Effect of consumption of potato chip scraps on the performance of pigs.

A two-phase study was conducted to determine the effect of potato chip scraps (PCS) consumption on dry matter intake (DMI), average daily gain (ADG), and gain: feed ratio (G:F) of nursery (Phase 1) and growing-finishing (Phase 2) pigs as well as carcass characteristics of the finished pigs. In Phase 1 (42 d), pigs (n = 138, avg BW 6.31 +/- .12 kg) were stratified by sex and weight and used in a randomized complete block design with three treatments in four blocks. Each treatment consisted of four pens of 11 or 12 pigs each. In Treatment 1 (control), pigs were fed a corn and soybean meal-based diet supplemented to meet NRC requirements. In Treatments 2 and 3, on an as-is basis, 15% and 20% of the corn, respectively, were replaced with 15% and 20% of PCS. Substitution of different levels of PCS for corn had no effect (P = .23) on the ADG of nursery pigs. However, DMI was reduced (P = .01) and G:F was improved (P = .004) linearly as the level of PCS in the diets was increased. In Phase 2, nursery pigs from Phase 1 were combined and continued on their respective treatments to study the effect of level of PCS consumption on the performance of growing and finishing pigs and carcass characteristics of finished pigs. In this phase, each treatment consisted of two pens of 22 to 24 pigs. Increasing the level of PCS resulted in a linear decrease (P = .07) in DMI and ADG (P = .001). However, G:F was linearly increased (P = .002) with increasing level of PCS in the diet. Increasing the level of PCS in the diets resulted in a linear decrease (P = .023) in the dressing percentage of the pigs. No other carcass characteristics or organoleptic effects were noted due to the PCS substitution in the diet of these pigs. This experiment demonstrates that PCS at the levels used in this study can be an effective substitute for corn in the diet of nursery and growing and finishing pigs.