ISSUE FOCUS 26 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE April 2022 “Switching from sow’s milk to solid pre-starter formula feed can trigger a range of digestive issues, impacting both piglet’s health and long-term performance. However, transitioning to a rice-based feed can help support a piglet’s growth and digestive health. Besides benefit of rice-based diets, the inclusion of chicory prebiotic fibres, namely chicory inulin and oligofructose, can support a healthy gut microflora and ensure proper piglet growth performance.” What impact can piglet weaning have on their health and long-term performance? According to a study by Main et al.i, variation in weaning age can be a major contributor in live weight at the end of finishing, with weaning ages of 12, 15, 18 and 21 days compared and results showing that earlier weaning ages are associated with lower weights. Hence post-weaning growth, morbidity and mortality can be significantly impacted by a piglet’s weaning weight. In this respect, the farmers’ practice of ‘early’ weaning to achieve a quicker return to oestrus and improve fertility for the sow can have a key influence and result in lower piglet weight. So, the challenge is how to achieve the best performance for both the sow and her piglets if early weaning does occur. This is where nutrition plays a significant role in promoting piglets’ long-term health and performance. How sensitive are piglets to digestive disturbances? Like any young animals, piglets are sensitive to digestive disturbances. This is because their digestive tract and immune system are not fully functional. Notably the piglet intestinal microbiota is not yet well established, and their immune system is not complete until six weeks of ageii. At this stage they have a more established microbiome, both in the gut and on the skin, and the immune system can tolerate a greater concentration of illness-provoking viruses and bacteria in the environment. Moreover, weaning is often a stressful period for piglets since they are taken away from their dam and switched to a solid food, which can result in post-weaning diarrhoea, impaired growth performance and a high mortality rate. What ingredients can be used to address these issues? Switching from sow’s milk to solid pre-starter formula feed can trigger a range of digestive issues, impacting both piglet’s health and long-term performance (e.g., time to slaughter). However, transitioning to a rice-based feed can help support a piglet’s growth and digestive health. Also, there has been a growing awareness of the role the microbiome in piglet development and the important part prebiotic fibres have to play in increasing bifidobacterial (beneficial bacteria) and reducing coliforms (pathogenic NUTRITION KEY TO PIGLETWEANING PERFORMANCE Dr. Maygane Ronsmans Product Manager Animal Nutrition BENEO
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