The effect of different weaning strategies on piglet growth, feed intake and gut health

• Published in: Tropical animal health and production 2024-11, Vol.56 (8), p.279, Article 279
• Main Authors: Leal, Diego Feitosa, de Paula, Ygor Henrique, de Sousa Faria, Caroline Beatriz, e Costa, Gabriel Augusto Martins, Tavares, Izabel Cristina, de Souza Cantarelli, Vinícius
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Age; Animal Feed - analysis; Animal husbandry; Animal Husbandry - methods; Animals; Animals, Newborn - growth & development; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Body mass index; Diarrhea; Eating; Fallowing; Feeds; Female; Hogs; Intestine; Lactation; Life Sciences; Male; Nurseries; Performance evaluation; Regular Articles; Strategy; Sus scrofa - growth & development; Sus scrofa - physiology; Swine; Swine - growth & development; Veterinary Medicine/Veterinary Science; Weaning; Zoology
• ISSN: 0049-4747; 1573-7438; 1573-7438
• DOI: 10.1007/s11250-024-04118-4

The present study evaluated the effects of weaning strategy on piglet growth performance, onset of feed intake, and intestinal health. A total of 254 crossbred piglets were used and the experimental period lasted 45 days. The piglets were assigned to the fallowing treatments: early strategic weaning (ESW, n  = 85), piglets weaned at 16 days of age and transferred to the pre-nursery unit; strategic segregated weaning (SSW, n  = 85), piglets weaned at 21 days of age and kept in the farrowing crate until 24 days of age; and conventional weaning (CW, n  = 84), piglet weaned at 24 days of age and transferred directly to the nursery unity; this experimental group was used as a control. Piglets from all treatments were transferred to the nursery unit at 24 days of age. For the nursery phase three periods of evaluation was considered: nursery phase I (0–7 d), nursery phase II (7–14 d), and nursery phase III (14–21 days). Piglets from the ESW and CW had greater ( P