107 Yeast-Based Postbiotic Supplementation in Sow Diets to Enhance Offspring Growth and Health Through the Nursery Period

Abstract

Abstract Litter size and the resulting nutritional demand on the sow continue to increase while sow mortality and culling rate are also increasing. Non-nutritive feed additives may enhance sow health and thereby improve offspring growth and productivity after weaning. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of yeast-based postbiotic supplementation in gestation and lactation diets on offspring performance through the nursery period. Gestating sows (N = 53; Parity 0 to 5; BW = 242.7 ± 7.1 kg) in 2 breeding groups were blocked by parity and assigned to either a control (CON) diet or a diet supplemented with a yeast-based postbiotic (SUP) at 0.5% in gestation from d 80 to 113 of gestation and 0.2% in lactation (d 114 of gestation to weaning at 20 ± 2 d). Sow reproductive performance and offspring growth from birth to 65 d of age were monitored. At weaning, pigs were allotted to pens within maternal dietary treatment (10 pigs/pen; 31 to 32 pens/maternal treatment; 630 total pigs; BW = 6.18 ± 0.86 kg) and all piglets received common nursery diets in a 4-phase program. Pigs were weighed at week 1, 2, 4, and 6 after weaning. Sow body weight and or reproductive performance (Piglets born alive/litter, 14.4 vs 14.1; piglet birth weight, 1.45 vs 1.48 kg; piglets weaned/litter, 13.0 vs 12.9; lactation sow feed intake, 6.4 vs 6.8 kg/d) was similar in CON and SUP sows, respectively. In the first week after weaning, pigs from SUP sows had greater (P = 0.03) feed intake (0.14 vs 0.13 kg/day) and tended to have decreased (P = 0.06) proportion of pigs that lost body weight (5.6 vs 11.0%). The improved feed intake in the first week after weaning may explain the decreased fallback rate in pigs from SUP sows. Across both sow groups, by 65 d of age, body weight (21.53 vs 21.76 kg), average daily gain (0.36 vs 0.37 kg/day), average daily feed intake (0.54 vs 0.53 kg/day), gain efficiency (0.67 vs 0.69 kg), and mortality (1.26 vs 1.60%) was similar in piglets from CON and SUP sows, respectively. The postbiotic in sow diets positively impacted voluntary feed intake of pigs in the first week after weaning, during a period when feed intake is often low and erratic.