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The Effect on the Growth Performance of Young Pigs of Adding Cobalt, Vitamin B₁₂ and Antibiotics to Semipurified Rations^1,2,

Two Figures

Departments of Animal Husbandry, Statistics and Bacteriology, Iowa State College, Ames

The effect on the growth performance of young pigs of adding cobalt, vitamin B₁₂ and antibiotics to semi-purified rations was studied.

In the absence of antibiotics, the average effect of vitamin B₁₂ supplementation was to increase the rate of gain significantly. The addition of 2.88 p.p.m. of cobalt to a ration with or without antibiotics and containing 0.1 part per million of cobalt did not improve the growth performance of the pigs. The average effect of cobalt on the rate of gain was not significant.

Pigs receiving vitamin B₁₂ and cobalt made gains similar to those made by animals receiving cobalt only. Daily feed intakes or feed efficiency were not affected by vitamin B₁₂ or cobalt supplementation.

When antibiotics were added to these rations the differences found significant in the absence of antibiotics disappeared. Antibiotics produced an apparent general increase in rate of gain as a result of improved feed utilization. There was little change in the daily feed intake.

Bacterial studies on fecal samples showed a marked increase in the fungi counts of the pigs fed antibiotic and a decrease in fungi counts of pigs receiving vitamin B₁₂ additions in both experiments. The counts were quite variable for other organisms.

Evidence that antibiotics inhibited intestinal synthesis of vitamin B₁₂ was not obtained. Animals receiving the basal ration and rations to which extra cobalt and high levels of antibiotics were added made better gains than did animals on similar rations which did not contain antibiotics.

² This work was partially supported by grants from Calcium Carbonate Company, Quincy, Illinois.

Manuscript received 1 February 1954.