Influence of straw and high fibre diets of fattening pigs

Large white gilts were kept in single pens provided with full-length straw (S) or a rubber mat (R) as bedding. In the grower and finisher period the pigs were restrictively fed either a low fibre diet (130 g/kg DM NDF, treatments LFS and LFR) or a high fibre diet (180 g/kg DM NDF, treatments HFS and HFR) and effects on performance and apparent total tract digestibility of nitrogen, energy, neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and acid detergent fibre (ADF) were determined. Rubber mats reduced feed conversion efficiency in the grower period (p < 0.05) but there was no influence of type of bedding on the other parameters examined. Animals fed the HF diet showed higher daily weight gain and lower nitrogen and energy digestibility during the whole fattening period (p < 0.01). These results indicate that straw bedding and high fibre diets can be combined without reducing nutrient availability in the latter.