Probiotic supplement on the growth performance of growing-finishing pigs

Bacillus spp. are aerobic and endospore-forming bacteria that have recently shown their potential as probiotic candidates as they might have beneficial effects on growth performance by improving nutrient utilization and intestinal microbiota balance. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to determine the effects of a Bacillus-based probiotic (mixture of spores of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens DSM 25840 and Bacillus subtilis DSM 32324) supplementation on growth performance and health of growing-finishing pigs. For that purpose, a total of 576 growing pigs with initial body weight (BW) of 23.2 + 2.95 kg were allotted to one of two treatments, a control diet or a probiotic supplemented diet. Pigs were blocked by litter origin, BW and sex and allotted to 24 mixed-sex pens (6 entire males and 6 females per pen) per treatment. The pigs were fed pelleted diets containing 0 (control diet) or 400 mg/kg (6 × 10⁸ CFU per kg feed; confirmed by analysis) of the Bacillus-based probiotic and were supplied ad libitum as dry feed. Pigs were followed till day 102 after the start of the study.

As a result, during the grower phase (1–35 days), probiotic supplementation tended to improve the feed conversion ratio (FCR). During the finisher phase (35–102 days), probiotic supplementation significantly improved FCR and tended to increase the average daily gain (ADG). In the overall period (1–102 days), probiotic supplementation significantly improved FCR. Probiotic supplementation did not affect the number of culled or pigs requiring veterinary treatment. However, the number of treatments due to ileitis tended to be lower in the probiotic group. Most pigs showed a normal fecal consistency in the grower phase and the mean fecal score during the grower phase was similar between treatments.

In conclusion, feeding growing-finishing pigs diets supplemented with 400 mg/kg of a Bacillus-based probiotic containing a mixture of viable spores of two specific strains of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens and Bacillus subtilis improved the feed conversion ratio of the pigs during the overall fattening period. Moreover, it tended to decrease the number of veterinary treatments due to ileitis.

van der Peet-Schwering CMC, Verheijen R, Jørgensen L, Raff L. Effects of a mixture of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens and Bacillus subtilis on the performance of growing-finishing pigs. Animal Feed Science and Technology. 2020; 261(114409). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2020.114409