Diets for young pigs

Abstract

AbstractIn the United Kingdom, the majority of pigs are weaned at 3 to 4 weeks of age. Prior to weaning the main source of nutrients is milk produced by the sow. After weaning, suitable complete diets need to be given that are compatible with the physiological state of the digestive system and supply adequate nutrient inputs to achieve maximal growth with minimum digestive upset. The weaning process, however, imposes considerable stress on the piglet which frequently results in a retardation of growth, often accompanied by problems associated with diarrhoea.The challenge to the commercial nutritionist and the pig producer is to achieve sufficiently high nutrient intakes to reach the maximum growth potential. Improved understanding of the digestive physiology of the weaned pig and better estimations of the nutrient requirements of genetically improved stock has led to the development of appropriate diet specifications. There is a perpetual need to reconsider the most suitable food ingredients to use in diet formulations to meet these nutrient specifications, due to economic circumstances. The food ingredients need to be highly digestible, extremely palatable and to contain no anti-nutritive factor or antagonist to the digestive process. The food form and method of feeding can greatly influence food intake post weaning. The piglet weaning weight to age relationship can also affect the subsequent food intake, growth rate and incidence of problems associated with diarrhoea.There are continual changes and developments within the animal food and pig production industries that affect nutrition of the young pig. These include genetic selection for prolificacy, development of outdoor pig breeding systems, ‘green issues’ including welfare and use of food additives, use of enzymes and probiotics and improvements in food production technology. In the development of diets for young pigs all these aspects need to be considered in achieving an optimal solution in terms of nutrition, management and economics.