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Agriculture
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Effects of Dietary Interventions on Monogastric Animal Production
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Effects of Dietary Interventions on Monogastric Animal Production

A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472). This special issue belongs to the section "Farm Animal Production".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 September 2025 | Viewed by 3438

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Anna Milczarek

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Animal Science and Fisheries, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Siedlce, Bolesława Prusa 14, 08-110 Siedlce, Poland
Interests: feed; fed additives; nutrition; poultry; pigs; growth performance; slaughter value; meat quality
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Feed constitutes the largest share of livestock production costs, which highlights the need for proven feed management practices for monogastric animals (pigs and poultry). An effective livestock feeding strategy starts with the quality of feed ingredients. The content of energy, nutrients and anti-nutritional substances in feed raw materials and, consequently, in animal rations determines the results of rearing, the slaughter value and the quality of the products obtained. It is known that by appropriately selecting components for animals' food ration, we can influence the dietary value of meat or eggs. The appearance of new raw materials and feed additives requires the assessment of their nutritive value and usefulness in feeding a given animal species. Moreover, the effects of animal production may be the result of the interaction of nutritional and other factors.

This Special Issue focuses on the role that animal nutrients and feed management play in the modern nutrition of animals. For this reason, it welcomes high-quality studies on disparate feed and from their animal research fields including poultry, pigs, etc. Original research articles and reviews will be considered for publication in this Special Issue.

Prof. Dr. Anna Milczarek
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agriculture is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • nutrients
  • feed
  • fed additives
  • nutrition
  • pigs
  • poultry
  • growth performance
  • slaughter value
  • meat quality

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 2387 KiB  
Article
The Impacts of Feeding a Reduced Energy and Lysine Balance in Lactation on Sow Body Composition, Litter Growth, and Markers of Subsequent Reproductive Performance
by Tracy L. Muller, Kate J. Plush, John R. Pluske, Darryl N. D’Souza, David W. Miller and Robert J. Van Barneveld
Agriculture 2025, 15(14), 1559; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15141559 - 21 Jul 2025
Viewed by 288
Abstract
This experiment examined whether multiparous sows fed a diet lower in energy and lysine at a reduced feed allowance would still mobilise fat and (or) protein to support piglet growth and negatively impact subsequent reproductive performance. A total of 152 multiparous sows was [...] Read more.
This experiment examined whether multiparous sows fed a diet lower in energy and lysine at a reduced feed allowance would still mobilise fat and (or) protein to support piglet growth and negatively impact subsequent reproductive performance. A total of 152 multiparous sows was allocated in a 2 × 2 factorial design with the respective factors being diet type fed in lactation (gestation, 13.0 MJ digestible energy (DE)/kg, 0.42 g standardised ileal digestible (SID) lysine/MJ DE; or lactation, 14.3 MJ DE/kg, 0.62 g SID lysine/MJ DE) and feed allowance (ad libitum or 7.5 kg/d, ~15% reduction on ad libitum intake). Body composition was estimated on the day after farrowing (day 2) and at weaning (day 21). Blood was collected on days 2, 21 and at standing heat, for the analysis of insulin and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). Diet type did not alter (p > 0.05) bodyweight or P2 backfat depth change in lactation, estimated body fat and protein changes, litter growth, or subsequent total piglets born. Ad libitum-fed sows showed a significant gain in girth compared to sows offered 7.5 kg/d (2.9 versus −0.4 mm, p = 0.015) and had a tendency for a shorter wean-to-service interval (p < 0.10). Sows fed the lactation diet had higher insulin concentrations at weaning (p < 0.05), but levels were the same (p > 0.10) by heat detection; IGF-1 concentrations remained unaffected. These data indicate that imposing a calculated negative energy and lysine balance on lactating sows had a limited impact on lactation or subsequent reproductive performance, supporting the notion that the modern sow may be more resilient to nutritional impositions than has been historically reported. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Dietary Interventions on Monogastric Animal Production)
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11 pages, 904 KiB  
Article
Lowering the Dietary Crude Protein Content Whilst Maintaining Standardized Ileal Digestible Lysine to Crude Protein Ratios Improves Growth and Reduces Diarrhoea in Weaner Pigs
by James E. Langley, Kate J. Plush, Surinder S. Chauhan, John R. Pluske, Sally Tritton, Frank R. Dunshea and Jeremy J. Cottrell
Agriculture 2025, 15(14), 1516; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15141516 - 14 Jul 2025
Viewed by 1026
Abstract
The use of lower crude protein (CP) diets immediately after weaning has long been associated with reduced post-weaning diarrhoea (PWD). However, failing to maintain an appropriate standardized ileal digestible lysine ratio (SID: Lys) may outweigh the benefits in improving PWD outcomes. In this [...] Read more.
The use of lower crude protein (CP) diets immediately after weaning has long been associated with reduced post-weaning diarrhoea (PWD). However, failing to maintain an appropriate standardized ileal digestible lysine ratio (SID: Lys) may outweigh the benefits in improving PWD outcomes. In this experiment, 560 weaners were fed either a control diet (CON; 20.6% crude protein 1.34% standardized ileal digestible lysine, SID Lys: CP = 0.06), LH: a low crude protein, higher SID Lys: CP ratio diet (19.0% CP, 1.34% SID Lys, SID Lys: CP = 0.07), or LL: a low crude protein control SID Lys: CP ratio diet (18.7% CP, 1.1% SID Lys, SID Lys: CP = 0.05) for 1 week after weaning. Pigs were scored for the presence or absence of diarrhoea for 12 days after weaning. Blood samples were taken on days 5, 12 and 28 for inflammatory marker analyses and plasma creatinine analyses. Relative to the CON diet, there was a 42% reduction in the diarrhoea index in pigs fed the LH diet and a 63% reduction in those fed the LL diet (p < 0.05), but LH was significantly higher than LL. There tended to be a greater average daily gain in the LH diet in the first week post-wean (p = 0.054). In summary, lower crude protein diets, irrespective of Lys: CP ratio, were found to be effective at reducing PWD. Moreover, increasing the SID Lys: CP ratio by reducing the CP content of diets from 20.6 to 19% appeared to improve post-weaning growth. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Dietary Interventions on Monogastric Animal Production)
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17 pages, 3570 KiB  
Article
Determination of the Impact of Extruded Soybean Press Cake on Rearing and Health Indices of Piglets
by Małgorzata Świątkiewicz, Kinga Szczepanik, Łukasz Gala, Eugeniusz R. Grela, Kamil Witaszek, Marcin Barszcz, Anna Tuśnio and Marcin Taciak
Agriculture 2024, 14(11), 1899; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14111899 - 26 Oct 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1096
Abstract
The study was conducted to evaluate the alternative to imported soybean meal—extruded soybean press cake—in feeding weaning pigs. The experiment was carried out with 20 35-day-old weaned pigs weighing about 8.8 kg, divided into 2 groups (10 pigs in each) differing in the [...] Read more.
The study was conducted to evaluate the alternative to imported soybean meal—extruded soybean press cake—in feeding weaning pigs. The experiment was carried out with 20 35-day-old weaned pigs weighing about 8.8 kg, divided into 2 groups (10 pigs in each) differing in the main protein source: group I—control, solvent-extraction soybean meal, group II— extruded soybean press cake. The feed mixtures were iso-protein and iso-energetic. After 35 days of feeding, the pigs were slaughtered. The samples of blood, intestinal tissue and digesta, meat, and back fat were collected for analyses. Replacement of soybean meal with extruded soybean press cake in the weaners’ diet had no statistically significant effect on growth performance and feed utilization. Histomorphometry analysis of the intestines did not indicate any harmful changes. The soybean press cake did not affect the sum of volatile fatty acids in the large intestine, but the ammonia concentration was lower in the distal colon (p ≤ 0.05). It was found that the extruded soybean press cake in the feed significantly affected the fatty acid profile (p ≤ 0.05) of meat and back fat, increasing the amount of PUFAs; however, no negative impact on the durability of meat and back fat during storage was noted. In conclusion, the study confirmed the possibility of completely replacing solvent-extraction soybean meal with extruded soybean press cake in the feeding of weaned pigs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Dietary Interventions on Monogastric Animal Production)
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