Effect of feed particle size in pelleted diets on growth performance and digestibility of weaning piglets

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of particle size in pelleted diet on nutrient digestibility and growth performance of weaning piglets. 352 uncastrated males, aged 28 to 63 d, were distributed in a randomized block design (initial weight) according to treatments. The experimental feeds were divided into two phases, pre-initial (28 to 42 d) and initial (43 to 63 d) and produced with different corn particle sizes ground in a hammer mill, which provided a geometric mean diameter (GMD) of 394 mu m, 534 mu m, 647 mu m, and 695 mu m respectively, to the pre-initial phase diets. In the initial phase the GMD were 587 mu m, 625 mu m, 798 mu m, and 943 mu m. All feeds were pelleted (pellet diameter 2.5 mm) and supplied ad libitum. After an analysis of variance (P < 0.05), orthogonal contrasts were constructed to evaluate the linear and quadratic effect of increasing feed particle size on digestibility and growth performance. In the pre-initial phase, there was no difference in daily feed intake and daily weight gain between treatments; however, there was a quadratic response (P < 0.05) in feed/gain ratio, and the reduction of GMD to 534 mu m was positively correlated with feed/gain ratio. In the initial phase, feed intake increased linearly (P < 0.05) with increasing GMD in the pelleted diet. GMD had no effect on feed/gain ratio, but there was a linear correlation (P < 0.05) between GMD and weight gain in this phase, owing to greater feed consumption. There was a linear response (P < 0.05) in dry matter and ether extract digestibility coefficients, with the highest values determined in pigs consuming the finest diets (587 mu m). GMD had no effect on crude protein digestibility, but there was a quadratic correlation (P < 0.05) between particle size and digestible energy, as digestible energy reduced when GMD increased up to 798 mu m, followed by a slight increase at 943 mu m. In conclusion, as the weaning pigs become older, their growth performance response increases with increasing particle size of the pelleted diet. The GMD for an optimal pelleted feed is 534 mu m for pre-initial and 943 mu m for initial phase. Additionally, during the initial phase, fine particle sizes results in better efficiency of feed utilization.

Automated summary

The study evaluated the effect of particle size in pelleted diet on nutrient digestibility and growth performance of weaning piglets, showing that older weaning pigs respond better to increasing particle size. The optimal particle size for pelleted feed is 534 μm for pre-initial phase and 943 μm for initial phase, with finer particle sizes resulting in better feed utilization efficiency during the initial phase.