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Report no. 534


Christian Fink Hansen Helle D. Kjærsgaard Knud Erik Bach Knudsen Bent Borg Jensen
08.11.2001
Effect of meal feed, coarse grinding of pelleted feed and Bacona FormiVækst on Salmonella, gastro-intestinal health and productivity of finishers

Abstract
The effect of coarse grinding of pelleted feed on Salmonella, productivity, physico-chemical traits and the microbial ecosystem in the digestive tract of finishers was studied.

The trial comprised the following groups:

Group 1:

Wheat-based, meal, ground at a 3.0 mm hammer mill

Group 2:

Control, wheat-based, pellets, ground at a 2.0 hammer mill

Group 3:

KFK, wheat-based, pellets, ground at a 5.0 mm hammer mill

Group 4:

KFK, wheat-based, pellets, ground medium coarse at a Rollermill

Group 5:

KFK, wheat-based, pellets, very coarsely ground at a Rollermill

Group 6:

KFK, Bacona FormiVækst, wheat/barley (1:1) + 0.6% Formi®LHS, pellets, barley ground at a 3.0 mm hammer mill, and wheat very coarsely ground at a Rollermill

The trial was carried out at Experimental Station Grønhøj, which is a conventional herd with a weekly production of weaners and where Salmonella was present at the beginning of the trial. A total of 1,044 pigs were included in a randomised block test with six test groups and 17 replicates.

There were no differences between the groups in mortality, the number of pigs removed from the trial or the number of treatments for diarrhoea. In this trial there were very few salmonella-positive blood samples, and on this basis it is not possible make any predictions of the direct effect of the individual mixes on the prevalence of Salmonella in finishers.

Meal feed had a significantly negative effect on the production value, but it was not possible to prove any significant influence on the productivity of the other mixes compared with finely ground pellets.

The results of this trial showed that very coarsely ground, pelleted feed (group 5) and Bacona FormiVækst, where the grain part consisted of barley and very coarsely ground wheat in the ratio 1:1 and of 0.6% Formi®LHS (group 6), resulted in the same changes in the physico-chemical traits in the gastric content and the microbial composition in the digestive tract as meal feed compared with fine pellets. In particular Bacona FormiVækst affected the microbial composition in the digestive tract in the same way as meal feed. Other studies have repeatedly shown that meal feed is capable of reducing the prevalence of Salmonella in finishers. On the basis of this trial, it is therefore assumed that these two pelleted diets will be able to reduce the prevalence of Salmonella in finishers without – as seen with meal feed – reducing the productivity compared with finely ground pellets.

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