Nutritional and management strategies that can improve pig healthJohn O’Doherty, PhD, DScSchool of Agriculture and Food Science, UCD
• The key to reducing the need for antibiotics is to improve pig health.
• The need for antibiotics is heavily influenced by non-infectious factors, such as the environment provided (feeding space, temperature, stocking rate), the overall management, nutrition, feeding practices, biosecurity and their direct links to animal health.
Overall Statement
Weaningu Loss of protective maternal milk antibodies
u Rise in cortisol due to social stress factors
u Change in diet from digestible milk proteins and CHO to solid feed with complex nutrients
u Villus atrophy, reducing nutrient absorption and allowing nutrients to pass down to the colon
u Allow proliferation of E.coli, Salmonella etc. that produce toxins
u Diarrhoea, decreased feed intake and growth
u Inflammation
Acute and adaptive phases of weaning
(Burrin and Stoll, 2003)
General Principle For Young Pigs
• In order to achieve good pig performance during the post weaning period.
• The primary factors are a healthy digestive tract with its associative microbial population and digestive enzyme secretions.
Pigs with taller villi in the small intestine grow faster
R = 0.7
Source: Pluske et al., 1997
Feed intake is key to the pathogenesis of post weaning diarrhoea.
Source: Yan et al. 2011
Factors affecting the appetite of weaned pigs
Appetite effect %Health Up to 30%Diet digestibility Up to 15%Weight and age at weaning Up to 15%Stocking density Up to 7-9%Temperature Up to 7-9%
Water intake Up to 7-9%
Other comments1. Use digestible ingredients (milk products, heat treated cereals, limited by-‐products)2. Be careful with quantity of soya bean meal in young pig diets3. Good quality wheat and barley4. Feed is free of mycotoxins 5. Timing of vaccinations
Protein and amino acid Nutrition
• The Protein Paradox• Requirements for amino acids are high to reach maximum growth
• Protein in excess of digestible capacity leads to fermentation and diarrhoea, this is reduced with lower protein diets
• Specific amino acid requirements to counteract gut health challenges vary from those for growth and may not be supplied with low protein diet balanced to a typical ideal protein ratio.
• Tryptophan – increase intake, required for the acute phase proteins (immune system)
• Threonine – required for mucus proteins and gut repair
Performance Results (D 12 – 40 PW) Average Daily Gain (kg/day)
0.3
0.35
0.4
0.45
0.5
0.55
0.6
16% crude protein 18.5% crude protein 21% crude protein
Treatment
kg/day
Pierce et al., 2006
*Formulated to have same level of lysine, methionine, threonine and tryptophanFormulated with 8% lactose
Effect of crude protein concentration on faecal Ecoli and lactobacilli populations
66.256.5
6.757
7.257.5
7.758
16%
CP
18.5
% C
P
21%
CP
6.87.057.37.557.88.058.38.558.8
125LF/160CP
125LF/185CP
125LF/210CP
Ecoli
Lactobacilli
Pierce et al., 2006
Effect of CP concentration and lactose on Ecolipopulations and growth performance (days 12 – 40 PW)
66.25
6.56.75
77.25
7.57.75
8
16%
CP
18.5
% C
P
21%
CP
16%
CP
18.5
% C
P
21%
CP
16% Lactose 8 % Lactose 16% Lactose 8 % Lactose
log
0.3
0.35
0.4
0.45
0.5
0.55
0.6
0.65
16% CP 18.5% CP 21% CP 16% CP 18.5% CP 21% CP
Treatment
kg/day
Pierce et al., 2006
Ecoli population Average daily gain
Additives
Danish research on feed additives(Piglets 7-30 kg BW)
No of studies % change in daily gain
Antibiotics 15 +11
Organic acids 40 +7.1
Aromatic compounds 19 +2.6
Enzymes 9 +2.1
Microbial cultures 14 +1.0
Oligosaccharides 2 +3.1
(De Lange et al., 2010)(Pluske et al., 2013)(Thacker et al., 2013)
Acute and adaptive phases of weaning
(Burrin and Stoll, 2003)
Effect of ZnO on growth performance
-100
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
0-7 d 8-14 d 15-21 d 22-32 d
ControlLAMZnO
g/day
Heim et al., 2013
Effect of Zinc sources in weaned pigs
Bouwhuis et al., 2016
Can sow nutrition influence lifetime performance and health of the pig
Most research to date has focused on feeding the young animal to enhance its own immune system.
Another less researched novel approach is to enhance the immune system of the young via maternal colostrum and milk.
55
59
63
67
71
75
No Yes
concentration (mg/ml)
Effect of sea weed extracts (containing laminarinand fucoidan) on colostral IgG concentrations at 2 hours post farrowing
16
18
20
22
24
No Yes
concentration (mg/ml)
Effect of seaweed extracts on piglet serum IgG conc. on day 5
Enterobacteria in sow faeces and piglet digesta
44.55
5.56
6.57
7.58
8.59
9.510
Basal SWE
Treatment
Log10 cfu/ml digesta
44.55
5.56
6.57
7.58
8.59
9.510
Basal SWE
Treatment
Log10 cfu/ml digesta
Sow faeces Colonic digesta at weaning : Ecoli
2.6 4.1 2.4 2.91
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
5
BC BE SC SE
Effect of maternal dietary and ETEC challenge (0-72 hr)
Faecal score b
a
bb
Sow x ETEC P= 0.03a,b P<0.05
(Heim et al., 2014)
Basalunchallenged
BasalETEC
SWEunchallenged
SWEETEC
Performance of pigs born to basal or seaweed extract (SWE)–supplemented sows
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Draper et al., 2016
Other Alternatives1. Multifactorial2. Better biosecurity (internal/external)3. Age and weaning (+1 week)4. Weight at weaning is paramount (pregnancy and lactation feeding)5. Environmental and climate improvements (avoid draughts) 6. Increased house temperatures (steady temperatures)7. Better air quality 8. More space9. Better water quality (bacterological status and minerals)10. Increased vaccination11. Research (Commericial facilities vs research facilities)12. Education (Nutritionists/Vetinarians/Farmers)
Scoring system1 = hard faeces, 2= slightly soft faeces3 = soft, partially formed faeces 4 = loose, semiliquid faeces5 = watery, mucous-‐like faeces
Relationship between faecal score and performance in first 28 days after weaning
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