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Observations of wild pigs suggest that the importance of dietary fiber and its physical form might be overlooked in feeding young piglets before weaning.
Objective: This study looked at how offering grass hay to suckling piglets either on its own or mixed into their creep feed affects their growth and gut development. It also explored how continuing to feed grass pellets after weaning influences these outcomes.
Methods: Thirty-six litters, each with about 14 to 15 piglets, were divided into three groups during the suckling period. One group (control) got regular creep feed only. The second group was given chopped grass hay separately along with the regular creep feed. The third group had their creep feed modified by replacing some grains with 28% grass pellets. After weaning at day 23, each litter was split again and fed either a nursery diet continuing their pre-weaning treatment or switching diets, including some with 13% grass pellets until day 39. Growth, gut structure, gene activity related to nutrient absorption and gut barrier function, gut metabolites, and the bacterial populations were measured at weaning and later stages. At each sampling point, 24 piglets were euthanized for analysis.
Results: Just before weaning, piglets in the grass hay group ate about 7 grams of grass hay each, while grass pellets piglets ate about 46 grams of the modified creep feed. The grass hay piglets had heavier small intestines and colons, produced more short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) in the upper gut, and less in the colon. The grass pellets piglets had more beneficial Prevotellaceae bacteria in their cecum and colon and used energy more efficiently to grow. After weaning, the grass hay group initially grew more slowly but caught up later. Both grass hay and grass pellets diets increased important gut barrier and nutrient sensor genes by day 38 after weaning. The Prevotellaceae bacteria were especially abundant in groups that kept eating grass pellets after weaning. The grass hay nursery diet led to better energy use without affecting final body weight, with SCFA production shifting towards the upper gut.
Conclusion: Feeding fiber-rich and physically structured diets early on helps young piglets develop their digestive systems and prepares their gut microbes for digesting fiber later. Keeping fiber in their diet from suckling through nursery is beneficial, though it may temporarily slow weight gain due to lower feed intake, this is balanced by later recovery and more efficient energy use.
Yao R, Hulshof TG, van Hees HM, Cools A, Merckx M, Maes D, Janssens GP. Grass hay mixed-in creep feed or separately-fed differentially affects digestive development in pre-and post-weaning piglets. Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology. 2025; 16(1): 92. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40104-025-01227-4
