260 Effects of iron administration timing on pre-weaning performance and hematological criteria in pigs

Abstract

Abstract Newborn pigs (n=1,892; 1.5 kg BW) were used in a 20-d study evaluating the effects of Fe injection timing after birth on preweaned pig performance and blood criteria. A total of 172 litters were used. One d after farrowing, piglets were weighed, and 11 pigs within each litter were allotted to 1 of 6 treatments in a CRD. Treatments consisted of pigs receiving no Fe injection or 200-mg of injectable Fe (GleptoForte, Ceva Animal Health, Lenexa, KS) provided on d 1, 3, 5, or 7 of age, or 200-mg on d 1 plus 200-mg on d 12. 1 pig/litter received no Fe injection and 2 pigs/litter were placed on all other treatments. Piglets were weighed on d 1 and 20 after birth to determine growth performance and bled on d 20 to determine Fe status. Increasing the age that piglets received the Fe injection tended to decrease (linear; P=0.080) ADG. Not providing an Fe injection decreased (P=0.0001) overall ADG and d 20 BW compared to all other treatments. Hemoglobin and Hct decreased (linear; P< 0.05) with increasing age when pigs received an Fe injection. There was no evidence of differences (P >0.10) between the pigs receiving a 200-mg injection on d 1 and d 12 compared to those receiving the Fe on d 1 only. Pigs not provided an Fe injection had decreased (P=0.0001) Hb and Hct values compared to pigs receiving an Fe injection. Pigs receiving the 200-mg injection on d 1 and 12 had increased (P=0.0001) Hb and Hct values compared to pigs receiving 200-mg on d 1 only. Results suggest that providing a 200-mg Fe injection within 7 d after farrowing is sufficient for optimizing preweaning growth performance. The additional 200-mg Fe injection at d 12 did not influence growth performance but does increase Hb and Hct at weaning.