Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the performance and nutrient digestibility (dry matter, organic matter and gross energy, and the metabolization coefficient of the gross energy) of triticale based diets. The treatments consisted in a corn and soybean meal based diet and three other ones with corn 33, 66 and 100% of substitution of corn by triticale. In the first experiment, 144 pigs in the growing phase (25.27-59.60 kg LW) were allotted to a randomized block design, with four treatments, four replicates and nine animals (five females and four males) per experimental unit. In the second experiment, twelve barrows averaging 32.14 kg LW were placed in metabolic cages and allotted to a randomized block design, with four treatments and three replicates,and one animal on experimental unit. The method of total feces and urine collection was used in this experiment. The inclusion of crescent levels of triticale did not affect the average weight gain and feed intake, however it linearly improved the feed: gain ratio and linearly reduced the diet cost per kilogram of live weight gain. The levels of triticale linearly decreased the gross energy digestibility coefficient of the experimental diets.
performance; digestibility; growing pigs,triticale
