195 Does Feeding a Protease and Probiotic (Bacillus Subtilis) Combination (Syncra® SWI) Result in Improved Growth Performance and Mortality in a Commercial Wean-to-finish Swine Feeding Program?
Abstract The response to probiotics and enzymes is often documented in research facilities with a high degree of control and via pigs with no insults to health or feed intake. However, in commercial conditions, the response to feed additives promoting advanced gut health and improved digestion must be consistent and defined over a wide range of health statuses, stocking densities, feed intakes, environments, and diet formulations. The objective of this experiment was to determine if a combined feed protease and probiotic system (Syncra® SWI 201, DuPont, Wilmington, DE) would improve growth performance and mortality under commercial conditions. A total of 127,092 pigs (6.0 ± 0.1 kg; PIC 337 sired, Hendersonville, TN) from a sow farm producing porcine reproductive and respiratory virus and rotavirus positive weaned pigs were placed in 53 2,400-head commercial wean-to-finish barns that were alternated to 1 of 2 treatments (a control treatment without Syncra® SWI (SSWI) or with SSWI included at 72.6 g/ton of finished feed from 22.7 kg of BW to harvest) in a rolling allotment over a 12-month period. Pigs were on the experiment for an average of 162 ± 1.0 days (until harvest). Throughout the 12-month experimental period, diets (outside of the SSWI inclusion) could change in order to maximize return over feed costs. Data were analyzed using Proc MIXED (SAS 9.4; Cary, NC) with treatment as the main effect and barn as the experimental unit. Compared to the control, adding SSWI improved mortality by 1.9% and percent grade 1 marketed pigs by 2.2% (P ≤ 0.025). Compared to the control, SSWI did not improve ADG (control = 0.75 vs. SSWI = 0.78 kg) or gain:feed (control = 0.401 vs. SSWI = 0.396). In conclusion, the inclusion of the SSWI combined feed protease and probiotic system can improve mortality and grade 1 marketed pigs, but not growth performance under commercial conditions.