August 27, 2009
Error margin necessary in swine ration formulation
Margins of error need to be built into net energy calculations when formulating swine rations, according to a study by the Prairie Swine Centre in collaboration with the Universities of Illinois and Missouri.
The research looked at net energy systems used to calculate the energy content of feed ingredients when formulating swine rations. The goal was to determine whether genetic or environmental factors would influence the calculations.
Dr Denise Beaulieu, of the Prairie Swine Centre, said research techniques were carefully duplicated to ensure accurate comparisons.
She said they found that net energy was affected by growth so it was affected by the animal's location, the environment, perhaps the genetics but also the animal's stage of growth.
So if a producer is using a digestible energy system, they may have to use different numbers depending the animal's stage of growth, she said, adding that the researchers have known for some time that they may not be able to use a single number for each feed.
Because the numbers are not precise, a margin of error is acceptable when formulating rations, Beaulieu said.
However, with the current economics, producers may be willing to use lower cost ingredients, estimate the energy content of those ingredients and accept slightly lower performance, according to Beaulieu.