Interrelationships between energy intake and endogenous porcine growth hormone administration on the performance, body composition and protein and energy metabolism of growing pigs weighing 25 to 55 kilograms live weight.

Thirty-six barrows were used in a 2 X 3 factorial experiment to investigate the effects of porcine growth hormone (pGH) administration (USDA-pGH-B1; 0 and 100 micrograms.kg body weight-1.d-1) and three levels of feeding of a single diet (EI; ad libitum, 1.64 and 1.38 kg/d) on the performance, body composition and rates of protein and fat deposition of pigs growing over the live weight phase 25 to 55 kg. Raising EI resulted in linear increases in growth rate and in protein and fat accretion but had no effect on the feed to gain ratio (F/G). Carcass fat content and carcass fat measurements also increased with EI, whereas carcass protein and water decreased (P less than .01). Growth hormone administration resulted in improvements in growth rate (16 to 26%), F/G (23%), protein deposition (34 to 50%) and increases in carcass protein and water at each level of feeding, but reduced ad libitum feed intake (P less than .01), carcass fat content (P less than .01) and carcass fat measurements (P less than .01). Estimated maintenance energy expenditure was increased by pGH administration (2.02 vs 1.72 Mcal digestible energy/d). Results indicate that the effects of pGH on growth performance and energy and protein metabolism were largely independent of, and additive to, the effects of energy intake.