Abstract
A total of 233 pigs was used to determine the effects on liveweight gain and feed conversion of adding graded amounts of rice bran to weaner (starter) and growe1-finisher diets and to examine the factors limiting the inclusion of rice bran at high rates. Rice bran at up to 15 per cent for weaners and 30 per cent for growing-finishing pigs did not affect performance, and in one experiment a 40 per cent rice bran diet was fed to weaners without reducing performance. Addition of fat to rice bran diets improved performance apparently by increasing palatability and/or digestibility of the diets. Mean apparent digestibility coefficients for dry matter, crude protein and ether extract in the bran were 79·4, 66·9 and 74·1 per cent, respectively. These digestibility coefficients resulted in lowered digestibility of diets containing rice bran and this appeared to be directly related to the poorer performance of pigs fed these diets. Inflammation and ulceration of the gastrointestinal tract lining was observed in pigs fed rice bran diets but the contribution of this condition to the depressed performance was not established.
