EFFECT OF PROBIOTIC FARM PACK Y ON MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY AT SUCKLING PIGLETS

Abstract

After the EU had decided to ban antibiotics as feed additives, from 1 January 2006, onwards, many experiments were taken to establish other substances with beneficial effect on animals via modification of the gut microflora. Probiotics are one of the most used group of feed additives, so called “alternatives to antibiotics”, with prebiotics, organic acids and essential oils. Therefore, the aim of this investigation was to evaluate the effect of probiotic FARM PACK Y on the health status and performance of sows and their litters. The trial was taken at an industrial pig farm, on 30 sows and 329 suckling piglets from their litters. The animals were allocated into three groups, according to the different concentration of probiotic: C group was fed without the probiotic supplementation, O1 group with 0,1% probiotic and O2 with 0,2% probiotic in the balanced creep feed. This probiotic supplementation started at 100 th day of gestation in sows, and terminated at weaning, at 28 day post partum. Piglets of O1 and O2 group were fed with probiotic administered in prestarter, from 5 day of birth, till weaning. The results of this trial showed that morbidity and mortality decreased in probiotic groups of piglets.