MEAT MEAL IN THE DIET OF THE EARLY-WEANED PIG .2. AMINO-ACID SUPPLEMENTATION

One hundred and twenty pigs, initially 4-5 kg liveweight, were fed on wheat-based diets supplemented with meat meal and amino acids in two experiments, each of 4 weeks duration. In the first experiment, the supplementation of a normal meat meal diet with lysine and methionine increased the feed intake and weight gains of the pigs by 15 and 18%, respectively. Nitrogen retention was increased by 30%. Tryptophane gave a similar response to lysine and methionine. In the second experiment, a 21% crude protein basal diet was similar to the basal diet of the first experiment but it contained 1.02% lysine and 0.50% methionine plus cystine, compared to 0.90 and 0.51%, respectively, in the first experiment. Lysine and methionine supplementation of the diet did not significantly improve the performance of the pigs in the second experiment, but the supplementation of the diets with 0.08% tryptophane and lysine and methionine increased weight gains and feed intakes and decreased urea content of the blood plasma. The 21% crude protein diet contained 0.15% tryptophane. Increasing the crude protein content of diets from 18 to 24% by increasing their meat meal content increased the daily weight gains from 190 to 276 g. © 1979.