Copper
supplements can improve piglet performance, says Gavin Bowman, executive manager
for Minerals Global Product Development, Novus International.
Speaking
recently to the Banff Seminar for the pork industry, he said a review of
scientific literature indicates that copper plays a role in the absorption and
digestibility of nutrients, works as an antioxidant to reduce oxidative stress,
acts as an antimicrobial agent to improve gut health and contributes to
collagen development for tissue and gone health.
The research
indicates that supplementing nursery pigs with an organic, chelated copper
source (metal methionine hydroxy analogue copper chelate, or MMHAC Cu) improved
daily gain by three per crnt and the feed conversion ratio by 2.6 per cent
compared with inorganic copper sulphate.
Chelated
copper also reduced diarrhea by 23 per cent in weaned pigs, improved digestibility
levels of copper by 42 per cent, dry matter by eight per cent, crude protein by
nine per cent, phosphorus by 14 per cent, energy by eight per cent and fat by
10 per cent compared with basal diet.
“Because
organic chelated copper is better absorbed by animals than comparable inorganic
trace mineral supplements, a producer can feed less mineral while still
maintaining feed efficiency,” Bowman said.
“More
efficient absorption of organic chelated trace minerals means less mineral is
excreted by the animal.
“That’s not
just better for the environment, it’s better for the producer’s bottom line,”
he said.
