Effect of pre-farrowing hygiene routine (sub-standard vs. optimal) and creep feeding regime (dry pelleted starter diet vs. liquid mixture of milk replacer and starter diet) on post-weaning intestinal parameters and growth to slaughter in pigs.

ABSTRACT: The objective was to evaluate the effect of providing a dry pelleted starter diet (DPS) or a liquid mixture of milk replacer and starter diet (LMR + S) to suckling pigs housed in farrowing pens of sub-standard or optimal hygiene conditions on pig growth to slaughter, and post-weaning (PW) intestinal parameters. On day (d) 107 of gestation, 87 sows were randomly allocated to one of four treatments in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement. The factors were creep feeding (DPS or LMR + S) and pre-farrowing hygiene routine (SUB-STANDARD or OPTIMAL). Pigs were provided with DPS (manually) from d 11 to weaning (at d 28 ± 1.2 of age) or LMR + S using an automatic liquid feeding system from d 4 to weaning. The SUB-STANDARD hygiene routine (pens washed and dried for ~18 h, sows not washed or disinfected) an

SUBMITTER: Vasa SR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11781198 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature