Growth Performance and Carcass Quality of Pigs Fed on Various Levels of Deoiled Sunflower Seed Cake in Concentrate Mixture

Twenty four desi and half bred (desi X, Large white Yorkshire) barrows (24.19±0.78 kg) were randomly divided into 3 equal groups of 8 each ad fed grower ration till they attained about 35 kg body weightt At this stage ell the barrows were pooled and divided into 2 equal groups of 12 each and fed finisher ration till attaining a pre slaughhter weight of 65 kg. The grower ration contained deoiled sunflower seed cake at 0(T₁), 60(T₂) and 100 (T₃) per cent and the finisher ration at O (T₄) and 100 (T₅) per cent as replacement of groundnut cake on isonitrogenous basis. The difference in both dally gain and feed/gain ration was nonsignificant during growth and finisher periods amongst treatment groups. The cost per kg live weight was however, lower in T₂ during growth and in T₅ during finisher periods, resulting in savings of about 4 and 14% in ggowee rnd finisher feee cost respectively. There was no difference between T₄ and T₅ in the carcass characteristics studied.