Effects of potassium diformate (formi® LHS) in combination with different grains and energy densities in the feed on growth performance of weaned piglets

To examine the effects of Formi® LHS (Norsk Hydro a.s., Oslo, Norway)on growth and health performance of weaned piglets fed on diets at different energy levels, three experiments were conducted. Experiment I comprised 48 weaned crossbred (German Landrace × Pietrain) piglets (7 kg live weight) in single rearing battery cages in a metabolism barn, experiment. II with 72 weaned piglets (German Landrace, 9 kg live weight) in groups of three animals kept in flat-deck boxes on an experimental farm and experiment III with 96 weaned crossbred (German Landrace × Pietrain) piglets (8 kg live weight) again in single cages. In experiments I and II the animals were equally allotted to four treatment groups receiving a complete feed (type starter feed) containing either 13 MJ ME/kg or 14 MJ ME/ kg feed with or without supplementation of 1.8% Formi® LHS. In experiment III four diets based either on barley, wheat, corn, or a mixture of them were prepared and applied without or with 1.8% Formi® LHS resulting in eight treatments. Feed intake, weight gains, feed conversion (kg feed/kg weight gain), and occurrence of diarrhoea were recorded. In experiments I and II on the low-energy level Formi® LHS improved final weights by 5 and 12%, respectively, daily weight gains by 8 and 18%, respectively, and feed conversion by 6% each, with the feed intake being higher by 1 and 8%, respectively. With 14 MJ ME/kg feed final weights were up to 10%, daily weight gains up to 14%, and feed conversion up to 11% higher than in the unsupplemented low-energy group, but particularly in group feeding, these performance data were lower than those of the Formi® LHS-supplemented low-energy group. Formi® LHS did not improve performance with 14 MJ ME/kg feed. In experiment III there were no differences in weight gains, feed consumption or feed efficiency between the different grains. Formi® LHS increased daily weight gains and feed consumption in all types of diets up to 14 and 9%, respectively, but significantly only in combination with wheat. Feed efficiency was significantly improved by Formi® LHS supplementation in the barley, wheat, and barley-wheat-corn diet (6, 4 and 7%, respectively) but not in the corn diet. Occurrence of diarrhoea was reduced markedly by Formi® LHS in all of the three experiments.