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In the previous article, we described just how important sow feeding is to give piglets a good start. In this text, we will take a look at piglet feeding, both during lactation and after weaning.
Supplementary feed for piglets during lactation
Lactation is of critical importance for proper piglet growth and development. During the first hours of life it is vital to ensure that each piglet consumes colostrum as the basis for good milk consumption. Familiarizing piglets with a solid diet (creep feed) and water is also common during lactation. This management practice allows supplementation of certain specific nutrients (e.g. nucleotides and some AA) to improve growth.
Creep feeding
Creep feeding (CF) is the introduction of solid feed during lactation, usually 7 - 10 days after birth, as piglets do not show interest in eating feed before that time (Pluske et al., 2003). The role of CF is to familiarize the piglet with a solid diet and to provide nutritional support to piglets from large litters (Barnett et al., 1989) and long lactations, such as the case with hyperprolific sows. CF must be a highly palatable and easily digestible diet, which is why its formulation is complex and highly palatable ingredients are used (Solà-Oriol and Gasa, 2017), combining different technological processes (Solà-Oriol et al., 2007). Pigs that have consumed CF during lactation start eating earlier at the nursery (Bruininx et al., 2002), but only 60% of the piglets in a litter consume CF, and are known as "eaters" (Barnett et al., 1989; Sulabo et al., 2010). CF eaters have a higher feed consumption, average daily gain (Bruininx et al., 2002, 2004; Sulabo et al., 2010) and body weight (Kuller et al., 2007; Sulabo et al., 2010) than do non-eaters during the first days post-weaning. Increasing CF consumption can be achieved by considering: diet composition (complex diets based on dextrose, sucrose, and milk proteins), (Okai et al, 1976), the presentation (new presentations can increase exploration), intermittent nursing (separating the piglets off for 12 hours a day during the last week of lactation), (Kuller et al., 2007), or adding flavors to the CF (although some studies have observed that piglets prefer CF without added flavors), (Figueroa et al., 2013; Blavi et al., 2016).
Certain nutrients of particular importance
Piglets grow very fast, a process that depends largely on the availability of DNA, RNA and ATP, the synthesis of which depends on nucleotides. Therefore, it has been suggested that nucleotides are "conditionally essential" nutrients in early weaning (Mateo et al., 2004). Recently Che et al. (2016) fed a nucleotides supplementation to piglets with growth retardation (IUGR) during lactation and observed increases in intestinal microvilli, lactase and maltase activity, and increased concentrations of leukocytes, IgA, and IL-1β. This is to say that, incorporating nucleotides improved nutrient utilization, intestinal function, and piglet immunity.
Other nutrients to consider are certain AAs. For example, Le Floc'h et al. (2008) observed that inflammation increases tryptophan (Trp) catabolism and therefore its availability may be diminished for pig growth. Consequently, Trp supplementation beyond the growth requirement may increase its availability for immune response and for growth. Pulsatile leucine (Leu) supplementation has been documented to be an effective strategy to increase lean growth in neonatal piglets (Boutry et al., 2016). Glutamic acid (Glu) and glutamine (Gln) are generally not considered essential nutrients; however, L-Gln supplementation in both nursing and weaned piglets has been shown to improve growth and intestinal health (He et al., 2016), as Gln and Glu positively modulate the intestinal barrier and the digestion and absorption processes (He et al., 2016; Lin et al., 2014).
Feeding strategies for weaned piglets
Found in Table 1 is a summary of different strategies involving variations in nutrients or ingredient levels in order to improve production performance and/or reduce diarrhea in piglets after weaning.
| Strategy | Mechanism | Examples | References |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reduce the protein level of the diet, incorporating highly digestible ingredients | Diets with high levels of CP:
↑ the concentration of toxic metabolites in the lumen:
|
1) ↓ the CP (17.3%) in the diet post-weaning (7 or 14 days):
|
Heo et al. (2008) Heo et al. (2009) |
| 2) ↓↓ CP (13.5%) and maintain growth from 10 to 20 kg as long as the AA requirements are satisfied (use of synthetic AA) | Gloaguen et al. (2014) | ||
| Reduce the level of calcium in the diet | The following may be due to the very high buffer capacity of CaCO3:
|
High levels of Ca:
|
NRC (2012) Rousseau et al. (2012) González-Vega et al. (2016) Blavi et al. (2018) |
| Performance can worsen further if the diet is deficient in P, as a result of a high Ca:P ratio. | Rousseau et al. (2012) | ||
| Fiber type (dietary fiber) Carbohydrate polymers of 3 or more units, which are not digested or absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract. | Insoluble fiber:
↓ E. coli count in the intestine, ↑ stomach weight, |
|
Molist et al. (2009, 2010) Kim et al. (2005) Mateos et al. (2007) |
|
Mateos et al. (2007) Gerritsen et al. (2012) |
||
Soluble fiber:
|
Inconsistent results:
|
||
|
Schiavon et al. (2004) | ||
|
Wang et al. (2016) | ||
|
Gill et al. (2000) | ||
| Use of highly palatable ingredients | Pigs have an innate preference for sweet or umami flavors, and reject bitter, sour, or new flavors/aromas. Selecting highly palatable ingredients or additives to encourage feed consumption will help prevent digestive problems related to weaning. | Different ingredients were tested against a reference diet (60% white rice and 20% soybean meal). 1) Cereals
|
Solà-Oriol et al. (2009a, 2009b, 2011) |
Additionally, a variety of additives of different functions are commonly used in post-weaning diets: such as phytobiotics, organic acids, butyrate, medium chain fatty acids, pre- and probiotics, minerals at therapeutic levels, enzymes, etc. Each of these has scientific publications endorsing their function and usefulness.
In conclusion, sow feeding and piglet feeding are equally important. Care must be taken to ensure that piglets are familiarized with a solid diet prior to weaning and that pigs are supplemented with nutrients that are essential during this stage. After weaning, control the protein and calcium levels, as well as the quality of protein, type of fiber, and palatability of ingredients.
