INFLUENCE OF AN ORAL ARGININE SUPPLEMENTATION ON LACTATION PERFORMANCE OF SOWS

A feeding trial was designed until the 18th lactation day with 16 German Landrace sows to test the influence of an oral arginine supplementation of 0.7 per cent plus 0.3 per cent lysin on milk yield, milk nutrients contents and on various blood parameters as amino acid-, urea-, cholesterol- and porcine growth hormone- (pGH)-concentrations in plasma. Orally supplemented arginine did not influence the milk fat, protein and energy contents and the concentrations in plasma. Hourly milk yield was on the average of both groups 303 g/h. On the average sows with arginine produced 10 per cent more milk, whereby the difference of 7 per cent on the 11th and 14 per cent on the 18th day of lactation was significant.