Evaluation of the effect of fumaric acid and sodium bicarbonate addition on performance of starter pigs fed diets of different types.

Three growth experiments were conducted to assess the effect of fumaric acid (FA) supplementation on the performance of pigs fed different types of diets. These 4-wk experiments involved 550 crossbred pigs weaned at 30 +/- 3 d of age. Pigs in Exp. 1 were fed either a simple corn-soybean meal (SBM) diet or a 75% corn-SBM, 25% dried skim milk (DSM) diet. Zero, 2, or 3% FA were added to the diets to create a 2 x 3 factorial arrangement of treatments. Supplementing diets with DSM improved gain (P less than .05) and gain/feed (P less than .001). Fumaric acid addition improved efficiency of feed utilization (P less than .01). Experiment 2 was conducted to evaluate the effect of protein source (casein or soy protein concentrate [SPC]) on the response to 3% FA. Sodium bicarbonate (BCB; 2.75%) was added to one diet containing casein and FA to negate the effect of FA on growth performance. Addition of FA improved gain and feed efficiency (P less than .05) during the first 2 wk.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)