RAPESEED MEAL AS A REPLACEMENT FOR SOYBEAN MEAL IN DIETS OF PROGENY FROM SOWS FED EITHER PROTEIN SUPPLEMENT
First- and second-litter progeny from sows fed either 0 or 8% solvent-extracted rapeseed meal in replacement for isonitrogenous amounts of soybean meal and wheat was used to evaluate solvent-extracted rapeseed meal as a protein source. There was no influence of the dam’s diet on gain, efficiency of feed utilization, digestible (DE) and metabolizable energy (ME) or digestible nitrogen (DN) and nitrogen retention in the progeny. In pigs from first litters, the feeding of 8% rapeseed meal, compared with 0% rapeseed meal, depressed feed intake and rate of gain in the finishing period from 55 to 90 kg liveweight, and resulted in reduced gain and poorer efficiency of feed utilization for the overall experiment from 6 kg initial weight. Carcasses from rapeseed meal-fed pigs were leaner. Gilt carcasses were leaner than barrow carcasses. With second-litter pigs, there were no significant differences associated with dietary treatment or sex. There were no significant differences in DE or ME or in DN and nitrogen retention between pigs receiving 0 or 8% rapeseed meal in either the starting diets at 6 weeks of age or the growing diets at 40 kg liveweight.