Effects of different fibre sources in pig diets on growth performance, gas emissions and slurry characteristics

The effects of different fibre sources in pig diets on growth performance, ammonia (NH3), hydrogen sulphide (H2S), greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and slurry characteristics was studied on 20 crossbred pigs [Duroc x F1 (Landrace x Yorkshire)]. The experimental diets included one low-fibre (LF) diet without maize distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS), brewer’s grain (BG) and coconut cake (CC) and 3 high-fibre (HF) diets with maize DDGS or BG or CC. The experiment was conducted according to a completely randomized design with 5 replications and lasted 62 days. In the growing period and the overall, pigs fed diets LF and HF-DDGS had higher average daily gain (ADG) compared to pigs fed diets HF-BG and HF-CC (P < 0.05), wheareas the ADG was lower for pigs fed diets HF-BG and HF-CC than for diet LF (P < 0.05) in the fattening period. There was lower FCR for diets LF and HF-DDGS than for diets HF-BG and HF-CC (P < 0.05) in both periods and overall. In the growing and fattening pigs, diets didn’t affect N and P intake, slurry DM content (%) and amount of slurry (kg/head/day), slurry P content (%DM) (P > 0.05), while N and P excretions (g/head/day) were greater for diet HF-CC than for diet LF (P < 0.05). The CO2 emission was greater for diets HF-BG and HF-CC than for diets LF and HF-DDGS (P < 0.0001) in the growing period, but not for fattening period (P > 0.05). In both periods, CH4 emission was lower in diet LF than in diet HF-BG and HF-CC (P < 0.05), while NH3 emission was higher for pigs fed diet LF than pigs fed HF-BG and HF-CC (P < 0.05). The H2 S emission was not affected by diets in both periods. In conclusion, different fibre sources in pig diets may be a practical method to alter growth performance, slurry characteristics and NH3, GHG emissions.