A Comparision of Whey Protein concentrated and spray-dried animal plasma in diets for weanling pigs

Kansas State University Swine Day 2004. A total of 180 weanling pigs (initially 13.7 lb and 21 3 d of age, PIC L326 C22) were used to evaluate the effects of whey protein concentrate or spray-dried animal plasma on growth performance of weanling pigs. Pigs were fed one of five experimental diets: negative control with no specialty protein sources, or the control diet with 2.5% spray-dried animal plasma (SDAP), 5.0% spray-dried animal plasma, 2.5% whey protein concentrate (WPC), or 5.0% whey protein concentrate. Pigs were fed the experimental diets from d 0 to 14 after weaning, then all pigs were fed a common phase 2 diet from d 14 to 27 after weaning. From d 0 to 14, increasing SDAP increased ADG and ADFI (linear, P<0.01). Increasing WPC had no effect on ADG and ADFI, but increased F/G (quadratic, P<0.01). The mean ADG and ADFI of pigs fed diets containing SDAP was greater (P<0.01) than the mean of pigs fed diets containing WPC. Overall (d 0 to 27 after weaning), increasing SDAP from d 0 to 14 increased ADG (linear, P<0.03) and tended to increase ADFI (linear, P<0.11). Increasing WPC from 0 to 14 had no effect on overall ADG or F/G. Pigs fed diets containing SDAP from d 0 to 14 had greater overall ADG (P<0.03) and tended to have improved F/G (P<0.12) compared with ADG and F/G of pigs fed WPC. The inclusion of spraydried animal plasma during the first 14 d after weaning improved overall growth performance; the inclusion of whey protein concentrate did not.