Phase Feeding of Pigs using Obatanpa - A Quality Protein Maize

Abstract

A total of 20 starter pigs with a mean initial weight of 8.7kg and housed in individual wielded mesh cages were randomly allotted to four dietary treatments (i.e. CONTROL, OBAT-I, OBAT II and OBAT III), on the basis of litter origin, sex and weight. There five replications per treatment. Pigs assigned in a particular treatment were fed a starter diet, then switched on to a grower diet and finally to a finisher diet. The starter, grower and finisher phases were terminated when the individual pigs attained liveweights of 20 ± 0.5, 50 ± 0.5 and 70 ± 0.5kg respectively. The starter diets contained either 71% normal maize (Control) or Obaatanpa and the level of fishmeal was gradually decreased from 18% (Control) to 12% (OBAT-III). The level of either normal maize or Obaatanpa was reduced to 65% and the fishmeal content ranged from 9 (Control) to 6% (OBAT-III) in the grower diets. In the finisher diets, the level of normal maize or Obaatanpa was reduced to 57% with a further decrease in the fishmeal content from 4 (Control) to 1% (OBAT-III). There was a progressive decline in dietary crude protein and lysine content from the starter to the finisher phase of growth. Feed and water were provided ad libitum throughout the experiment. The values for feed intake, feed conversion efficiency and daily weight gain in each phase and foe the overall period were not significantly (p>0.05) different for the dietary treatments. Carcass traits were also not different (p>0.05).  Feed cost (cedis/kg) and feed cost/kg liveweight gains were lower in the Obaatanpa – containing diets due to the fact that they contained less fishmeal.