Effects of water quality on growth performance and health of nursery pigs

An experiment was conducted to determine effects of providing drinking water of differing qualities on growth performance and health of nursery pigs. Weanling pigs (n = 450; 150 pigs/group; 10 pigs/pen) were assigned randomly to one of three experimental groups consisting of three water sources of varying quality: 1) Water source A containing 1,410 ppm hardness (CaCO3 equivalent), 1,120 ppm sulfates, and 1,500 ppm total dissolved solids (TDS); 2) Water source B containing 909 ppm hardness (CaCO3 equivalent), 617 ppm sulfates, and 1,050 ppm TDS; and 3) Water source C containing 235 ppm hardness (CaCO3 equivalent), 2 ppm sulfates, and 348 ppm TDS. Pigs were provided ad libitum access to their respective water sources for the duration of the study which began at weaning (21 d of age) and ended 40 d later (61 d of age). Individual pig weights were recorded weekly along with feed intake on a pen basis. Occurrences of morbidity and mortality were recorded daily. Subjective fecal scores were assigned on a pen basis and blood samples were used to evaluate blood chemistry, cytokine concentrations, and phagocytic activity. A differential sugar absorption test was used to assess intestinal permeability. Fecal grab samples were used to establish diet digestibility, and drinking behavior was video-recorded to assess pigs’ acceptance of water sources provided. The statistical model considered fixed effects of water source, room, and their interaction with the random effect of pen. A repeated measures analysis was conducted to determine effects of water quality over time. There were no differences (P > 0.440) among water sources in average daily gain (A, 0.46 kg/d; B, 0.46 kg/d; C, 0.47 kg/d) or average daily feed intake (A, 0.68 kg/d; B, 0.69 kg/d; C, 0.71 kg/d). Overall mortality of pigs was 0.44% and did not differ across the three water sources. There were no differences in apparent total tract digestibility of the diet, intestinal permeability, immune parameters, or blood chemistry attributable to quality of water consumed by pigs. Pigs did not show an aversion to the water sources provided, because total time pigs spent at the drinker did not differ (P > 0.750) among water sources on d 1 through 3 of the experiment. These data indicate that the water sources of differing quality studied did not affect growth performance or health of nursery pigs.

Using caloric efficiency to estimate the net energy value of expelled, extruded soybean meal relative to dehulled, solvent-extracted soybean meal and its effects on growth performance of nursery pigs

This study aimed to estimate the net energy (NE) value of expelled, extruded soybean meal (MSBM) relative to dehulled, solvent-extracted soybean meal (SSBM) and determine its effects on growth performance of late nursery pigs. A total of 297 pigs (DNA 241 x 600) were weaned (BW 5.10 kg) and placed into 60 pens (2 rooms of 30 pens) with 5 pigs per pen balanced by gender and weaning weight. Pigs were fed a common diet for 21 days. Then, pens of pigs (BW 9.3 kg) were randomly assigned to one of five treatments to provide 12 replications per treatment. Treatments consisted of increasing amounts of MSBM replacing SSBM in the diet (0, 25, 50, 75, 100%). All diets were fed for 28 days and were formulated to 1.30% standardized ileal digestible lysine and met or exceeded NRC (2012) recommendations for amino acids, calcium, and phosphorus. The SSBM diet was formulated to 2,421 kcal/kg and NE was not balanced between diets. Analyzed values for CP, EE, CF, and total lysine for the SSBM were 47.28%, 0.47%, 3.80%, and 3.00% while the MSBM contained 47.41%, 6.88%, 5.32%, and 2.99% respectively. The MSBM had increased values for KOH solubility and trypsin inhibitor (83.62% and 7,026 TIU/g) compared to the SSBM (73.05% and 3,011 TIU/g) while urease activity was similar between the two (0.03 and 0.02 Δ pH, respectively). Data were analyzed using Proc GLIMMIX (SAS 9.4; Cary, NC) with pen as the experimental unit and room as the blocking factor. There was no evidence of differences in ADG and ADFI in pigs fed diets with increasing concentrations of MSBM. Pigs fed diets with increasing concentrations of MSBM had improved (linear, P < 0.001) G:F and caloric efficiency on an NE basis. Using caloric efficiency to estimate NE of the MSBM relative to SSBM, MSBM was estimated to have a value of 2,566 kcal/kg. In conclusion, MSBM contains approximately 123% of the energy of SSBM, which improved feed efficiency when fed to nursery pigs.

Role of milk carbohydrates in intestinal health of nursery pigs: a review

Intestinal health is essential for the resistance to enteric diseases and for nutrient digestion and absorption to support growth. The intestine of nursery pigs are immature and vulnerable to external challenges, which cause negative impacts on the structure and function of the intestine. Among nutritional interventions, the benefits of milk are significant for the intestinal health of pigs. Milk coproducts have traditionally been used in starter feeds to improve the growth of nursery pigs, but their use is somewhat limited due to the high costs and potential risks of excessive lactose on the intestine. Thus, understanding a proper feeding level of milk carbohydrates is an important start of the feeding strategy. For nursery pigs, lactose is considered a highly digestible energy source compared with plant-based starch, whereas milk oligosaccharides are considered bioactive compounds modulating intestinal immunity and microbiota. Therefore, milk carbohydrates, mainly composed of lactose and oligosaccharides, have essential roles in the intestinal development and functions of nursery pigs. The proper feeding levels of lactose in starter feeds could be variable by weaning age, body weight, or genetic lines. Effects of lactose and milk oligosaccharides have been broadly studied in human health and animal production. Therefore, this review focuses on the mechanisms of lactose and milk oligosaccharides affecting intestinal maturation and functions through modulation of enterocyte proliferation, intestinal immunity, and intestinal microbiota of nursery pigs.

Implementation of a Pig Toilet in a Nursery Pen with a Straw-Littered Lying Area

In this study, a pig toilet was installed on an organic pig farm, which enabled pigs to use a lying area littered with straw and keep it clean. The pig toilet was separated into a defaecation area and a urination area and nursery pigs were trained to use the urination area by means of a rewarding system. A total of 24 piglets were weaned at 6–7 weeks of age and housed in the experimental system for four-week periods. Per trial, a group of four pigs was formed, and videos were recorded on two days per week (08:00 to 18:00). Direct observation was carried out in the first and last week of each trial. In total, 1500 eliminations were video-analysed. An individual pig had an average of 7.1 ± 1.4 defaecations and 4.8 ± 0.8 urinations per day. In total, 96.4% of all urinations and 97.4% of all defaecations were performed in the pig toilet. However, most urinations took place in the defaecation area as well (90.4%). Even if the training to spatially separate defecation and urination behaviour was not successful, we showed that a pig toilet offers the possibility to create littered lying areas, possibly increasing animal welfare.

Porcine ear necrosis in weaned piglets: prevalence and impact on daily weight gain

Background Porcine ear necrosis (PEN) in pigs is characterized by a blue to black discoloration of the tip or margin of the ear followed by necrosis. The present study investigated the prevalence of PEN in a Belgian pig farm with PEN problems in nursery pigs, the effect of a mycotoxin detoxifier added to the feed on PEN prevalence, and the impact of PEN on the piglets’ growth. Six consecutive batches of weaned piglets [565–751 piglets per batch, (n = 3898)] were included. For each weaning batch, the presence and severity of PEN during the nursery period (3–10 weeks of age) were recorded weekly. Average daily gain (ADG) was calculated by weighing 597 individual piglets divided over the six batches. Additionally different mycotoxins were measured in the feed using LC–MS/MS analysis, and to three randomly selected batches, a mycotoxin detoxifier (Mycofix® Plus 5E, Biomin) was added to the feed. Results At the end of the nursery period, 11.0–32.0% of the piglets in each batch were affected. The prevalence increased with the number of weeks post-weaning, especially from week 4 after weaning onwards. Mild, moderate, severe and very severe lesions represented 84.6%, 14.0%, 1.3% and 0.1% of all lesions, respectively. Different mycotoxins were present in the feed, but all at low concentrations. The mean ADG (± SD) for pigs without (n = 243) and with (n = 158) lesions was 391 g (± 71 g) and 394 g (± 65 g), respectively (P > 0.05). The ADG for mildly affected (387 g ± 68 g) and moderately affected piglets (420 g ± 44 g) was not significantly different (P > 0.05). The PEN prevalence in the batches without or with the mycotoxin detoxifier was 25% and 22%, respectively (P > 0.05). Conclusions Twenty-three percent of animals showed lesions at the end of the nursery. Affected pigs did not have a lower ADG compared to non-affected animals, which might be explained by the fact that most affected piglets only had mild lesions. The addition of a mycotoxin detoxifier did not influence the prevalence of PEN, possibly because of the low levels of mycotoxin contamination. Further research is warranted to assess the impact of more severe PEN lesions and the effect of control measures.

Effects of dietary spray-dried plasma protein on nutrient digestibility and growth performance in nursery pigs

The objectives were to determine the digestible energy and standardized ileal digestibility of amino acids (AA; Exp. 1) and to determine growth performance (Exp. 2) of 2 sources of dietary spray-dried plasma protein (SDPP) in nursery pigs. In Exp. 1, twelve nursery barrows (9.8 ± 0.9 kg) were assigned to a quadruplicated 3 × 2 Latin square design with 3 diets and 2 periods. Each period consisted of 5 days of adaptation, 2 days of fecal sampling, and 2 days of ileal collection. A basal diet was composed of corn, soybean meal, whey, and sucrose as the sole energy and AA sources. Experimental diets were prepared by replacing 15% of the energy and AA sources in the basal diet with SDPP 1 (manufactured in the USA; 78.2% crude protein and 4,862 kcal gross energy/kg as-is) or SDPP 2 (manufactured in Korea; 74.3% crude protein and 4,636 kcal gross energy/kg as-is). Spray-dried plasma protein 1 had greater digestible energy (P < 0.05), but less (P < 0.05) standardized ileal digestibility of Lys, Met, Trp, and Thr compared with SDPP 2. In Exp. 2, eighty-four nursery pigs (7.9 ± 0.7 kg) were allotted to 3 dietary treatments in a randomized complete block design with 7 replicate pens and 4 pigs per pen. Three corn-soybean meal-whey-based diets contained fish meal (6% and 3.5% for d 0 to 14 and d 14 to 28, respectively), SDPP 1 (4.5% and 2.7%), or SDPP 2 (5.0% and 3.0%) to maintain same energy and nutrient concentrations. During d 0 to 14 and overall period, pigs fed the diets containing SDPP gained more weight (P < 0.05) than those fed the fish meal diet with no difference between 2 SDPP sources. In conclusion, SDPP 1 contains greater digestible energy but less AA digestibility compared with SDPP 2. Growth-promoting effects of both SDPP sources in nursery diets have been clearly demonstrated in this work.

Nutritional and functional values of lysed Corynebacterium glutamicum cell mass for intestinal health and growth of nursery pigs

The objective was to determine the nutritional and functional values of lysed Corynebacterium glutamicum cell mass (CGCM) as a protein supplement and a source of cell wall fragments supporting the growth and intestinal health of nursery pigs. Thirty-two pigs (21 d of age) were allotted to four treatments (n = 8) based on the randomized block design with sex and initial body weight (BW) as blocks. The main effect was the dietary supplementation of lysed CGCM (0, 0.7, 1.4, and 2.1%) replacing blood plasma and fed in two phases (10 and 11 d, respectively). Feed intake and BW were measured at the end of each phase. Pigs were euthanized on day 21 to collect jejunal tissue and mucosa to evaluate intestinal health. Ileal digesta were collected to measure the apparent ileal digestibility of nutrients in diets. Data were analyzed using Proc Mixed and Reg of SAS. Increasing daily intake of CGCM increased (linear; P < 0.05) ADG of pigs. Increasing CGCM supplementation affected (quadratic; P < 0.05) the relative abundance of Lactobacillaceae (minimum: 26.4% at 1.2% CGCM), Helicobacteraceae (maximum: 29.3% at 1.2% CGCM), and Campylobacteraceae (maximum: 9.0% at 1.0% CGCM). Increasing CGCM supplementation affected (quadratic; P < 0.05) the concentrations of immunoglobulin G (maximum: 4.94 µg/mg of protein at 1.0% CGCM) and protein carbonyl (PC; maximum: 6.12 nmol/mg of protein at 1.1% CGCM), whereas linearly decreased (P < 0.05) malondialdehyde (MDA) in the proximal jejunal mucosa. Increasing CGCM supplemention affected (quadratic; P < 0.05) intestinal enterocyte proliferation rate (maximum: 13.3% at 1.0% CGCM), whereas it did not affect intestinal morphology and the nutrient digestibility. In conclusion, supplementing 1.0% to 1.2%, reducing blood plasma supplementation by 0.7% to 0.9%, respectively, increased potential pathogenic microbiota associated in the jejunal mucosa resulting in increased immune response, enterocyte proliferation, and PC concentration. However, supplementing diets with 2.1% CGCM, replacing 1.5% blood plasma, improved growth performance, and reduced MDA without affecting nutrient digestibility, intestinal morphology, and microbiota in the jejunal mucosa. In this study, based on the polynomial contrast, supplementing 1.0% to 1.2% CGCM suppressed the benefits from blood plasma, whereas supplementing 2.1% CGCM showed functional benefits of CGCM with similar effects from blood plasma supplementation.

Impacts of weaning age on dietary needs of whey permeate for pigs at 7 to 11 kg body weight

Background Whey permeate is an effective lactose source for nursery pigs and the most benefits are obtained when pigs are at 7 to 11 kg BW. Altering weaning ages could cause different length of early-weaner phases until 7 kg BW and thus it would influence the dietary need of whey permeate during 7 to 11 kg BW of pigs. This study aimed to evaluate if weaning ages would affect the dietary needs of whey permeate for optimum growth performance of pigs at 7 to 11 kg BW. Methods A total of 1,632 pigs were weaned at d 21 (d 21.2 ± 1.3) or d 25 (d 24.6 ± 1.1) after birth. All pigs had a common early-weaner feeds until they reached 7 kg BW. When pigs reached 7 kg BW within a weaning age group, they were allotted in a randomized complete block design (2 × 4 factorial). Two factors were weaning age groups (21 and 25 d of age) and varying whey permeate levels (7.50%, 11.25%, 15.00%, and 18.75%). Data were analyzed using the GLM and NLIN procedures of SAS for slope-ratio and broken-line analyses to determine the growth response to whey permeate and optimal daily whey permeate intake for the growth of the pigs weaned at different ages. Results Pigs weaned at 21 d of age had a common diet for 11 d to reach 7 kg BW whereas pigs weaned at 25 d of age needed 2 d. The G:F of pigs weaned at 25 d of age responded to increased daily whey permeate intake greater (P < 0.05) than pigs weaned at 21 d of age. Breakpoints were obtained (P < 0.05) at 88 and 60 g/d daily whey permeate intake or 17.0% and 14.4% of whey permeate for G:F of pigs weaned at 21 and 25 d of age, respectively. Conclusion Pigs weaned at an older age with a short early-weaner phase had a greater growth response to whey permeate intake compared with pigs weaned at a younger age with a long early-weaner phase. Altering weaning ages affected dietary needs of whey permeate for optimum growth performance of pigs from 7 to 11 kg BW.

Comparison of Protectivity and Safety of Two Vaccines against Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae in a Field Study

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae causing porcine pleuropneumoniae is responsible for lowered productivity and reduction of performance indicators such as daily weight gain and increase of losses in the swine industry worldwide. To control the disease, vaccination is used to reduce clinical signs and production losses. A randomized, blinded field trail was conducted to compare two licensed A. pleuropneumoniae vaccines in 600 finishing pigs in terms of lung lesions, mortality, medication, weight gain and safety, in a farm in northeast Germany. After weaning, pigs were allocated randomly in two groups resulting in group sizes of 300 individuals. Nursery pigs were vaccinated at the age of 7 to 10 weeks either with a A. pleuropneumoniae bacterin, containing ApxI-III toxoids (group 1), or with a subunit purified A. pleuropneumoniae toxoid vaccine (group 2). Blinded lung lesion scoring at slaughter following the Ceva Lung Program methodology revealed a significantly lower proportion of lungs affected with pleurisy in group 1 compared to group 2. Weighing of the animals did not show a significant difference (p = 0.092); however, at the end of finishing animals of group 1 showed a 1.59 kg higher weight (100.40 ± 10.15 kg) compared to animals in group 2 (98.81 kg ± 11.56 kg). Mortality and antimicrobial medication were significantly lower in group 1 compared to group 2 (13 losses and 17 antimicrobial medications in group 2, 4 losses and 1 antimicrobial medications in group 1). Injection site and systemic adverse reactions were recorded on both days of vaccination and did not differ significantly between the groups (p > 0.05). In this study, the efficacy of vaccination with a commercially available A. pleuropneumoniae bacterin containing ApxI-III toxoids was superior to that of a commercially available A. pleuropneumoniae subunit toxoid vaccine in preventing pulmonary lesions associated with A. pleuropneumoniae infection.Grzegorz Woźniakowski

Optimal Standardized Ileal Digestible Total Sulfur Amino Acids to Lysine REQUIREMENTS Are Increased in Nursery Pigs Raised under Antibiotic-Free Feeding Regime

This study aimed to investigate the effect of increasing the standardized ileal digestible (SID) total sulfur amino acid to lysine (TSAA:Lys) on the growth performance of nursery pigs raised with or without antibiotics (AGP) and to determine the optimal SID TSAA:Lys in nursery pigs raised without AGP. In Exp. 1, 924 nursery pigs (7.9 ± 1.3 kg), blocked by initial BW and sex, were randomly allotted to one of six treatments, with seven pens per treatment and twenty-two pigs per pen. The treatments were arranged in a 2 × 3 factorial design, with two AGP levels (0 or 50 mg/kg Carbodox) and three levels of SID TSAA:Lys (51.0, 58.5 or 66.0%). In Exp. 2, 990 weaned piglets (5.1 ± 0.9 kg), blocked by initial BW and sex, were randomly allotted to one of five dietary treatments (SID TSAA:Lys at 51, 58, 65, 72 or 79%) in the absence of AGP, with nine pens per treatment and twenty-two pigs per pen. Competing heteroskedastic models including broken-line linear (BLL), broken-line quadratic (BLQ), and quadratic polynomial (QP) were fitted for the growth performance data to estimate the optimal TSAA:Lys. In Exp. 1, AGP supplementation increased (p < 0.05) ADG and ADFI during the 21 d period. Increasing SID TSAA:Lys in the diets with AGP did not affect growth performance; however, increasing SID TSAA:Lys in the diets without AGP resulted in a linear increase (p < 0.05) in ADG and G:F. In Exp. 2, the best-fitting models for ADG and G:F from d 0 to 21 post-weaning were BLL, which yielded the optimal SID TSAA:Lys of 62% and 72%, respectively. The best-fitting models for ADG and G:F from d 21 to 42 post-weaning were BLL, which yielded the optimal SID TSAA:Lys of 59% and 58%, respectively. In conclusion, SID TSAA to Lys requirements under an antibiotic-free feeding regime during the first 21 d post-weaning were 62% and 72% in terms of ADG and G:F, respectively, whereas an SID TSAA:Lys of approximately 58% was required to maximize ADG and G:F for the late nursery phase.