Inclusion to the diet of fattening pigs of Large White breed mineral additive
The use of natural sorbents such as aluminosilicates in particular bentonite clays as feed additives is promising now. The diverse mineral composition of bentonites combined with sorbing, buff ering, ion exchange and other features of clay minerals suggest that the physical and chemical properties of clay provide a productive eff ect by activating the regulatory mechanisms of metabolism. The purpose of the work was to identify the infl uence of natural sorbents on the dynamics of live weight and average daily growth of piglets during the fattening period, to determine their meat productivity and meat quality. The biggest infl uence on the absolute gain in live weight over the entire period of fattening was the introduction of 3,5 % bentonite into the diet of piglets (2nd experimental group). This indicator for this group was 71,15 kg, which was 7,65 kg or 12,05 % more than the analogs of the control group. In animals of the 1st and 3rd experimental groups the absolute gain was higher than the control group by 2,98 and 4,93 kg or by 4,69 and 7,76 %, respectively. The average daily gain in live weight during the rearing period was signifi cantly higher in animals of the 2nd experimental group by 64 g or by 12,10 % (P < 0,05). The biggest pre-slaughter weight, the weight of the cooled carcass and the length of the carcass were in animals of the 2nd experimental group. Their indicators exceeded the control group by 5,74, 9,13 and 2,13 %, respectively. The total indicator of the slaughter traits in pigs is the slaughter yield, which was 2,30 % higher in the piglets of the 2nd experimental group than in the analogs of the control group (P < 0,05). It has been found that the introduction of bentonite from the Zyryansky deposit as a mineral additive to the diets of fattening pigs has a positive eff ect on the meat and fattening traits of pigs, the optimal dose should be considered 3,5 % of the weight of compound feed.