NUTRITION PIH-2
PURDUE UNIVERSITY. COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE.
WEST LAFAYETTE, INDIANA
Vitamins for Swine
Authors
Robert C. Thaler, South Dakota State University
Richard C. Wahlstrom, South Dakota State University
Reviewers
T.R. Cline, Purdue University
Robert Easter, University of Illinois
William G. Luce, Oklahoma State University
Vitamins are one of the classes of nutrients required for
normal metabolic functions in the animal body. They are required
in much smaller amounts than most other nutrients and can be
referred to as micronutrients. Vitamins are not used as energy
sources or structural components, but are generally required as
co-enzymes in metabolic reactions. Some vitamins can be syn-
thesized within the pig's body in sufficient quantities to meet
the pig's requirement. Others are present in adequate amounts in
feedstuffs commonly used in diets. However, the potency of cer-
tain vitamins in feedstuffs is greatly reduced during storage and
drying. Therefore, several vitamins should be added to swine
diets to obtain optimal performance. Attention to vitamin needs
is more critical today than previously because of the simpler
diets containing fewer ingredients, and the trend toward modern
housing which has reduced both coprophagy and access to pasture.
Young, lush, green grass or legumes are good sources of many
vitamins.
Vitamins Needed
Those vitamins that should be added to swine diets can be
divided into two groups:
o Fat soluble vitamins
Vitamin A
Vitamin D
Vitamin E
Vitamin K
o Water soluble vitamins
Riboflavin
Pantothenic acid
Niacin
Vitamin B12
Choline
Folic acid
Biotin
The need for addition of biotin to practical diets is not
well-established.
Several other vitamins function in the pig's body. These
include pyridoxine (B6), thiamine and vitamin C (ascorbic acid).
There is only questionable evidence that pigs fed practical diets
will benefit from the inclusion of supplements containing these
vitamins. Therefore, it is not recommended that they be routinely
added to swine diets.
Vitamin A. The vitamin A needs of swine can be met by either
vitamin A or B-carotene. Vitamin A does not occur in plant pro-
ducts, but the plant pigment, B-carotene, can be converted to
vitamin A in the intestinal wall of the pig. Good, natural
sources of B-carotene include green pastures and green, leafy
alfalfa hay or meal. Yellow corn contains B-carotene but is not a
dependable source because much may be destroyed in storage.
Therefore, in formulating diets, the B-carotene concentration of
corn is disregarded. Other cereal grains are low or devoid of B-
carotene.
Deficiency symptoms in growing pigs are incoordinated move-
ment, weakness of the back, paralysis, night blindness and total
blindness. Sows may fail to come into estrus, have poor concep-
tion rates, resorb their fetuses, and have weak pigs at birth or
pigs born dead with various deformities. Sterility may occur in
boars.
Vitamin D. Swine that have daily access to sunlight produce
their own vitamin D. However, fortification of diets with vitamin
D is necessary when pigs are fed inside. Also, most feedstuffs
are practically devoid of vitamin D except for sun-cured hays.
Both vitamin D2, the form found in plant products, and vitamin
D3, the animal product form, have the same value for swine.
Vitamin D is needed for the efficient absorption and metab-
olism of calcium and phosphorus and therefore is required for
normal calcification of bones. A deficiency in young pigs results
in rickets, stiffness and lameness, enlargement of the joints and
general unthriftiness. In mature animals, fractures of the bones
are common. Excessive levels of vitamin D in the feed or as an
injectable have been shown to be harmful. Therefore, it is impor-
tant to prevent excessive intakes.
Vitamin E. A decline in the use of pasture for pigs and an
increase in artificial drying of grains have resulted in a lower-
ing of vitamin E intake and an increase in occurrence of defi-
ciency symptoms. Grains low in selenium increase the need for
vitamin E as the dietary level of one of these nutrients affects
the requirement for the other.
Vitamin E functions as an antioxidant in intracellular mem-
branes. Deficiency signs in the growing pig are sudden death,
jaundice, edema, white muscles and liver necrosis. The deficiency
condition is often referred to as mulberry heart disease. Preg-
nant sows may have a higher incidence of embryonic death. Pigs
nursing sows deficient in vitamin E may show muscular incoordina-
tion.
Vitamin K. Although Vitamin K occurs in many natural
feedstuffs and is synthesized by intestinal microflora of the
pig, a deficiency in practical diets has been demonstrated. The
deficiency is frequently associated with moldy feeds. Its charac-
teristics are hemorrhaging (both internal and external) and pro-
longed blood-clotting time, and also may include blood-tinged
urine, lameness and listlessness. Vitamin K can be supplied by
using 2.5% dehydrated alfalfa meal or one of the synthetic vita-
min K compounds (menadione) in the diet at the level suggested in
Table 1.
Riboflavin. Cereal grains and plant by-products such as soy-
bean meal are relatively poor sources of this B vitamin. It func-
tions in the body as a constituent of several enzyme systems.
Therefore, a deficiency of riboflavin results in a wide variety
of symptoms. In growing pigs, a deficiency may cause loss of
appetite, stiffness, dermatitis and lowered growth rate. Poor
conception and reproduction have been noted in sows fed
riboflavin-deficient diets. Pigs may be born prematurely, dead or
too weak to survive.
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Table 1. Suggested vitamin mix.1
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Amount/lb. Suggested
Vitamin of premix source
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Vitamin A 900,000 IU Vitamin A palmitate-gelatin
coated
Vitamin D 100,000 IU Vitamin D3 - stabilized
Vitamin E 5,000 IU dl-tocopherol acetate
Vitamin K 660 mg Menadione sodium bisulfite
(Menadione Equivalent)2
Riboflavin 1,200 mg Riboflavin
Pantothenic acid 4,500 mg Calcium pantothenate
Niacin 7,000 mg Nicotinamide
Choline3 20,000 mg Choline chloride (60%)
Vitamin B12 5 mg Vitamin B12 in mannitol,(.1%)
Folic acid 300 mg Folic acid
Biotin 40 mg D-Biotin
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1Premix is designed to be used at a rate of 5 lb. per ton of
complete feed for sows and baby pigs, and 3 lb. per ton of
complete feed for growing-finishing swine.
2Menadione conversion values are 1 g of menadione = 3 g of
menadione sodium bisulfite complex (MSBC) or 2 g of menadione
dimethylpyrimidinol bisulfite (MPB) or 2.2 g of menadione sodium
bisulfite (MSB).
3It is also recommended that during gestation period, additional
choline (550 grams per ton) be added to the sow diets. This can
be provided by adding 2.5 lb. of choline chloride premix
containing 50% choline or 2.0 lb. of a chloride premix containing
60% choline.
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Pantothenic Acid. Corn-soybean meal diets will be deficient
in pantothenic acid, another of the B-complex vitamins. A defi-
ciency may result in lowered fertility, reduced growth rate,
diarrhea, and an incoordinated, wobbly or high-stepping gait
called goosestepping. Many of these symptoms are similar to those
observed from other deficiencies and indicate that, in practical
feeding situations, it is difficult to determine which vitamin
may be lacking. In fact, in many cases, it is a combination of
observable vitamin deficiencies.
Niacin. Although niacin is present in adequate amounts in
cereal grains, it exists in a bound form that is largely unavail-
able to the pig. The protein source and content of the diet also
can affect the dietary need for niacin because the amino acid
tryptophan is converted into niacin. This can develop into a
tryptophan deficiency in a diet low in niacin and tryptophan.
Slow growth, diarrhea, dermatitis, loss of hair and occasional
vomiting are deficiency symptoms. Alfalfa meal and good pasture
are natural sources of riboflavin, pantothenic acid and niacin.
Vitamin B12. Cereal grains and other plant products are poor
sources of B12, but animal products are good sources. The
requirement for this vitamin is approximately one-thousandth the
amount of the other B vitamins discussed. Signs of a deficiency
include reduced growth rate and anemia. Vitamin B12 also is known
as cyanocobalamin.
Choline. Recent research has indicated that supplemental
choline resulted in an increased litter size in gestating sows
fed corn-soybean meal diets. Choline deficiency also has been
implicated by some as the cause of spraddle legs in newborn pigs.
However, this has not been proven in research where sows were fed
practical diets during gestation. Apparently, there are other
causes of the spraddle leg condition. The choline requirement of
growing and finishing pigs is met by natural feedstuffs. However,
the need for supplemental choline is increased in diets low in
the amino acid methionine.
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Table 2. Suggested vitamin additions per ton of feed.
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Grower- Gestation-
Vitamin Starter finisher lactation
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Vitamin A, IU 4,500,000 2,700,000 4,500,000
Vitamin D, IU 500,000 300,000 500,000
Vitamin E, IU 25,000 15,000 25,000
Vitamin K (menadione),g 3.3 2 3.3
Riboflavin, g 6 3.6 6
Pantothenic acid, g 22.5 13.5 22.5
Niacin, g 35 21 35
Vitamin B12, mg 25 15 25
Choline, g1 -- -- 100
Folic acid, g -- -- 1.5
Biotin, mg -- -- 200
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1It is also recommended that during gestation period, additional
choline (550 grams per ton) be added to the sow diets. This can
be provided by adding 2.5 lb. of choline chloride premix
containing 50% choline or 2.0 lb. of a chloride premix containing
60% choline.
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Folic Acid (Folacin). The pig's requirement for folic acid
for growth and maintenance is met by folic acid from feedstuffs
and bacterial synthesis in the hind-gut. However, recent research
has demonstrated that folic acid supplementation in gestation and
lactation diets increased the number of pigs born alive and
weaned. Weakness, poor growth and anemia are symptoms of folic
acid deficiency. Green, leafy plants are excellent sources of
this vitamin.
Biotin. Common feedstuffs contain enough biotin to meet the
requirement of the growing pig, but the bioavailability is poor
in small grains. Biotin supplementation of gestating sow diets
may enhance reproductive performance, but no single reproductive
parameter has consistently responded to biotin supplementation. A
biotin deficiency is characterized by cracking of the feet and
dermatosis.
Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid), Thiamine, Pyridoxine (B6).
Although these vitamins are required by the pig, the levels
required in the diet are not known. Deficiency signs may be pro-
duced when diets contain an antagonist or high levels of sulfa
drugs. It has been suggested that environmental stress increases
the need for ascorbic acid for normal growth. However, the amount
of these vitamins present in practical diets plus that syn-
thesized by microorganisms (thiamine and B6) in the digestive
tract are considered to be sufficient to meet the requirements of
the pig.
Synthetic Vitamins
The chemical structure of a given vitamin is identical
regardless of source. Therefore, natural and synthetic vitamins
are of equal value to the pig. Since the natural ingredients
used in practical swine diets may not contain adequate amounts of
certain vitamins, it is recommended that a vitamin supplement be
added. Synthetic vitamins are produced by many companies and sold
individually or in various combinations of vitamins, or as
vitamin-mineral combinations. These can be purchased in prepack-
aged quantities ready to be added to one ton of feed. The vitamin
premix in Table 1 contains all the vitamins that need to be added
to swine diets. A 5 lb./ton of complete feed inclusion rate
should be used for swine starter, gestation, and lactation diets
based on daily gestation and lactation feed intake of 4 to 5 and
9 to 12 lb./head, respectively. The vitamin needs of growing and
finishing pigs are met when the premix is added at 3 lb./ton of
complete feed. Commercial complete feeds and protein supplements
generally contain supplemental vitamins. Check to see if the lev-
els are adequate. If not, seek another supplier or add vitamins
that are needed in the necessary amounts. Suggested vitamin addi-
tions per ton of feed are shown in Table 2.
Mixing Instructions
The vitamin premix should be purchased from a commercial
company. These suppliers have much better quality control and
mixing facilities than producers have to handle the small quanti-
ties of vitamins. Purchase no more than what will be used in 3 to
4 months (use 3 months in hot, humid areas) and store in a cool,
dry place to reduce storage losses. Mix only enough feed for 3 to
4 weeks as certain combinations of ingredients can increase vita-
min losses over time. Follow mixing guidelines according to the
manufacturer's recommendations. Do not add more than recommended
levels or a potential toxicity may occur.
Special care should be taken when adding the vitamin premix
to obtain a thorough dispersion throughout the feed. Since verti-
cal, on-farm grinder mixers are not designed to handle small
quantities, the 3 or 5 lb. of vitamins need to be premixed with a
carrier (ground corn, soybean meal, etc.). One method is to
thoroughly mix the vitamins with at least 50 lb. of a carrier in
a tub or cement mixer, and then add this mixture to the grinder-
mixer.
REV 12/91 (7M)
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