Abstract
The primary goal of nursery pig management is making a smooth weaning transition to minimize weaning associated depressed growth and diseases. Weaning causes morphological and functional changes of the small intestine of pigs, where most of the nutrients are being digested and absorbed. While various stressors induce post-weaning growth depression, the abrupt change from milk to solid feed is one of the most apparent challenges to pigs. Feeding functional feed additives may be viable solutions to promote the growth of nursery pigs by enhancing nutrient digestion, intestinal morphology, immune status, and by restoring intestinal balance. The aim of this review was to provide available scientific information on the roles of functional feed additives in enhancing intestinal health and growth during nursery phase. Among many potential functional feed additives, the palatability of the ingredient and the optimum supplemental level are varied, and these should be considered when applying into nursery pig diets. Considering different stressors pigs deal with in the post-weaning period, research on nutritional intervention using a single feed additive or a combination of different additives that can enhance feed intake, increase weight gain, and reduce mortality and morbidity are needed to provide viable solutions for pig producers. Further research in relation to the feed palatability, supplemental level, as well as interactions between different ingredients are needed.
Highlights
Weaning is considered as one of the most critical periods in pig management
At typical commercial farms, pigs deal with multiple stressors due to changes such as separation from the sow, relocation with new littermates, and sudden dietary change from sow milk to solid feeds [8]
This review focuses on feed additives as nutritional strategies to overcome weaning challenges
Summary
Weaning is considered as one of the most critical periods in pig management. It is associated with environmental, social, and dietary stress [1,2,3], and those various stressors result in low feed intake, body weight loss, and a high incidence of diarrhea, which can lead to mortality [4, 5]. At typical commercial farms, pigs deal with multiple stressors due to changes such as separation from the sow, relocation with new littermates, and sudden dietary change from sow milk to solid feeds [8]. As a consequence, weaning causes profound changes in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of pigs. Intestinal microbiota disruption and changes are possibly linked to diarrhea and pathogenic infections after weaning [13,14,15,16]
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