Abstract
This study evaluated the progeny of sows fed a control or probiotic diet with Bacillus subtilis C-3102 (Calsporin®, Calpis Co. Ltd., Tokyo, Japan) at 500,000 and 1,000,000 CFU/g diet in gestation and lactation, respectively. A total of 358 weaned pigs (DNA 241 × 600) were used in a 42-d trial with 4–5 pigs/pen and 18–19 pens/treatment. Pens were allotted to treatments in a completely randomized design based on BW at weaning. Treatments were a 2×2 factorial with main effects of sow diet (control vs. probiotic) and nursery diet (control vs. probiotic). In the nursery probiotic diet, a product based on probiotic Bacillus subtilis C-3102 at 500,000 CFU/g diet and prebiotics β-glucans and mannan oligosaccharides was included at 0.05% (BacPack ABF™, Quality Technology International, Inc., Elgin, IL). Diets were corn-soybean meal-based. Growth performance and fecal consistency on a 1-to-5 scale were evaluated weekly. Fecal samples were collected for microbial analysis by culture method and bacterial quantification of Bacillus subtilis C-3102, total Bacillus sp., Lactobacillus sp., Clostridium perfringens, Salmonella spp., Enterococcus sp., Enterobacteriaceae, total aerobes, and total anaerobes. Data were analyzed using a linear mixed model (PROC GLIMMIX, SAS®) with pen as experimental unit. There was no evidence for effect of sow diet, nursery diet, or interactions (P > 0.10) on overall nursery growth performance and fecal consistency. However, growth performance from d 21 to 42 and final BW were greater (P < 0.05) in progeny of control-fed sows compared to probiotic-fed sows. Microbial analysis revealed an increase (P < 0.01) in Bacillus subtilis C-3102 and, consequently, total Bacillus sp. in fecal microflora of probiotic-fed pigs. In conclusion, probiotic inclusion to sow diets lowered growth performance of the progeny in late nursery. The probiotic diet provided to sows or nursery pigs did not influence fecal consistency, but altered the fecal microbial population in nursery pigs by increasing total Bacillus sp.
Effects of citrus pulp, fish by-product and Bacillus subtilis fermentation biomass on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and fecal microflora of weanling pigs
