Effects of saline water high in sulfates, chlorides and nitrates on the performance of young weanling pigs.

Three experiments were conducted involving 162, 4 to 6 kg pigs group fed. Nine pigs were allotted per treatment aceording to breed, weight and sex and received feed and water ad libitum. Each experiment had a control treatment (125 ppm total solids) compared to saline water treatments (approximately 6,000 ppm total solids) high in either sulfates or chlorides. In addition the sulfate water was treated with 150 ppm nitrate nitrogen (NO3-N) or with 300 ppm NO3-N while the chloride water was also treated with 300 ppm NOa-N. Average final weights in experiment I and III were 20 kg after 6 weeks on test while average final weights in experiment II were 9 kg after a 3-week test. No significant treatment differences (P< .05)occurred in average daily gain in any experiment. However, with the exception of the pigs given the chloride water in experiment III, the control pigs tended to consume more feed, gain faster and have a better F/G than those receiving 6,000 ppm total solids, particularly in experiment I. Scouring was consistently more common among the sulfate water fed pigs than either the control of chloride fed pigs. Approximately 80% of the scouring occurred in the first week on test. Water consumption was generally higher for saline water treatments. No treatment differences occurred among liver vitamin A values, kidney weights, or kidney histological structure in the four pigs per treatment sacrificed at the end of Experiment 1. In conjunction with experiment 1, blood, fecal and urine samples were collected from two pigs per treat-