Effects of dietary valine:lysine ratios on lactation performance of primiparous sows nursing large litters

ABSTRACT Eighteen sows were used to determine the effect of dietary valine:lysine (val:lys) ratios on lactation performance in primiparous sows and litter performance. Sows, raised in individual pens, were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 experimental diets containing different standardized ileal digestibility (SID) val:lys ratios of 0.80 or 0.85. Corn-soybean-wheat-based diets were formulated to achieve the dietary treatments (0.86% or 0.87% SID lysine, and 0.69% or 0.74% SID valine). All diets were formulated to have 3,450 kcal metabolizable energy/kg. The experiment lasted 24 d. At the end of th...