Table 3.
Effect of dietary treatment on pig growth performance (day 1–45; least square means with their standard errors).
| Dietary Treatments 1 | SEM | p Values | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Control 2 | ZnO 2 | Mushroom 2 | Vit D2 Mushroom 2 | Treatment | ||
| Initial body weight (kg) | 7.8 | 7.8 | 7.7 | 7.8 | 0.16 | 0.824 |
| Final body weight (kg) | 31.3 b,c | 31.8 c | 30.4 a,b | 29.5 a | 0.49 | 0.007 |
| ADG (kg/day) | 0.56 b,c | 0.57 c | 0.54 a,b | 0.52 a | 0.012 | <0.001 |
| ADFI (kg/day) | 0.91 b | 0.96 c | 0.87 a | 0.88 a | 0.009 | <0.001 |
| Gain:feed | 0.62 | 0.61 | 0.62 | 0.60 | 0.013 | 0.723 |
| Faecal score3 | 3.00 b | 2.57 a | 3.07 b | 3.00 a | 0.067 | <0.001 |
| Diarrhoea incidence % (day 1–14) * | 25.0 a | 2.8 b | 38.9 a | 36.1 a | 0.136 | <0.001 |
ADG, average daily gain; ADFI, average daily feed intake. 1 Treatments: (1) basal diet; (2) basal diet + ZnO (3100 mg/kg d 1–14, 1550 mg/kg d 15–35 and withdrawn entirely d 36–45); (3) basal diet + mushroom powder (2 g/kg feed) containing 200 mg/kg β-glucan; (4) basal diet + Vitamin D2-enriched mushroom powder (2 g/kg feed) containing 200 mg/kg β-glucan with 100 ug/kg additional vitamin D2. a–c Mean values within a row with unlike superscript letters were significantly different (p < 0.05). 2 A total of twelve replicates were used per treatment group (experimental unit = pen). * A faecal score of greater than 3 was categorized as diarrhoea. 3 Faecal score range: 1 = hard, firm faeces; 2 = slightly soft faeces; 3 = soft, partially formed faeces; 4 = loose, semi-liquid faeces; and 5 = watery, mucous like faeces.