Developing and testing a new feed block for the gut health and welfare of the weaning pig

Figures & data

Table 1. Trial 1. Composition of the tested feed blocks.

Ingredients, %	Feed block
	F1	F2	F3	F4	F5	F6	F7	F8
Milk whey	44.00	44.00	48.00	45.00	23.00	15.00	18.00	20.00
Molasses, cane	15.00	15.00	17.00	17.00	25.00	15.00	20.00	20.00
Wheat middlings	5.50	5.50	3.00	4.00	–	60.00	55.00	–
Wheat bran	–	–	–	10.00	35.00	–	–	50.00
Coconut oil	–	–	–	–	–	9.00	6.00	9.00
Calcium carbonate	30.00	30.00	30.00	23.00	13.00	–	–	–
Sodium chloride	2.75	2.62	1.00	–	2.00	0.50	0.50	0.50
Monocalcium phosphate	2.75	2.63	1.00	1.00	2.00	0.50	0.50	0.50
Sodium glutamate	–	0.25	–	–	–	–	–	–
Chemical composition, % as fed^a
Dry matter	93.75	93.74	93.41	92.05	87.91	87.66	86.89	87.32
Ash	41.08	40.84	38.04	30.3	23.27	6.25	6.82	7.22
Crude protein	7.01	7.23	7.21	8.45	9.03	11.76	11.57	10.65
Crude fat	1.33	1.34	1.33	1.75	2.31	12.04	8.94	11.85
NDF	1.74	1.74	0.95	5.59	15.12	18.98	17.40	21.61
ADF	0.51	0.51	0.28	1.68	4.58	5.58	5.11	6.54
ADL	0.15	0.15	0.08	0.48	1.30	1.62	1.48	1.86

^a Calculated.

NDF: neutral detergent fibre; ADF: acid detergent fibre; ADL: acid detergent lignin.

Figure 1. Trial 1. Average daily consumption of the different feed block formulations used in the acceptance tests (least square means ± standard error). Main three ingredients of the formulations, in decreasing order: F1, milk whey, calcium carbonate, molasses; F2, as F1, but with sodium glutamate; F3 and F4, milk whey, calcium carbonate, molasses; F5, wheat bran, molasses, milk whey; F6, wheat middlings, molasses and milk whey and F7, wheat middlings, molasses, milk whey; F8, wheat bran, molasses and milk whey.

Table 2. Trial 2. Growth performance in field condition, in the first four post-weaning days.

	Control	F6^a	F7^a	F8^a	SEM	p^b
Pigs, n	128	149	147	142
Starting LW^c, kg	7.540a	7.200ab	7.000b	6.940b	0.145	.054
ADG^d, g	99b	126a	79b	98b	9.100	.003
Consumption, g/day
Feed blocks	–	58	56	57	3.000	.866^e
Feed compound	261a	230ab	218b	228ab	11.600	.323
Total	261	288	274	286	11.200	.261
Feed to gain	2.780	2.270	3.470	2.900	0.240	.455

^a Treatments obtained adding the blocks of the respective composition reported in Table 1.

^b Means with different letters in the same line differ for p < .05.

^c At weaning. LW = live weight.

^d 4 days later, ADG = average daily gain.

^e C group was not considered for statistical test for feed block consumption.

Table 3. Trial 3. Performance of the piglets in the experimental farm condition.

	Control	F6^a	F7^a	F8^a	SEM	p^b
Starting LW^c, kg	6.600	6.600	6.700	6.700	0.300	1.000
LW^c at 4 days, kg	7.000	6.900	7.100	7.000	0.300	.962
ADG^d, g	86.300	66.300	114.400	88.200	14.800	.171
Consumption, g/day
Feed compound	136	116	126	114	13.500	.650
Feed block	–	469	388	473	46.100	.457^e
Total	136B	585A	514A	587A	34.700	<.001

^a Treatments obtained adding the blocks of the respective composition reported in Table 1.

^b Means with different letters in the same line differ for p<.001.

^c At weaning, LW = live weight.

^d 4 days later, ADG = average daily gain.

^e C group was not considered for statistical test for feed block consumption.

Table 4. Trial 3. Behaviour analysis of piglets in the experimental farm condition.

Behaviour paremeter^a	Control	F6^b	F7^b	F8^b	SEM	p^c
Eating feed	2.5900	2.6100	2.5500	2.6600	0.1870	.9770
Drinking	0.7700	0.7800	0.9700	0.8900	0.1240	.5970
Biting the block	2.0500ab	1.8700ab	2.4500a	1.4900b	0.2380	.0160
Playing with the block	0.8900	0.7100	1.2100	0.8300	0.2250	.4200
Sleeping	4.0300b	4.3000a	3.9700b	4.1200ab	0.0580	<.0001
Fighting	2.0200	2.0320	2.0900	1.5700	0.2220	.3320
Not active	2.4300	2.3200	2.4900	2.3100	0.0915	.4420

^a Values expressed as natural log.

^b Treatments obtained adding the blocks of the respective composition reported in Table 1.

^c Means with different letters in the same line differ for p<.05.

Table 5. Trial 3. Histological morphometry of the jejunum mucosa of the piglets (5 d post-weaning).

	Control	F6^a	F7^a	F8^a	SEM	p^b
Jejunum, at 25% of the length
Villus height, μm	255	267	254	245	9	.427
Villus width , μm	96	95	94	95	3	.948
Crypth width, μm	35	34	35	36	0.8	.861
Crypth depth, μm	113	114	119	114	4	.364
M index^c	6.2b	6.7a	6.3ab	6.0b	0.1	.080
Jejunum, at 75% of the length
Villus height, μm	252	244	245	241	9	.884
Villus width , μm	86	86	88	81	3	.267
Crypth width, μm	36	35	36	34	0.9	.720
Crypth depth, μm	113	105	111	109	5	.321
M index^c	6.3	6.3	6.1	6.4	0.2	.682

^a Treatments obtained adding the blocks of the respective composition reported in Table 1.

^b Means with different letters in the same line differ significantly (p<.05).

^c Mucosal surface area, calculated from the presented measures with the method of Kisielinski et al. (2002).

Kisielinski K, Willis S, Prescher A, Klosterhalfen B, Schumpelick V. 2002. A simple new method to calculate small intestine absorptive surface in the rat. Clin Exp Med. 2:131–135.

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