Application of ideal protein and selection of protein sources for sows and piglets

摘要

Dietary protein with ideally balanced amino acid pattern improves efficiency of protein utilization in animal body. Quality of dietary protein is important for newly weaned piglets with an insufficient feed intake and limited ability to digest, for pregnant sows under restricted feed allowance and with increased protein needs for fetal and mammary growth, and for lactating sows with a limited feed intake and increased protein needs for milk production. Ideal protein is not static but rather dynamically changes depending on metabolic and physiological status of pigs. Ideal protein of growing pigs changes when a balance between the needs for maintenance and protein accretion changes as pigs mature. Ideal protein of gestating sows changes as protein needs for fetal and mammary gland increase during late gestation. Ideal protein of lactating sows changes as levels of protein mobilization from maternal tissue changes. A phase-feeding system can accommodate dynamic changes of ideal protein of growing pigs and pregnant sows, whereas a parity-split feeding system can accommodate dynamic changes of ideal protein of lactating sows. Various protein sources can be used to effectively achieve ideal amino acid pattern in the diets when feed grade crystalline amino acids are limited to Lys, Thr, Met, Trp, and Gln. Meat and bone meal, blood meal, feather meal, poultry by-product meal, and porcine protein meal are some good examples of rendered protein sources that cost effective with unique amino acid pattern that are different from typical vegetable protein sources used in swine feed.