Effect of replacement of de-hulled barley with water-soaked barley in corn-soybean meal-based diet on growth performance, blood characteristics, and meat quality in finishing pigs

Abstract

A total of 144 crossbred pigs [(Yorkshire Landrace) × Duroc] with an average initial body weight (BW) of 61.7 kg were used to assess the effect of replacement of de-hulled barley (DB) with water soaked barley (WB) in corn-soybean meal-based diet on growth performance, blood characteristics, and meat quality in finishing pigs according to their BW and sex (12 replicates per treatment and 4 pigs per pen). The dietary treatments were: DB, basal diet containing 5% DB; WB1, basal diet + 5% WB (0-8 weeks of feeding); WB2, basal diet + 5% WB (4-8 weeks of feeding). At the end of week 4, the IgG concentration (p