Purdue University Agricultural Experiment Station Lafayette, Indiana
Mimeo A.H. - 114 September 18, 1953
THE EFFECT OF DIFFERENT LEVELS OF AUREOMYCIN ON THE BIRTHWEIGHT AND LIVABILITY OF NEWBORN PIGS
W. M. Beeson, C. M. Vestal, F. N. Andrews,
L. M. Hutchings, and L. P. Doyle
Departments of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science
For seven years, Purdue researchers have been testing additions of various supplements and nutrients to practical swine rations in an attempt to determine the nutritional factors which might contribute to producing healthy, vigorous pigs which will live,, Consistently, pregnant gilts or sows fed on a corn-soybean meal diet fortified with minerals and vitamins A and D have in most cases weaned only 40 to 55 per cent of their pigs.
Our results have indicated that the addition of following supplemental feeds or nutritional factors to the gestation rations of gilts or sows will improve the birthweight and livability (80-85 per cent weaned) of newborn pigs;
(1)	Fifteen percent or more of high quality alfalfa meal.
(2)	Free access to green pasture.
(3)	Addition of 2 milligrams of vitamin B12 PQr 100 pounds of ration.
(4)	Supplementing the diets with 2 per cent fish solubles.
(5)	!,Super fortification” of the gestation ration with a combination
of alfalfa meal, grass juice, vitamin B^g* fish solubles, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, niacin, and whole dried liver.
(Will give excellent results but not practical now.)
(6)	Adding 20 to 30 grams of aureomycin per ton of total ration (improved birthweight and vigor only, Table 1).
The 1952-53 experiment was designed to study the effect of three levels of aureomycin (10, 20, and 30 grams per ton) in the gestation rations of gilts on the birthweight, livability, and weaning weight of pigs. Four! lots of 13 Duroc gilts each were started at an average livewoight of 72 pounds on June 25, 1952. All gilts were confined to dry lots and received the following growing ration until October 15, when the different lots were changed to their respective gestation rations. The gilts wero bred in November.