Evaluating the Effects of Replacing Fish Meal with HP 300 on Nursery Pig Performance

A total of 350 barrows (Line 200 × 400 DNA, Columbus, NE; initially 13.6 lb) were used in a 21-d growth trial with 5 pigs per pen and 14 pens per treatment. Pigs were weaned at approximately 21-d of age, placed in nursery pens according to BW and fed a common pelleted starter diet for 3 d, at which time, pigs were weighed and then pens were blocked by BW to 1 of 5 dietary treatments in a randomized complete block design. A composite sample of fish meal and HP 300 was collected and analyzed for AA content and proximate analysis prior to formulation to determine nutrient loading values. Dietary treatments were corn-soybean-meal-based with 10% spray-dried whey and formulated to contain 1.35% standardized ileal digestible (SID) Lys and balanced on an NE basis. The 5 corn-soybean meal-based treatment diets were: 1) soybean meal control (no specialty protein products); 2) diet with 6% fish meal; 3) diet with 9.1% HP 300 replacing fish meal on a Lys basis; 4) diet with 6% HP 300 replacing fish meal on a lb/lb basis; and 5) diet with 15% HP 300 included at the expense of SBM and fish meal. All diets were fed in meal form. Overall (d 0 to 21), ADG and ADFI increased (P \u3c 0.10 and P \u3c 0.05, respectively) when pigs were fed the fish meal control diet compared to pigs fed HP 300 replacing fish meal on an SID Lys basis and 15% HP 300 diet, with pigs fed HP 300 replacing fish meal on lb/lb basis intermediate. In addition, ADG marginally decreased (P \u3c 0.10) when pigs were fed the soybean meal control diet compared with pigs fed the fish meal diet. Furthermore, pigs fed the control diet had the poorest F/G among the dietary treatments. In addition, pigs fed the fish meal diet had improved (P \u3c 0.05) final BW (d 21) compared to pigs fed the soybean meal control, HP 300 replacing fish meal on an SID Lys basis, and 15% HP 300 diet, with pigs fed diets with HP 300 replacing fish meal on a lb/lb basis intermediate. In conclusion, nursery pigs fed diets with fish meal had improved performance compared with the control diet, but 9% or greater HP 300 resulted in poorer feed intake and gain