4 after the end of the performance trial, the 40 piglets were killed and ileal digesta and the contents of the rectum were collected. The ileal digesta of two piglets per pen were pooled and analysed for dry matter, ash, nitrogen, amino acids, crude fat, starch, sugar and chromium. The contents of the rectum, which is regarded to be similar to faeces, of two piglets per pen were pooled and analysed for dry matter, ash, nitrogen, crude fat, crude fibre, gross energy and chromium.