18 May 2024
INTRODUCTION
Natu-B4® is a polyherbal-based product that is recommended to replace choline chloride
(CC) in swine feeds. Although itâs use and acceptance has increased over the years during
the starter and grower phase, recent field evidence supports the benefits of Natu-B4®
supplementation in the finisher phase.
This trial was conducted to validate the hypothesis that Natu-B4® could benefit pig
performance during the last phases of growth.
OBJECTIVESÂ
Evaluate the effect of Natu-B4® supplementation in grower-finisher pigs on zootechnical performance.
- The study was conducted at Zootests, France.
- One hundred and seventy-six (176) male pigs (Topigs TN70 sows*Excelium boar) of 34 kg
body weight (BW). - They were allocated to 2 treatments with 4 replicates each.
- The pigs were individually identified with RIFO tags for the trial and they were fed using Self Automatic Feeder (SAF) and Orinkers (SAO) during the trial.
- Daily measurements were taken on individual BW and feed intake per animal.
- The study was divided in two phases: phase one from 34 to 85 kg BW and phase two from
85 kg to slaughter.Â
Table 1. Description of treatments
Feeds were based on corn and soybean meal. The levels of crude protein, digestible lysine and net
energy (NE) used during the study are presented in Table 2.
Table 2. Nutrient composition of the diets
The statistical model used to analyze the results included the average response, the fixed
effects of treatment and pen and the residual. All performed by the GLM procedure of SAS.
The utilization of Natu-B4® resulted in a significant reduction (p = .048) of 2.9 days in the time
required for pigs to reach 100 kg (Figure 1).
Additionally, the use of Natu-B4® showed a noticeable improvement (p = .078) in the daily growth rate of pigs at 100 kg (Figure 2).Â
The feed conversion rate (FCR) at 100 kg was not different between treatments (p >.05).
However, the pigs fed with Natu-B4® presented a numerical advantage of 0,05 (5 points) in average in comparison to the control animals (Figure 3).
| The findings of this study prove how the addition of Natu-B4® to the diet of pigs (at a rate of 250 g per ton) has the potential to enhance zootechnical performance during the finishing phase.
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