Diet preference and meal patterns of weanling pigs offered diets containing either spray-dried porcine plasma or dried skim milk.

Preference tests and meal pattern analyses were conducted to examine the feed intake response of weanling pigs to spray-dried porcine plasma (SDPP). In Exp. 1, 36 weanling pigs (mean +/- SD; 6.2 +/- .8 kg and 26 d of age) were allowed to choose between a SDPP diet (8.5% SDPP, 20% dried whey, 10% lactose, and .13% DL-methionine) and a dried skim milk (DSM) diet (20% each of DSM and dried whey) throughout 21 d postweaning. Twenty-eight pigs preferred the SDPP diet and seven pigs preferred the DSM diet. Preference for SDPP became apparent by d 2 (60% of total feed consumption) and increased (P < .01) to d 21 (71% of total feed consumption). Average daily feed consumption was 371 and 172 g for the SDPP and DSM diets, respectively (P < .01). The meal patterns of 16 weanling pigs (mean +/- SD; 7.2 +/- .3 kg and 26 d of age) offered either the SDPP or the DSM diet were examined in Exp. 2. On d 3, 7, and 14 postweaning, feeding behavior was observed continuously for 18 h (0600 to 2400). Time spent consuming feed and time between periods of feeding were recorded. Although the difference was not significant, pigs fed the SDPP diet consumed 27 and 6% (P = .38) more feed than pigs fed the DSM diet during the first 7 d and during the entire 21-d period, respectively. This difference was reflected in increased (P < .05) rate of feed consumption on d 3 and 7. Diet had no effect (P > .10) on meal size, the number of meals, or the percentage of time spent consuming feed. Weanling pigs prefer diets containing SDPP to those containing DSM, and the increased consumption of diets containing SDPP may be due to greater palatability.