BODY-WEIGHT AND INTAKE OF SUPPLEMENTARY FEED OF SUCKLING PIGLETS IN DEPENDENCE OF THE DIETARY METHIONINE SUPPLY OF THE SOW .4. CONTRIBUTION TO THE REQUIREMENT OF SUCKLING SOWS FOR S-CONTAINING AMINO-ACIDS

The experiment included 96 lactation periods of 61 sows (German landrace) divided into 7 groups (I-VII), which received one of 7 lactation diets containing 0.21, 0.35, 0.51, 0.57, 0.63, 0.72, and 0.84% met/cys, resp. Litter size was standardized up to day 21 to 9-10 piglets. They were weighed at day 1, 10, 11, 17, 18, 21, and 35 post partum. The piglets got only sow milk up to day 21, then additionally piglet feed ad lib. till weaning at day 35. Mean birth weight of the piglets was the same for all groups (1.54 kg/piglet). At weaning the piglets of the sows with the lowest methionine supply weighed 6.3 kg, what means, that they were about 30% lighter than those of group V (0.63% met/cys), which had a mean body weight of about 9 kg. Consequently daily weight gains of the piglets of group 1, amounting 130 g resp. 145 g, were very low compared to those of group V with 200 g and 210 g, resp., not only with exclusive milk intake (day 1-21) but also with supplementary feeding (day 21-35). A concentration of methionine in the sow's diets exceeding 0.63% did not improve weight gains of the piglets. The mean intake of supplementary feed (470 g/day) in group I versus 350 g/day in groups V-VII) was as much higher as the previous weight gain of the piglets and the milk yield of the sows was lower. Therefore the average daily weight gain of the piglets between day 21 and day 35 increased 10% in group I and only 5% in group V compared to day 1-21. Regarding the weight gains of the piglets the daily requirement of suckling sows for S-containing amino acids was estimated to amount 34-35 g. So the former results based on the milk yield of the sows were largely corroborated.