The response of group-housed sows to dietary inclusion of magnesium oxideand sugar beet pulp

摘要

Mixing unfamiliar sows during early gestation can often lead to injury and lameness as a result of inter-sow aggression which can be accentuated by an increased motivation to feed in systems where a restricted amount of feed is delivered once or twicedaily. Nutritional satiety may be achieved in group-housed sows through the addition of fibre, such as sugar beet pulp (SBP; Danielsen and Vestergaard 2001). Magnesium oxide (MgO) has been suggested to play a role in insulin resistance (Barbagallo etal.2003), resulting in stabilised insulin levels that in turn stabilise blood glucose levels, leading to satiation (Bo and Pisu 2008). It was hypothesised that the inclusion of SBP and (or) MgO in the diet of sows at mixing would lead to reduced inter-sowaggression.