Comparison of the digestible energy content of maize, oats and alfalfa between the European wild boar (Sus scrofa L.) and LandracexLarge White pig (Sus scrofa domesticus)
2008
Hodgkinson, Suzanne M. | Schmidt, Mary | Ulloa, Nelson
The objective of the current study was to compare the digestible energy (DE) contents of maize, oats and alfalfa meal between European wild boar (Sus scrofa L.) and the domestic pig (S. scrofa domesticus, LandracexLarge White). Six pure wild boar (S. scrofa L.) and six domestic pigs (LandracexLarge White) with liveweights (mean±S.E.M.) of 26±0.6 and 21±1.1kg, respectively, were fed diets at a daily level of 0.10xmetabolic body weight (W ⁰.⁷⁵). The diets included a base diet and three experimental diets containing 700g basal diet/kg and 300g maize, oats or alfalfa meal/kg; all animals received all four diets. Chromic oxide was used as indigestible marker. The animals received each diet for an 8-day period with fecal samples collected on days 6, 7 and 8. The DE content of the maize, oats and alfalfa was calculated for each ingredient and statistically compared between the wild boar and domestic pig. For the maize and oats, there was no significant difference in the DE values between the domestic pig and wild boar. However, the DE value of the alfalfa was greater in the domestic pig (10.56MJkg⁻¹ DM) than in the wild boar (8.48MJkg⁻¹ DM). For ingredients that contain relatively low concentrations of fibre (such as maize and oats), it appears that DE values determined in the domestic pig can be validly applied for diet formulation for wild boars; however, for ingredients with higher fibre levels, the DE values in wild boar appear to be lower than those in the domestic pig.
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