Early life nutrition key to unlocking piglets’ potential

A good start in life is essential, as proven by the strong connection between optimal neonatal nutrition and lifelong health and performance. The first 70 days in the life of a piglet, which covers the challenging period around weaning, are key to unlocking its genetic potential.

High-performing piglets

You know how important the right nutrition is to your piglets’ performance – and that feed is the most significant cost you face in raising livestock. To get the most from your investment, and make sure your piglets grow into healthy, high-performing adults, it is important to ensure they adequately digest the nutrients in the feed you provide them. This is particularly important right after weaning, a time of significant change for piglets.

Managing feed and water for piglets

Piglets, whose bodies are composed of 80% water at birth, require direct access to ample quantities of clean, fresh water as well as quality feed to thrive. Managing livestock carefully from the start benefits both farmers and animals. This will lead to improved production and financial results over the long term.

Antimicrobial resistance

Antimicobial resistance (AMR) affects performance, animal health and food safety – so it is important to start to control it as early as possible in the production chain. Therefore, Trouw Nutrition has developed a fully integrated AMR programme based on feed, farm and health management and a step-by-step approach to achieve targets without any compromises.

Controlling Salmonella in piglets

Salmonella infections in swine are mostly asymptomatic, but can cause diseases, manifesting as Septicemia and/or Enterocolitis. Especially at and after weaning, piglets are very susceptible to Salmonella contamination. Salmonella ultimately affects not only animal health but also has human health ramifications – so it is important to start to control it as early as possible in the production chain. A customised, integrated approach can protect and empower the animals against Salmonella colonisation and invasion and may reduce its horizontal transmission.

Optimising minerals in a piglet’s diet

Trace minerals, such as zinc, copper and manganese, are essential to piglets’ development and metabolism. They support multiple essential functions, including growth performance, immune response and health. Provided in wrong form and amount could lead to a negative impact on a piglet’s productivity, reduced feed intake and body weight gain and lead to lower weaning weights, disease response and potentially increased mortality. Therefor we encourage swine producers and nutritionists to work together to provide a cost-effective trace mineral source most capable of consistently meeting the needs of the animal.

By paying close attention to weaning management and using an approach that integrates feed, farm management and health, any negative impacts of weaning on piglet health and performance can be reduced.

Richard Remmer – Pig Technical Manager

Dietary fibre (DF) is implicated in gastrointestinal health of weaned piglets, either through its physiochemical properties, through modulation of gut microbiota and (or) improved gut integrity. We aimed to study the effect of DF enriched supplemental diets fed to suckling piglets ('creep feed') on health and performance after weaning when challenged with an enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC). Seventy-two piglets originating from 28 litters had been fed four creep diets, that is a low-fibre control (CON); a diet containing 2% long-chain arabinoxylans from wheat (lc-AXOS) or 5% purified cellulose (CELL) or a diet containing the high fermentable and the low-fermentable fibre source (i.e. 2% lc-AXOS and 5% CELL). Upon weaning, piglets were individually housed and all fed the same diet. On days 7, 8 and 9, animals received an oral dose of ETEC (5 ml containing 107 to 108 CFU/ml). Besides growth performance, faecal and skin scores were recorded daily. Gut permeability was assessed by urinary excretion of Co-EDTA prior and post-ETEC challenge. Repeated measures in time were statistically evaluated with generalized linear mixed models. We used a binominal distribution for evaluating the faecal and skin scores. Feed intake and body weight gain did not differ between treatments (p > .05). Piglets on CELL decreased gain:feed ratio in week 2 + 3 week compared to CON (p = .035). Prior to ETEC challenge, gut permeability tended to increase for lc-AXOS (p = .092). Moreover, lc-AXOS as main effect increased intestinal permeability before ETEC challenge (p = .013), whereas the low-fermentable fibre lead to elevated intestinal permeability after ETEC challenge (p = .014). The incidence of diarrhoea was higher for lc-AXOS + CELL compared with lc-AXOS (p = .036), while skin condition was unaffected. In conclusion, neither the high fermentable nor the low-fermentable fibre source improved post-weaning growth or gastrointestinal health of the piglets.

by H. van Hees

Impact of Yeast-Derived β-Glucans on the Porcine Gut Microbiota and Immune System in Early Life

Swine

Piglets are susceptible to infections in early life and around weaning due to rapid environmental and dietary changes. A compelling target to improve pig health in early life is diet, as it constitutes a pivotal determinant of gut microbial colonization and maturation of the host’s immune system. In the present study, we investigated how supplementation of yeast-derived β-glucans affects the gut microbiota and immune function pre- and post-weaning, and how these complex systems develop over time. From day two after birth until two weeks after weaning, piglets received yeast-derived β-glucans or a control treatment orally and were subsequently vaccinated against Salmonella Typhimurium. Faeces, digesta, blood, and tissue samples were collected to study gut microbiota composition and immune function. Overall, yeast-derived β-glucans did not affect the vaccination response, and only modest effects on faecal microbiota composition and immune parameters were observed, primarily before weaning. This study demonstrates that the pre-weaning period offers a ‘window of opportunity’ to alter the gut microbiota and immune system through diet. However, the observed changes were modest, and any long-lasting effects of yeast-derived β-glucans remain to be elucidated.

by H. de Vries

Contact Us

Our Pig team includes:

Richard Remmer - Pig Technical Manager

Antony Taylor - Monogastric Business Director

Pippa Handley - Monogastric Product Manager: Selko Feed Additives

Our approach