How Much Fusarium-Contaminated Grain Can I Feed My Pigs?
(Part 2) (In this two-part series, Jim House looks at the impacts of fusarium infection in feed in the swine industry. Part 2 this week looks at the results of University feeding trials to determine threshold levels for deoxynivalenol or DON in the diet.) In our first study, we examined the impact of feeding diets containing either 0, 1 or 2 parts per million (ppm) DON on the growth and performance of barrows and gilts, from 22 kg to market weight of 110 kg. The presence of DON in the diet at 2 ppm resulted in a 7.6% reduction in feed intake relative to the 0 ppm DON diet, with pigs consuming the 1 ppm diet having intermediate levels of feed refusal. Despite the reduction in feed intake, average daily gain was not affected (approx. 820 g/d). Because the animals were not split sex fed, it was not possible to determine the impact of DON on feed intake for the sexes. However, we did find that gilts were more sensitive to the presence of DON than were barrows, as judged by the time require
