Growth performance of grower pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus L.), nutritional and microbial contents of wet and fermented commercial hog ration with different levels of wood vinegar

Swine is a very important commodity that contributed to the country's food security by providing about 60% of the total animal meat consumption of the Filipinos. Feeds comprise a major expense in swine production and searching for possibly better and cheaper alternatives is urgent to have high quality but economical animal feeding.

The study aimed to evaluate the growth performance of grower pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus L.), nutritional and microbial contents of wet and fermented commercial ration with different levels of wood vinegar as follows: T₀: 0% wood vinegar (WV) per liter Plain water (PW) (3000 mL PW) (control), T₁: 2% WV per liter PW (60 mL WV: 2940 mL PW), T₂: 5% WV per liter PW (150 mL WV: 2850 mL PW). Data gathered were analyzed using ANOVA and LSD to compare treatment means by STAR version 2.0.1.

A significantly higher (p<0.05) bi-weekly cumulative feed intake (BWCFI) and bi-weekly cumulative body weight gain (BWCBWG) were noted on grower pigs given wet and fermented commercial hog ration with different levels of WV during week 4 and no significant differences during weeks 2, 6 and 8. No significant differences were noted on ADG and FCR throughout the study. A significantly higher profit was noted on grower-pigs given wet and fermented commercial hog ration 5% WV inclusion. Moreover, no differences in microbial and nutritional contents were noted on fermented feeds. Regardless of treatments, the wet and fermented commercial hog ration revealed the same microbial content present to enumerate as follows: Yeast, Lactobacillus and Streptococcus.