The use of synthetic lysine in the diet of lactating sows

We conducted an experiment to determine the proportion of the lysine requirement of lactating sows that can be met using L-lysine x HCl. A total of 247 Pig Improvement Company (PIC) sows (parity one to four) were randomly allotted to one of five experimental diets containing .79% apparently digestible lysine. The first four diets contained 0, .075, .150, and .225% L-lysine x HCl replacing the intact lysine, primarily derived from soybean meal. Dietary crude protein was reduced from 17.9 to 16.9, 15.8, and 14.8% respectively. The fifth diet contained .174% L-lysine x HCl (15.5% CP) with added synthetic methionine, threonine, and tryptophan to restore the ratios of these amino acids to lysine to those in the control diet with no synthetic amino acids. The average lactation length was 15.7 +/- .3 d. Diet did not affect ADFI, sow backfat loss, sow loin eye area loss, or weaning-to-mating interval. Sows consumed an average of 4.6 kg/d and were provided 36 g/d of digestible lysine. Replacing soybean meal with increasing levels of L-lysine x HCl did not affect sow weight change. The number of pigs weaned decreased and preweaning mortality increased linearly (P = .08) with increasing levels of L-lysine x HCl. Litters from sows fed the .174% L-lysine x HCl with added methionine, threonine, and tryptophan grew slower and had a higher mortality rate than litters from sows fed no synthetic amino acids (P < .05). The addition of synthetic methionine, threonine, and tryptophan to the .174% L-lysine x HCl diet did not improve litter growth rate, but it did increase preweaning mortality (P = .05) and decrease the number of pigs weaned (P = .06) compared to the .15% L-lysine x HCl with no additional synthetic amino acids. These additions also resulted in an increased sow weight loss (P = .10). These results suggest that when more than .075% L-lysine x HCl is used to meet the lysine requirement preweaning mortality is increased and the number of pigs weaned is decreased. Supplementation with methionine, threonine, and tryptophan failed to ameliorate the negative response associated with L-lysine x HCl, which suggests that other amino acids may be limiting.