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Supplementation of piglets with nutrient-dense complex milk replacer improves intestinal development and microbial
Journal of Animal Science
|April 12, 2016
Summary
Supplementing sow-fed piglets with nutrient-dense complex milk replacer (NDM) before weaning improves gut development and growth. NDM enhances intestinal proliferation and nutrient uptake, aiding piglets during the critical weaning transition.
Area of Science:
- Animal Science
- Swine Nutrition
- Gastrointestinal Physiology
Background:
- Weaning piglets induces stress, leading to postweaning diarrhea and compromised gut development due to dietary and environmental changes.
- Pre-weaning creep feeding experience positively influences post-weaning performance in piglets.
- Digestive system adaptation is crucial for piglets transitioning through weaning.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of supplemental nutrient-dense complex milk replacer (NDM) on gut development and growth performance in sow-fed piglets.
- To evaluate the effects of NDM on intestinal morphology, cell proliferation, and gene expression related to growth.
Main Methods:
- Piglets were divided into two groups: one receiving ad libitum access to NDM from day 2 to 21 post-birth, and a control group.
- Growth performance was monitored, and at day 21, piglets were euthanized for morphological and functional analyses of the intestinal tract.
- Analyses included intestinal weight, villi length, crypt depth, goblet cell counts, proliferating cell nuclear antigen expression, IGF-1 gene expression, and colonic fermentation products.
Main Results:
- NDM-fed piglets exhibited significantly higher body weights and increased small intestinal weights and relative weight:length ratios compared to controls.
- Morphometric analysis revealed deeper crypts and increased cell proliferation marker expression in NDM-fed piglets, indicating enhanced intestinal growth.
- NDM supplementation led to increased colonic fermentation products, suggesting altered metabolic activity, and a tendency towards higher IGF-1 gene expression.
Conclusions:
- Providing nutrient-dense complex milk replacer (NDM) to sow-fed piglets before weaning stimulates intestinal proliferation and promotes overall growth.
- NDM supplementation enhances gut development, evidenced by increased crypt depth and cell proliferation, potentially improving nutrient absorption capacity.
- This nutritional strategy may facilitate a smoother transition through weaning, leading to improved piglet performance and health.
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