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Functional nutritients for boars

//07 Apr 2011

By Zanap van Zyl

Boars, especially those employed in artificial insemination centers, must be fed to achieve the following three goals: sound development of muscles and bones, high quality and quantity of sperm, and life longevity and well-being. Certain micronutrients have been often suggested as being able to contribute towards these goals.

These include the following:

Organic selenium (for enhanced sperm virility and quantity)

Recommended to supply 50% of total needs.

Vitamin E (for enhanced sperm quality)

Recommended dietary specification up to 250 IU/kg.

Zinc (for enhanced sperm quality)

Recommended dietary specification up to 200 mg/kg.

Biotin (for enhanced feet health)

Recommended dietary specification up to 0.5 mg/kg.

Vitamin C (to ameliorate heat stress effects)

Recommended dietary specification up to 500 mg/kg.

Chromium tripicolinate (for enhanced performance based on limited data)

Recommended dietary specification up to 200 ppb (parts per billion).

Now, this is my list...I would be most interested to know your experiences and recommendationson this topic. So, by all means, please do leave a comment below!

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Comments (2)

Hello
In my country many farms feed boars the sow gestation diets. This means that the nutrition of the boar is often give little attention. Nutrition affects boar libido, sperm output and semen quality. Therefore, reproductive performance can be significantly decreased if a proper nutritional program is not recommended. I would like to focus in the differentiation of the replacement sows and boars. Boars have greater lean accretion rates than gilts and they need a much greater increase in amino acid and in mineral requirements compared to the replacement gilts on a diet concentration. Maximal growth performance and mineralization of bones during the development period plays a role to the ratio Ca/P in the diet. Nevertheless we should differentiate feeding program on whether the boar is used for natural or artificial insemination. Important subject to all those requirements you suggest includes the dietary addition for fatty acid composition. Fats and oils have traditionally been included in swine diets as an excellent source of energy but recent studies have approved that omega-3 fatty acids, appear to positively influence boar fertility. Pig spermatozoa contain large amount of Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) that it is an essential component for optimal boar fertility. An excellent source of DHA is via fish oil in the diet while the corn and soyabean meal contain very little omega-3 fatty acids. Finally, the feed containing mycotoxins should be avoided in breeding herd rations caused reducing testosterone synthesis.
Thanks

Dr Nikolaos Kotrotsios at 08-04-2011 10:08

500 ppm vitamin C in routine diet may be too high, 200 ppm may be more suitable for regular use.

Jimmy Wan at 19-08-2011 05:39