Adjustments of the protein level for slaughter pigs and supplementation with lysine and methionine

In two replicate experiments, pigs were fed on a diet in which protein was progressively reduced as they grew from 20 to 70 kg, and thereafter on a cereal mixture alone (treatment VPC), or on a diet in which the protein content was the same from beginning to slaughter, at 95 kg live weight (treatment FPC).Diet VPC resulted in statistically faster growth and better feed efficiency than FPC. Diet VPC, with 0.12% lysine added to the cereal component (VPCL), significantly improved the growth rate in comparison to both VPC and FPC, and also feed efficiency as compared to FPC. Methionine added at a level of 0.1% instead of lysine (VPCM) did not produce any improvement.Carcass quality was not significantly affected by the various treatments.Compensatory growth was not visible on FPC, which was deficient in protein in the beginning and excessive later.