Feed Additives for
Swine
Dr. Bob Thaler South Dakota State University
Robert.thaler@sdstate.edu
Feed Additives

Compounds that MAY elicit a response
independent of the pig’s energy, amino acid,
and vitamin/mineral requirements

Response is dependent on age of pig,
disease level, genetics, environmental factors,
& type of diet/feedstuffs
General Categories
Antibacterials &
Antibiotics
 Chemotherapeutics
 Organic acids
 Probiotics &
Prebiotics
 Enzymes

Botanicals
 Carcass modifiers
 Flavors
 Aromas
 Mold inhibitors
 Mycotoxin binders
 Odor reducers

Antibiotic Efficacy in Nursery & GrowFinish Pigs (% improvement)
Years
1950-77
1978-85
Production
Stage
Nursery (7-25
kg)
Grow-Finish
Daily Gain
16.1
Feed/Gai
n
6.9
4.0
2.1
Nursery (7-25
kg)
Grow-Finish
15.0
6.5
3.6
2.4
Sows & Antibiotics



General thought is not to add antibiotics to
sow diets if conception rate is > 85%
However, if conception rate is < 85%, may be
beneficial depending on the problem
Must be at the therapeutic level


2 weeks before breeding
One week prior to farrowing to weaning
Commonly Used Feed Additives
Tylosin
56.3
CTC
48
Bacitracin
35
Lincomycin
8.6
Carbadox
6.3
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
% Sites Feeding Antibiotics
USDA:APHIS, 2000
Commonly Used Feed Additives
(Company Feeding >25% of US Pigs)
Antibiotic
Concentr
(g/kg)
Retail
$/kg
Dietary Inclusion
#1 CTC
110
3.06
55/ton
#2 Tylan
22
3.76
11-110 g/ton
#3 Mecadox
5.5
2.95
55 g/ton
#4 BMD
66
5.26
33 g/ton
#5Lincomycin 22
6.14
22, 44, 110, or
220 g/ton
Lincomycin

Reducing the severity of swine mycoplasmal
pneumonia caused by Mycoplasma
hyopneumoniae

Controlling ileitis, also known as Porcine
Proliferative Enteropathy

Treating and controlling swine dysentery
Lincomycin

Increasing the rate of weight gain in growingfinishing swine

FDA approved for ileitis control and
Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae

LINCOMIX at 40 g/t for ileitis control costs $5 to $7
less per ton than the approved Tylan* dose of 100 g/t
Tylosin (Tylan)

Classic antibiotic used for growth promotion



Relatively inexpensive
No withdrawal. Tylan can be fed to market
weight
Only Tylan® Premix, fed at 100 g/ton, is
approved to prevent and control ileitis. No other
product can legally make this claim
Tylosin (Tylan)



Convenient. One product for ileitis prevention
and growth promotion
Tylan is primarily active against gram-positive
bacteria and has significant activity against
mycoplasma
Feeding it during grow-finish phase increased
longissimus muscle area
Carbadox (Mecadox)



Typically fed in the Pre-weaning, Nursery, and
early Grower diets
For the treatment of clinical outbreaks of
swine dysentery (vibrioic dysentery, "bloody"
scours of haemorrhagic dysentery)
For the prevention and control of swine
dysentery
Carbadox (Mecadox)



For increase in rate of mass gain and
improvement of feed efficiency
10 week withdrawal prior to slaughter
Do not use in feeds containing bentonite
Usually too expensive to use strictly for
growth promotion
Chemotherapeutic Agents


Naturally occurring or chemically synthesized
compounds that inhibit the growth of microorganisms
Copper Sulfate



Zinc oxide




100 to 250 ppm in nursery diets
Additive effect with antibiotics
1500 to 3000 ppm
Controls some post-weaning scours
Higher levels can be toxic (know base levels)
High levels in the manure – environmental problems

Already being regulated in some European countries
Probiotics

Living bacteria or yeast cultures to enhance
microbial balance




Lactobacillus species, Bacillus subtilis,
Streptococcus faecium, Saccharomyces cerevisiae
or various mixtures
Traditionally use in nursery diets
Beginning to be used in grow-finish diets
Strain of microbe, dose, interactions,
feedstuffs, feed processing
Enzymes



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
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Increase nutrient utilization
Not much benefit with corn-SBM diets
More of a benefit with wheat & barley-based
diets
Beta glucanase and xylanase are the most
commonly used ones
Others include alpha amylase, cellulase,
protease, and various combinations
Great variation in efficacy
Phytase



Most commonly used enzyme in the world
Increases utilization of phytate P in grains
Decrease P excretion





Less P running off into lakes and rivers
Less euthrophication
Decrease amount of inorganic P
Currently slight economic savings in diet cost
Tremendous environmental benefit
Others

Mold Inhibitors

effective against molds, not mycotoxins
Antioxidants – increase shelf-life & are effective
 Mycotoxin Binders




Are present even if mold is gone
Products effective against aflatoxins (clays, HSCAS,
pellet binders)
Few, if any, products effective on other mycotoxins
Others cont.

Odor Reducing Additives


Many products, few effective (DeOdorase,
Microaid)
Heavily dependent on condition of individual
systems

Manure composition, pH, temperature,
antibacterials, water, etc
Carcass Modifiers

Ractopamine (Paylean)

Chromium tripicolinate

Betaine

L-carnitine

Zilpaterol
Ractopamine (PayLean)

Beta agonist that “repartitions” where
nutrients go (from fat to lean deposition)

Improves:



Growth rate
Feed conversion
Lean deposition
Ractopamine (PayLean)


Approved at the 9 g/ton level the last 90
pounds prior to slaughter
5 g/ton improves gain (10%) & efficiency
(17%)


Maybe carcass
9.9 g/ton improves gain & efficiency, carcass
weight & dressing %
Ractopamine (PayLean)

19.8 g/ton seldom used




cost of product
Increased death-loss potential
Greatest response first 2 weeks, then
decreases over the last 2 weeks
Need at least a 16% protein diet and .90%
lysine diet (watch all amino acid levels)
PayLean Use In Commercial
Operations
Used to decrease total number of marketing
days for a group/barn
#1 Market first group of heaviest pigs
#2 Feed the 5 g/ton level for 2 weeks
#3 Feed the 9.9 g/ton level for the last 2 weeks
or until all the pigs are marketed

Handling/Stress Is An Issue!
Elanco has developed a
program on proper handling
of swine from farm through
harvest
Carcass Modifiers

Organic Chromium (tripicolinate)

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Betaine (sugar beet industry)

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Increase leanness 6%, but not consistent
200 ppb Cr improved sow fertility, # born & weaned
Must be fed at least 6 months to get sow response
Enhance leanness and feed efficiency (?????)
Works with met/cys deficiency or lysine excess
Carnitine



Initially thought to improve leanness & efficiency
Some response in nursery pigs
50 ppm in gestation increased litter size & birth weight
Example
Current diet cost = $120/ton
 Feed additive costs $15 to add to a ton of
feed
($135 - $120) * 100 = 12.5% improvement in
F/G
$120
just to pay for itself
If getting a 10% improvement in feed
efficiency, still losing money!!!

Doesn’t take into Consideration
Changes in:

Gain

Carcass characteristics

Deathloss
Summary
Feed additives can be effective tools when used
properly
 Do the “Homework” for YOUR operation
Match disease problem with feed additive
 Feed additives are not a replacement for poor
management
 Ractopamine is economically advantageous when
used strategically

Summary
Make sure you get a real “Net” economic
benefit that’s consistent
 Use your feed $ where you’ll get the best,
most consistent return on your
investment.
