Abstract
Abstract A total of 2,592 pigs (L337×1050, PIC, Hendersonville, TN; initially 5.58 kg BW) were used in a 28-d study to evaluate the route of antibiotic administration (in-feed vs in-water) on pig performance. Pigs were weaned at 21 d of age and placed in a commercial research facility with 27 pigs per pen. After a 7-d pre-trial period, pens of pigs were assigned to weight blocks in a randomized complete block design. There were 12 replications per treatment with pen as experimental unit for in-feed medication treatments and a pairs of pens as the experimental unit for water medication treatments. Treatments included a control (no medication), chlortetracycline (CTC) provided via feed or water to achieve 22 mg/kg BW, tiamulin in feed (5 to10 mg/kg BW) or water (23 mg/kg BW), or a combination of CTC and tiamulin in feed. Experimental treatments were provided for 14-d followed by a 14-d period without medication. Data were analyzed using R Studio (Version 3.5.2). From d 0 to 14, there was an antibiotic×route of administration interaction for ADG and G:F. For ADG, pigs fed diets containing CTC had increased (P< 0.05) ADG compared with those fed tiamulin in feed, with pigs provided CTC or tiamulin in the water intermediate. For G:F, pigs provided tiamulin in feed had decreased G:F compared to pigs fed CTC in feed or CTC or tiamulin supplied in water. Pigs fed CTC in the diet had increased ADFI compared to the control with pigs provided antibiotics in the water or tiamulin in feed intermediate (P< 0.05). Pigs provided the combination of CTC and tiamulin in feed were not different than those provided CTC in feed. There was no evidence of difference among treatments in subsequent performance. In summary, providing CTC in feed with or without tiamulin improved nursery pig growth performance.
Highlights
Antibiotics have been widely used in swine diets to fend off or slow down the growth of bacteria and the diseases they produce in the gastrointestinal tract of the pig
This experiment was conducted to determine the influence of the route of antibiotic administration on nursery pig growth performance
The interaction of antibiotic type × route of administration was tested in a 2 × 2 factorial with main effect of antibiotic type (CTC or tiamulin) and route of administration
Summary
Antibiotics have been widely used in swine diets to fend off or slow down the growth of bacteria and the diseases they produce in the gastrointestinal tract of the pig. Due to improvements in nutrition, housing, production, and general herd health and management, antibiotic effectiveness may not be as great as in the past.[5] The antibiotics that were used in this study were chlortetracycline (CTC) and tiamulin either added to the feed or provided via the drinking water. Chlortetracycline is used to control and for treatment of bacterial enteritis (scours) caused by Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp. Tiamulin is used for treatment of swine dysentery associated with Brachyspira hyodysenteriae. The objective of this study was to identify the effects of administering these antibiotics via feed or water on nursery pig growth performance
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