Growing Pigs’ Production Potential Using Feed Mixes Enriched with a Bioorganic Iron Complex

Abstract

The efficiency of feed mixes with organic and inorganic iron complex compounds (204 g/t of ferrous sulfate and 200 g/t of Bioplex Iron premix) and 467 g/t Bioplex Iron premix has been ascertained during surveys with growing pigs. This allowed increasing the average daily liveweight gains by 3.9 and 7.2% in the experimental groups compared to the control group and to reduce the production costs of feeds, proteins, and the metabolic energy per product unit. It was found that the animals in the experimental groups surpassed the control young pigs in the body preslaughter weight, the chilled carcass weight, and the slaughter yield by 3.9 and 5.0%, 4.6 and 7.9, and 0.5 and 2.0%, respectively. The largest loin eye size (6.0% larger) was in the young pigs fed the diets with organic iron compound. The increases in the iron deposition in the liver, the spleen, the small intestine, and the stomach by 29.6, 45.6, 42.0, and 85.8%, respectively, were recorded. The histological studies proved a high physiological status of the internal organs providing the main functions of digestion and absorption of the nutrients with increasing the bioactive compound in the feed mixes for the growing pigs. The dietary supplements, which could contain both organic iron in complex with its mineral form and pure organic iron compounds, improved the profitability of pork production by 4.7 and 8.3%, respectively.