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It is generally accepted that early and greater feed intake may help to reduce the growth-check of piglets after weaning. In hyperprolific sows with long lactations (28 d) we observed that a 26.2% of piglets have less than 5.8 kg BW at weaning, low serum levels of Zn (0.79 mg/L) and a mortality rate that reached 18.3% for the global period (0-35 d). It was hypothesized that using creep-feed (CF) or a milk replacer (MR) during the suckling period may help piglets to initiate the solid feed intake and thrive weaning. A total of 303 piglets, 232 piglets from 20 litters with CF during all lactation and 71 piglets in MR during 18 days, were used. Indigo carmine (5 g/kg) was added into the CF to individually control the number of CF eaters at d 14, 21, and 28. Piglets were weighted at weaning (d 28) and d 2 and 14 after-weaning.
A total of 120 piglets were non-eaters (7.04 SD 1.39 kg at wean- ing); 95 piglets were semi-eater (positive at day 28, 6.86 SD 1.51 kg); and 17 were eater (6.28 SD 1.52 kg). Piglets in MR averaged 6.74 SD 1.31 kg. Non- and semi-eater piglets lost weight (-105.5 and -15.6 g/d, respectively) at d 2, while eaters and piglets fed MR gained weight (78 and 174.2 g/d, respectively) (P<0.001). The ADG for non-eaters, semi-eaters and eaters was 166b, 194ab and 228a g/d, respectively (P=0.051).
These results suggest that including supplementary feed strategies during the suckling period allow piglets to better thrive weaning.
Blavi, L., Solà-Oriol, D., Pérez, J.F. 2015. Effect of supplementary feeding strategies during the suckling period to improve weanling performance. Proceedings of Digestive Physiology in Pigs Symposium. (Abstract).
