MODELING PHOSPHORUS AND CALCIUM REQUIREMENTS FOR GROWING PIGS AND BROILERS

摘要

Phosphorus (P) has quickly become the primary focus of concerns related to the effects of animal production systems on the environment. With the increased concern, attention is focused on nutritional means to reducing P output. Improving P utilizationfrom the diet by feeding highly digestible P sources and increasing the efficiency of P digestibility with the addition of phytase to swine and poultry diets has made large improvements in reducing the excretion of P; however, potentially greater improvements can still be made. Often overlooked in the list of potential solutions to reducing P excretion is to formulate diets that more closely meet the true needs of the animal during each specific stage of production. To assume that the current estimates of dietary P requirements are accurate and unchanging, overlooks the biological aspects of the pig and broiler related to P metabolism.