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Digestibility and voluntary intake of roughages by wild boar and Meishan pigs

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 August 2016

S. E. van Wieren
S. E. van Wieren*
Affiliation:
Department of Environmental Sciences, Agricultural University Wageningen, Wageningen, The Netherlands
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Abstract

The digestibility and voluntary intake of fibrous roughages and acorns was studied in six wild boar and five Meishan pigs. The neutral-detergent fibre (NDF) concentration of the diets ranged from 139 to 767 g/kg of the organic matter. Organic matter digestibility of acorns, mixed grass and wheat straw was higher in wild boar (P < 0·05) while voluntary food intake of the Meishan pigs was higher for mixed grass, hay and wheat straw (P < 0·05). Organic matter digestibility (P < 0·01) and NDF digestibility (P < 0·05) were both negatively related to NDF concentration of the diet. No relationship existed between voluntary food intake and NDF concentration of the diet. The apparent nitrogen (N) digestibility was positively related (P < 0·01) to dietary N while no relationship was found with dietary NDF. The negative effect of NDF on digestibility could only be partly explained by the lignin concentration of NDF. Much more important was the lower efficiency of the carbohydrate fermentation in the caecum and colon when compared with the direct absorption of glucose from the small intestine. It was estimated that digestible NDF at a maximum contributed proportionately 0·26 to the metabolizable energy intake of the animals. It was concluded that wild boar and domestic pigs should be able to maintain themselves on an all fresh grass diet when NDF concentration of the diet does not exceed about 550 g/kg and N concentration is not too low.

Keywords

digestibilityfood fibrefood intakepigswild pigs
Type
Non-ruminant nutrition, behaviour and production
Information
Animal Science , Volume 71 , Issue 1 , August 2000 , pp. 149 - 156
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 2000

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