The effects of a temporary lysine restriction in newly weaned pigs on growth performance and body composition

A serial slaughter study was conducted to determine the effects of a temporary Lys restriction immediately following weaning on growth performance and body composition. One hundred forty-four Yorkshire x Landrace x Duroc pigs (initial BW: 6.9 +/- 0.2 kg) were randomly allocated to one of three dietary treatments (six pens per treatment with eight pigs per pen; four barrows and four gilts). For a 3-wk restriction period, pigs were fed diets that were 110% (Control) of the estimated required standardized ileal digestible (SID) Lys for nursery pigs or 20% (Lys20) or 40% (Lys40) below the estimated required SID Lys. Thereafter, all pigs were fed a common grower diet containing 120% of the estimated required SID Lys for 6 wk (recovery period). During the restriction period, ADG and G:F decreased with decreasing dietary Lys concentration (linear; P < 0.01). At the end of the restriction period, BW and whole-body protein concentrations decreased (linear; P < 0.01) and carcass lipid concentrations increased (linear; P < 0.01) with decreasing dietary Lys concentration. During the first 3 wk of the recovery period, ADG and G:F increased (linear; P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively) and whole-body protein concentration at week 3 of the recovery period decreased (linear; P < 0.01) with decreasing dietary Lys concentration. There were no dietary treatment differences in whole-body lipid concentration after 3 wk of the recovery period. During the second half of the recovery period (weeks 7 through 9), there were no differences in ADG or G: F; after week 6, there were no differences in final BW (50.3 +/- 0.5 kg) or whole-body protein (16.9 +/- 0.2%) or lipid (14.9 +/- 0.7%) concentrations. In conclusion, newly weaned pigs previously fed a Lyslimiting diet for 3 wk immediately after weaning achieved full compensatory growth with no differences in BW or body composition after a 6-wk recovery period. Reducing dietary Lys concentration early after weaning is a potential means to reduce the cost of (early) nursery diets without impacting overall growth and carcass composition.