Creep Feed Research Articles

PSLBII-4 The effect of standardized ileal digestible sulfur amino acid intake during late gestation on gilt whole-body nitrogen retention and subsequent litter performance

Abstract Gestating gilts [n = 27; body weight (BW) = 158 ± 5.5 kg] were used to determine the effect of standardized ileal digestible (SID) sulfur amino acid (SAA) intake during late gestation on whole-body nitrogen (N) retention and subsequent litter performance. Gilts were assigned to one of two experimental diets that provided SAA at 60 or 200 % of estimated requirements during late gestation (0.29 and 0.92 % SID SAA, respectively; n = 15 and 12, respectively; Table 1 and 2). Each gilt received 2.53 kg of the assigned diet between gestation d 90 and farrowing; standard lactation and nursery diets were provided to gilts after farrowing and offspring after weaning, respectively. Gilt whole-body N balance was determined between d 107 and 109 of gestation using total urine collection and fecal grab-sampling. After farrowing, litters were standardized to 13 piglets and were not offered creep feed. Whole-body N retention was greater in gilts fed the diet containing 0.92 vs. 0.29 % SID SAA in late gestation (27.2 vs. 19.3 ± 1.8 g/d; P < 0.05; Table 3), but the number of piglets born alive, litter birth weight, subsequent piglet growth rates, and litter size at weaning were not different between treatment groups. The post-weaning growth performance of offspring was also not influenced by maternal dietary treatment in late gestation (Table 4). At farrowing, the post-absorptive plasma concentration of Cys tended to be less (P = 0.072) and taurine was greater (P < 0.01) for gilts fed 0.92 vs. 0.29 % SID SAA in late gestation; however, there were no differences in plasma SAA metabolites concentrations for gilts at weaning or offspring at birth (Table 5. At weaning, offspring from gilts fed 0.92 % SID SAA had greater plasma homocysteine (P < 0.05) and plasma Cys concentrations (tendency; P = 0.072) vs. offspring from gilts fed 0.29 % SID SAA in late gestation. Three weeks after weaning, plasma taurine concentration was less (P < 0.05) for offspring from gilts fed 0.92 vs. 0.29 % SID SAA in late gestation (Table 6). Six weeks after weaning, plasma glutathione concentration tended to be less (P = 0.057) for offspring from gilts fed 0.92 vs 0.29 % SID SAA in late gestation. When SAA were fed below estimated requirements during late gestation, whole-body N retention was reduced, but fetal growth appeared to be maintained, likely at the expense of maternal N retention. Such divergences in dietary SAA supply in late gestation had no effect on subsequent offspring growth performance, but it appeared that offspring SAA metabolism was impacted until at least 6 wk after weaning. The influence of differences in sulfur AA metabolites on offspring performance beyond the nursery phase remains unknown. Therefore, carry-over effects of maternal SAA supply in late gestation should be considered when developing feeding recommendations for gestating gilts.

Performance, Feeding Behavior, and Nutrient Utilization of Different Goat Breeds Fed Creep Feed

Introduction: Feed is one of the main factors to improve animal production. The utilization of feed is depended on quality, quantity, type, breed, and rate of passage of feed. This study aimed to evaluate the performance, feeding behavior, and nutrient utilization of growing Etawah crossbred and Senduro goats fed different forms of starter concentrate of creep feed. Materials and methods: Twelve local growing goats were used in this study, consist of six Etawah crossbred and six Senduro goats with average body weight 20 ± 1.57 kg from both sex, fed different forms of creep feed for three month. This study was designed by factorial randomized completely block design 2x2. The first factor was type of creep feed form (mash and pellet), and the second factor was the type of goat breeds (Etawah crossbred and Senduro). The complete ration consisted of 70% creep feed containing black soldier fly (BSF) meal and BSF oil plus 30% elephant grass. The variables observed were feeding behavior nutrient consumption, digestibility, blood metabolites, and performance. Results: The results showed that there was no interaction between the creep feed forms and the goat breeds in all variables. The form of creep feed had a significant effect on prehension and mastication and the pellet form had higher prehension and mastication compare to mash from but it had no significant effect on nutrient consumption and digestibility. Performance and blood metabolites were same in all treatments, except for the feed efficiency of Senduro goats had higher than Etawah crossbred goats. Conclusion: In conclusion, giving creep feed containing BSF larvae meal and oil in starter concentrate as pellet forms resulted a lower prehension and higher mastication, but has higher prehension and lower mastication for mash type. The performance and blood metabolites were are not different in all treatment groups.

Laser-assisted Belt Grinding with Creep Feed for Enhanced Surface Integrity and Abrasive wear Reduction

Creep feed belt grinding (CFBG) is a vital machining technique used for intricate curved parts like aero-engine blades and flaps. CFBG effectively removes material by using larger depths of cut and lower feed rates, but high loads can lead to severe belt wear and thermal damage defects in the process. Laser-assisted processing technology can mitigate tool wear and enhance machining quality. This research compared and analyzed belt wear behavior and its impact on the surface integrity of titanium alloys in laser-assisted creep feed belt grinding (LCFBG) and CFBG processes. The following conclusions were drawn: The local thermal effect of the laser softened the material, reduced the grinding force. The wear pattern of the abrasive grains changed from abrasive fracture and stripping to steady abrasive wear. The effective life of the belt increased by about 33 %. In addition, due to reduction in grinding force, the thermo-mechanical coupling effect caused by material removal is reduced, and the grinding temperature is lowered. As a result of the reduction in grinding force and temperature, the mechanical and thermal stresses are reduced, the oxidation reaction on the surface of the titanium alloy is weakened, and the residual stress is lowered, leading to an improvement in surface quality.

Wear behavior of white alumina and seeded gel abrasive wheels in ultrasonic vibration-assisted grinding of nickel-based single-crystal alloy

This study investigated the tool wear behavior of white alumina (WA) and seeded gel (SG) abrasive wheels in the ultrasonic vibration-assisted creep feed grinding (UVACFG) of nickel-based single-crystal alloy. The abrasive wheel wear characteristics were examined, and their effects on the grinding force, temperature, and surface quality were evaluated. Finally, the wheel wear mechanism in the UVACFG was discussed by analyzing the intermittent cutting behavior and wear patterns of a single grain. Experimental results indicated that the workpiece material adhesion and pore-clogging were the main wear patterns of abrasive wheels without ultrasonic vibration. In contrast, these were adequately mitigated after introducing ultrasonic vibration, and the main wear pattern for both wheels became the grain fracture. The WA wheel in the UVACFG experienced reduced radial wear by around 60.7 % in the initial wear state, 40.2 % in the stable wear state, and 25.3 % in the rapid wear stage, respectively, compared to the conventional grinding (CG). The intermittent cutting behavior of SG grains caused by high-frequency vibration promoted the micro-fracture capacity and ensured the coolant entered the grinding zone sufficiently, which reduced the grinding force and temperature by up to 63.2 % and 46.7 %, respectively, and meanwhile introduced the defects of high bulges and slight plastic deformation on the workpiece surface.

Prebiotic galactooligosaccharide improves piglet growth performance and intestinal health associated with alterations of the hindgut microbiota during the peri-weaning period

BackgroundWeaning stress reduces growth performance and health of young pigs due in part to an abrupt change in diets from highly digestible milk to fibrous plant-based feedstuffs. This study investigated whether dietary galactooligosaccharide (GOS), supplemented both pre- and post-weaning, could improve growth performance and intestinal health via alterations in the hindgut microbial community.MethodsUsing a 3 × 2 factorial design, during farrowing 288 piglets from 24 litters received either no creep feed (FC), creep without GOS (FG–) or creep with 5% GOS (FG+) followed by a phase 1 nursery diet without (NG–) or with 3.8% GOS (NG+). Pigs were sampled pre- (D22) and post-weaning (D31) to assess intestinal measures.ResultsCreep fed pigs grew 19% faster than controls (P < 0.01) prior to weaning, and by the end of the nursery phase (D58), pigs fed GOS pre-farrowing (FG+) were 1.85 kg heavier than controls (P < 0.05). Furthermore, pigs fed GOS in phase 1 of the nursery grew 34% faster (P < 0.04), with greater feed intake and efficiency. Cecal microbial communities clustered distinctly in pre- vs. post-weaned pigs, based on principal coordinate analysis (P < 0.01). No effects of GOS were detected pre-weaning, but gruel creep feeding increased Chao1 α-diversity and altered several genera in the cecal microbiota (P < 0.05). Post-weaning, GOS supplementation increased some genera such as Fusicatenibacter and Collinsella, whereas others decreased such as Campylobacter and Frisingicoccus (P < 0.05). Changes were accompanied by higher molar proportions of butyrate in the cecum of GOS-fed pigs (P < 0.05).ConclusionsGruel creep feeding effectively improves suckling pig growth regardless of GOS treatment. When supplemented post-weaning, prebiotic GOS improves piglet growth performance associated with changes in hindgut microbial composition.

265 Effect of L-glutamine and enzyme supplementation of liquid creep feed from d 8 to 28 of age on pre-weaning growth and health of pigs

Abstract The provision of liquid creep feed has been shown to increase dry matter intake (DMI) compared with dry creep feeding. The greater DMI associated with liquid feeding means that it could be used as an effective route for feed additive supplementation of suckling pigs to optimize growth and health at weaning. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of L-glutamine or enzyme supplementation of liquid creep feed on growth and medication usage in suckling pigs. Sows (n = 60) were blocked on parity, previous number of piglets weaned and body weight (BW) at d 107 of gestation, and randomly assigned to one of 3 dietary treatments from d 8 of age to weaning at d 28: 1) liquid starter (control); 2) control supplemented with 10 kg of L-glutamine per tonne of starter diet (glutamine); and 3) control supplemented with a cocktail of enzymes (lipase, protease and α-amylase included at 200 g, 50 g and 112.5 g, respectively per tonne of starter diet; enzymes). Individual piglets were weighed on d 8, 14, 21 and 27 of age. Litter dry matter intake, the volume of antibiotics and anti-inflammatories administered per pig and per sow were recorded for the pre-weaning period. Data were analyzed using the mixed models procedure in SAS (version 9.4; SAS Institute Inc.) with treatment as a fixed effect, and day post-partum as the repeated measure. Block was included as a random effect and the number of pigs/litter at d 8 and the average pig BW at d 8 were included as co-variates when significant in the model. Means separation was by Tukey’s adjustment for multiple comparisons. The piglet nested within sow was the experimental unit. The DMI of creep feed did not differ between treatments (P &amp;gt; 0.05). From d 14 to 21, glutamine decreased average daily gain (ADG) by 7% compared with the control (P &amp;lt; 0.05). However, ADG did not differ between treatment groups from d 8 to 14 or from d 21 to 27. Body weight was not affected by treatment at d 8 or 14 (P &amp;gt; 0.05). However, at d 21, glutamine tended to reduce BW by 2% compared with the control (P = 0.09) and at d 27, it tended to reduce BW by 2% compared with the control and enzymes (P = 0.08). The volume of antibiotics or anti-inflammatories administered to piglets or sows was not affected by treatment. However, glutamine tended to increase diarrhea incidence by 12% between d 8 and 27 compared with the control (P = 0.09). In conclusion, supplementing liquid creep feed with 10 kg of glutamine/tonne of feed reduced pre-weaning growth and tended to increase diarrhea incidence in piglets. In addition, supplementing liquid creep feed with enzymes had no effect on pre-weaning growth and medication usage in piglets.

PSV-17 Glycerol monolaurate improves litter performance and modifies milk composition when fed to lactating sows

Abstract Glycerol monolaurate (GML) has proven antibacterial, antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties, and additionally has been shown to increase milk immunoglobulins and improve gut health. However, limited information is available on how feeding GML to the sow prior and during lactation can influence the performance of the nursing pig. The objective of this study was to determine if feeding GML to sows would help maintain body condition, increase lauric acid in milk and improve litter performance. A total of 50 sows were randomly assigned to either a control feed or to a control feed with 1.5 kgs/mT of GML (LipoVital GL-90) 3 to 5 dbefore farrowing. Sow and litter performance was measured until weaning at 25 d. On d 1, piglets were cross-fostered within treatment and weighed. Creep feed was offered. Milk samples were taken from 5 randomly selected sows per treatment on d 3 and 25. Glycerol monolaurate had no effect on number of pigs born alive, born dead, stillborn, or number weaned (P &amp;gt; 0.20). No treatment differences (P &amp;gt; 0.20) were observed for sow feed intake, loss of backfat thickness or body weight losses during the study. Control piglets tended to consume more creep feed than GML piglets (P &amp;lt; 0.15). Starting body weight was less for GML piglets (P &amp;lt; 0.001). Despite the decreased starting body weight, weaning weight was not different between treatments (P &amp;gt; 0.20). Using starting body weight as a covariate, total body weight gain tended to be greater (P &amp;lt; 0.08) for GML piglets than the control piglets (5.01 kgs vs 4.89 kg, respectively). Glycerol monolaurate-fed pigs in the bottom quartile of starting body weights (&amp;lt; 1.3 kgs) numerically out gained their control counterparts (4.67 kgs vs 4.12 kgs). Milk from GML sows had 57% more lauric acid on d 3 (P &amp;lt; 0.05) and 124% more lauric acid at weaning compared with control sows (P &amp;lt; 0.05). In conclusion, GML maintained sow body condition, increased the content of lauric acid in milk and improved piglet body weight gain, especially in lighter body weight piglets. The results from this study demonstrate the application of GML in commercial sow herds will be beneficial to both sow and litter.

Numerical and experimental investigation on temperature field during small-module gear creep feed deep profile grinding

Numerical and experimental investigation on temperature field during small-module gear creep feed deep profile grinding

Effect of Maternal Flavour Conditioning Combined with Organic and Inorganic Iron-Supplemented Creep Feed on Piglet Performance and Haemoglobin Status.

Iron injections are vital but imperfect against iron deficiency anaemia (IDA). This experiment explored the effects on piglets of maternal flavour conditioning and the voluntary intake of anise flavoured, iron-supplemented creep feed compared with iron injections. The experiment was a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement: ±maternal exposure to dietary anise flavour and ±intramuscular injections of piglets. Twenty-three sows and their litters (242 piglets) were randomly allocated to one of four treatments (n = 5 or 6 per treatment): no flavour plus no injection (NF + NI); no flavour plus iron injection (NF + I); flavour plus no injection (F + NI); and flavour plus iron injection (F + I). All piglets could access anise flavoured, iron-supplemented creep feed (organic and inorganic forms) from D2 of birth. Sow feed intake and milk anethole concentration, piglet body weight (BW) and average daily gain (ADG), creep feed disappearance, piglet behavioural time budgets, and piglet blood glucose and haemoglobin concentrations were determined. Over the four-week study, the only significant differences found were that iron-injected piglets had reduced blood glucose (p = 0.036) on D14 and that maternal flavour provision increased the frequency of piglet creep feed interaction (p = 0.023) and decreased the frequency of suckling events (p = 0.009). In summary, maternal flavour conditioning reduced piglet creep feed neophobia without influencing consumption. The supplementation of creep feed with iron and anise flavour to piglets under the conditions of this trial was effective in preventing IDA, regardless of exposure to maternal flavouring conditioning.

Getting clues from nature: the impact of grass hay on suckling piglets' gastrointestinal growth and colonic microbiota.

The effect of dietary fiber on pig production has been extensively evaluated. Inspired by observations of the diet of wild, young piglets, this study aimed to examine the possibility of feeding grass hay to suckling piglets besides concentrated creep feed. The sow-nursed piglets in this study were divided into two groups based on balanced sow parities. The control group (CON, n = 7 sows) only received a regular, concentrated creep feed, while the treatment piglets (GH, n = 8 sows) were also provided with chopped grass hay from 2 days of age until weaning (28 days). At weaning, one piglet with a median weight was selected from each litter for post-mortem evaluation. Subsequently, six pigs around median weight per sow were grouped into nursery pens and monitored for their feed intake and body weight gain until 9 weeks of age. Piglets in GH consumed, on average, 57 g of grass hay per piglet during the entire lactation period. The emptied weight of the small and large intestine was significantly greater in GH (280 vs. 228 g, 88.8 vs. 79.3 g, respectively, p < 0.05), and the length of the large intestine was stimulated by the grass hay (164 vs. 150 cm, p < 0.05). Morphologically, the villus height in the jejunum was higher in GH (p < 0.05). In the large intestine, the crypt depth of the mid-colon was lower in GH. Moreover, the short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) concentrations in the cecum were increased in GH compared to CON (1,179 vs. 948 µmol/g dry matter, p < 0.05), whereas in the colon, SCFA concentrations were lower in CON (341 vs. 278 µmol/g dry matter, p < 0.05). There was no major impact of grass hay inclusion on the colonic microbiota composition. Only a trend was observed for a lower inverse of the classical Simpson (InvSimpon) index and a higher abundance of Lactobacillus genera in GH. After weaning, no significant differences in feed intake and body weight gain were observed. Inconclusion, supplementing the grass hay to suckling piglets led to alterations in intestinal morphology, increased SCFA fermentation in proximal sections of large intestine, stimulation of gastrointestinal tract growth, and subtle modifications in colonic microbiota.

Acute and persistent effects of oral glutamine supplementation on growth, cellular proliferation, and tight junction protein transcript abundance in jejunal tissue of low and normal birthweight pre-weaning piglets.

Breeding for higher fertility has resulted in a higher number of low birthweight (LBW) piglets. It has been shown that LBW piglets grow slower than normal birthweight (NBW) littermates. Differences in growth performance have been associated with impaired small intestinal development. In suckling and weaning piglets, glutamine (Gln) supplementation has been associated with improved growth and intestinal development. This study was designed to examine the effects of oral Gln supplementation on growth and small intestinal parameters in LBW and NBW suckling piglets. At birth (day 0), a total of 72 LBW (1.10 ± 0.06 kg) and 72 NBW (1.51 ± 0.06) male piglets were selected. At day 1, litters were standardized to 12 piglets, and experimental piglets supplemented daily with either Gln (1 g/kg BW) or isonitrogenous amounts of Alanine (Ala) as control (1.22 g/kg BW) until day 12. Creep feed was offered from day 14 onward. Subgroups of piglets were euthanized at days 5, 12, and 26 for the analyses of jejunal morphometry, cellular proliferation, glutathione concentration and transcript abundance of tight junction proteins. From age day 11 to 21, Gln supplemented LBW (LBW-Gln) piglets were heavier than Ala supplemented LBW (LBW-Ala) littermates (P = 0.034), while NBW piglets were heavier until age day 26 compared to LBW littermates. Villus height was higher in LBW-Gln compared to LBW-Ala on age day 12 (P = 0.031). Sporadic differences among supplementation and birthweight groups were detected for jejunal cellular proliferation, cellular population and glutathione concentration, whereas age was the most dominant factor. These results show that Gln supplementation improved the growth of LBW piglets compared to LBW-Ala beyond the termination of Gln supplementation, but this was not associated with consistent effects on selected parameters of jejunal development.

Effect of creep feeding pelleted starter diet, liquid milk replacer and a liquid mixture of starter diet and milk replacer to suckling pigs on their growth and medication usage.

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of creep-feeding solid starter diet, liquid milk replacer, and a liquid mixture of starter diet and milk replacer to suckling pigs on their growth and medication usage up to target slaughter weight (approximately 120kg). Ninety-one sows and their litters were randomly assigned to one of four post-farrowing treatments at day 107 of gestation; (1) no creep feed provided to weaning at day 28 of age (CONTROL; n = 20), (2) dry pelleted starter diet provided as creep feed from day 10 of age to weaning (DPS; n = 25), (3) liquid milk replacer provided as creep feed from day 3 of age to weaning (LMR; n = 23), and (4) liquid milk replacer provided from days 3 to 6 of age followed by a mixture of liquid milk replacer with an increasing proportion of liquid starter diet to weaning provided as creep feed (LMR + S; n = 23). Pig weight and dry matter disappearance (DMd) were recorded during lactation and postweaning until pigs reached target slaughter weight (approximately 120kg). At target slaughter weight, carcass weight and quality were recorded. Medication (antibiotic and anti-inflammatory) usage per pig on a litter basis, and number of injections and clinical cases of disease per litter were recorded from birth to slaughter. At day 5 postweaning, a subset of pigs (n = 40) were sacrificed and intestinal samples were collected for histological analysis. Piglets supplemented with DPS had higher DMd of creep feed than those supplemented with LMR or LMR + S (P < 0.001). Providing LMR + S to suckling piglets reduced the coefficient of variation (CV) for within-litter piglet weaning weight (P < 0.01) compared to DPS and LMR, buttheCV of LMR + S was similar to that of CONTROL. Providing DPS or LMR to suckling piglets increased piglet weaning weight compared to CONTROL (P < 0.001) but pig weight was not significantly different from CONTROL at time points thereafter. Gain to feed ratio from weaning to day 6 postweaning was less for LMR pigs compared to all other treatments (P < 0.001). Providing DPS or LMR + S to suckling piglets tended to increase postweaning ileal villus height (P = 0.07). Diarrhea incidence, as well as the number of clinical cases of disease and injections per litter and volume of antibiotic and anti-inflammatory administered per pig pre- and postweaning, were not affected by treatment (P > 0.05). In conclusion, supplementing suckling pigs with liquid milk replacer or dry pelleted starter diet improved growth at weaning, but the benefit did not persist to slaughter.

Effect of Creep Feed Formulated with Palm Kernel Cake and Tropical Forages on Growth Performance of Boer Crossbred Kids

Effect of Creep Feed Formulated with Palm Kernel Cake and Tropical Forages on Growth Performance of Boer Crossbred Kids

257 Effects of Prebiotic Galactooligosaccharide (GOS) on Hindgut Microbial Composition of Pigs During the Peri-Weaning Period

Abstract Galactooligosaccharide (GOS) is a prebiotic containing beta-linked galactose oligomers of 2 to 8 units. Previously, GOS positively impacted post-weaning growth performance and altered jejunal morphology. In this study, GOS-enriched whey permeate (Milk Specialties Global, Eden Prairie MN) was supplemented to piglets in farrowing and nursery phases. To maximize pre-weaning GOS intake, novel gruel creep feeders were used. Piglets from 24 litters received either no creep feed (NC), creep without GOS (CG-) or creep with 5.0% GOS (CG+) followed by a phase 1 nursery diet without (NG-) or with 3.8% GOS (NG+). At d 22 (pre-weaning) and d 31 (post-weaning), 6 pigs per treatment were euthanized for sample collection. DNA was extracted from cecal and rectal swabs for downstream 16S rRNA sequencing via Illumina MiSeq (Zymo Research Corp, Irvine CA). An amplicon sequence variant (ASV) table was created using the DADA2 pipeline in R and taxonomy assignment was performed using the SILVA database. Average sequencing depth after filtering was 138,323 and low sequencing counts were discarded based on 20% prevalence. Data were analyzed using the lmer and adonis procedures in RStudio ver. 4.2.2. Analysis of 16S rRNA genes did not detect pre- or post-weaning GOS effects on Chao1, Simpson, or Shannon alpha diversity measures (P &amp;gt; 0.1). Similarly, no pre-weaning GOS effects were detected in Principal Coordinates Analysis (PCoA) beta diversity plots (P &amp;gt; 0.1); however, pigs fed GOS post-weaning segregated from controls (P &amp;lt; 0.01). The relative abundance of several genera including Fusicatenbacter and Collinsella increased by 2.0 and 1.3-fold, respectively, in the cecum of NG+ pigs, whereas, Bacteroides decreased by 3.8-fold (FDR, P &amp;lt; 0.05). In the rectum, relative abundance of Corprococcus decreased by 2.0-fold and Fusicatenbacter increased by 1.5-fold in NG+ pigs compared with NG- pigs (FDR, P &amp;lt; 0.05). Collectively, these genera in the cecum and rectum comprise of less than 3% of the total community. In contrast, lactobacillus in the cecum (33%) and rectum (21%) had a large relative abundance but was unaffected by treatment. We conclude that supplementation of GOS in the post-weaning phase 1 nursery diet alters the hindgut microbial community and may contribute to improvements in growth performance.

The prebiotic potential of RS-3 preparations for pre- and post-weaning piglets

Piglets undergo stress during the weaning period, resulting in an imbalance in gut microbial composition and activity, and potentially post-weaning diarrhoea. Supporting maturation of gut microbiota is a strategy preparing piglets for weaning, and could be achieved by providing dietary fibres such as resistant starch (RS) in the creep feed. We investigated the prebiotic potential of four well-characterised retrograded starches (RS-3 preparations) for pre- and post-weaning piglets. These RS-3 preparations were in vitro fermented using pooled faecal inoculum of 3-week-old (pre-weaning) and 7-week-old (post-weaning) piglets. RS-3 preparations containing a high amount of digestible starch (≥ 75 %) were fully fermented by both faecal inocula within 48 h. Such substrates generated mostly butyrate when fermented by pre-weaning piglet faecal inoculum, whereas mostly propionate was found during fermentation by post-weaning inoculum. Bacterial genera Prevotella and Megasphaera increased in relative abundance after fermentation by both inocula, whereas Streptococcus and Selenomonas increased in relative abundance only when fermented by pre-weaning or post-weaning piglet faecal inocula, respectively. Highly resistant or so-called intrinsic RS-3 (≥ 80 % RS) was hardly degraded by pre-weaning inoculum, whereas it was slowly fermented by post-weaning piglet faecal microbiota, leading to an increase in relative abundance of specific Prevotella and Roseburia phylotypes (amplicon sequence variants). This study shows that partially resistant RS-3 preparations might be beneficial dietary fibres for pre-weaning piglets by promoting short-chain fatty acids production, while intrinsic RS-3 was hardly fermentable. Intrinsic RS-3 substrates might have prebiotic potential for post-weaning piglets by stimulating potential health-beneficial Prevotella and Roseburia.

17. The impact of pellet size and moisture level of creep feed on post-weaning performance of pigs

17. The impact of pellet size and moisture level of creep feed on post-weaning performance of pigs

293 The Effect of Creep Feed and Nursery Diet Flavoring on Piglet Lactation and Nursery Performance

Abstract Larger litter sizes in swine production systems and potential milk limitations for piglets have given new opportunities to incorporating creep feeding as a management strategy. Sows (n = 51) and their litters were used to test the effects of creep feed and nursery diets on piglet lactation and nursery growth performance. Ten days before weaning, litters were assigned to one of three creep feeding treatments: 1) Control diet: 2) Control+Flavoring (50 ppm Allium XL, Pancosma): 3) No creep feed. Creep feed was delivered twice/day via one bowl creep feeder/litter. Sows and litters (17/treatment) were allotted to equalize parity (average = 2.8), genetics, number of piglets (average = 10.9), and weaning age (average = 19.1). Litter weights and creep feed intake were recorded on d 0, 4, and 10 (weaning). Post-weaning pigs were allotted to Control or Flavoring (50 ppm Allium XL) diets in a 3x2 factorial arrangement. During nursery there were 10 pens/treatment with 7 or 8 pigs/pen, blocked by initial BW within creep treatment. Nursery treatments were fed in phase 1 (1.13 kg/pig) and 2 (2.27 kg/pig) diets followed by common phase 3 (6.8 kg/pig) and 4 (ad lib to d 35) diets. Weekly pig BW and feed intake were used to calculate nursery pen ADG, ADFI, and G:F. Data were analyzed using GLM procedure of SAS 9.4. Creep feeding treatment during lactation did not affect litter or piglet BW gain pre-weaning. Flavoring did not affect total creep feed intake (control = 114 g/pig vs. flavoring = 110 g/pig). Providing creep feed during lactation increased ADFI on days 2, 3, and 4 post-weaning (P &amp;lt; 0.013). Pigs fed either creep feed increased week 1 nursery ADFI (8.8%; P&amp;lt; 0.02), numerically increased ADG (5.2%), and greater d ay7 BW (P = 0.055). Week 3 ADG (P &amp;lt; 0.05) and ADFI (P &amp;lt; 0.05) were greater for the no creep pigs than pigs fed the control creep feed, flavored creep feed pigs were intermediate. For week 4, ADG, and week 4 and 5 ADFI, pigs previously fed control creep had greater growth performance than pigs previously fed flavored creep with pigs fed no creep being intermediate (P&amp;lt; 0.05). Overall (days 0-35), pigs fed control creep had greater ADG ( P&amp;lt; 0.05) and ADFI (P &amp;lt; 0.05) than flavored creep fed pigs with no creep pigs being intermediate in ADG and greater ADFI than flavored creep fed pigs. Final BW (P &amp;lt; 0.05) was greater for control creep fed pigs than flavored creep fed pigs with no creep pigs being intermediate (23.5 kg, 23.0 kg, 23.3 kg, respectively). Nursery dietary flavoring treatment did not affect post-weaning ADG, ADFI, or G:F at any point during the study (P &amp;gt; 0.12). Lactation creep feeding significantly increases ADFI and ADG during the first week post-weaning, which could improve post-weaning performance and reduce the rate of pigs failing to thrive post-weaning.

291 Effect of Early vs. Late Maturing Sire Lines and Creep Feeding on the Stress Response, Intestinal Permeability, and Growth Performance of Nursery and Finishing Pigs

Abstract A total of 21 litters (early or late maturing Duroc × DNA 241) resulting in 247 pigs were used in a 170-day trial to determine the effect of sire lines selected for either early or late maturing growth rates and creep feeding on the stress response, intestinal permeability, and growth performance of nursery and finishing pigs. Treatments were arranged in a 2 x 2 factorial with main effect of Duroc sire line (early or late maturing) and creep feeding (with or without starting 14 d before weaning). In the nursery, there were 4 or 5 pigs per pen and 12 or 13 replications per treatment. Thirty minutes after weaning (initially 6.4 kg BW), 7 gilts per treatment were used to determine cortisol concentrations in response to weaning. Blood cortisol concentrations were increased (P &amp;lt; 0.01; 104.0 v. 83.5 ng/mL) in late maturing pigs compared with early maturing pigs. After almost no feed consumption by either group on d 1, late maturing pigs had decreased daily feed intake (P &amp;lt; 0.001) than early maturing pigs from days 2 to 14 post-weaning. Likewise, a greater percentage (P &amp;lt; 0.001) of late maturing pigs had BW less than their weaning weights on d 3 post-weaning compared with early maturing pigs (Table). Thus, late maturing pigs had decreased (P &amp;lt; 0.001) ADG and ADFI during the first 3 days in the nursery. Creep feeding had no effect on initial performance. No differences were observed in intestinal permeability between treatments. For overall nursery performance, a significant interaction was observed for ADG (P = 0.007) and ADFI (P &amp;lt; 0.001), with creep feeding providing a benefit in late maturing pigs, but not in early maturing pigs. Early maturing pigs had poorer G:F (P &amp;lt; 0.001) than late maturing pigs. At the end of the nursery, 241 pigs were transported to the finisher and randomly placed in pens based on treatment. There were 7 or 8 pigs per pen and 7 or 8 replications per treatment. For overall finishing performance, an interaction was observed for ADG (P = 0.037), with late maturing pigs that received creep feed having increased ADG compared with the other treatments. An interaction was also observed for ADFI (P = 0.007), with late maturing pigs that did not receive creep feed having decreased ADFI compared with late maturing pigs that received creep feed or early maturing pigs whether they received creep feed or not. In summary, early maturing pigs had lower stress response at weaning and improved ADG and ADFI until approximately 100 kg, at which point late maturing pigs began to exhibit greater ADG. Late maturing pigs had improved feed efficiency throughout the experiment. Creep feeding late maturing pigs resulted in improved growth performance compared with providing no creep feed, whereas creep feed did not impact early maturing pigs.

37 Effects of Creep Feeding Duration on Rumen Fermentation Characteristics Using an Ex Vivo Model

Abstract The objective was to determine the effects of creep feeding duration on ruminal fermentation using an ex vivo model. Simmental × Angus, spring-born calves (n = 72) were stratified by age (83 ± 14 d) and body weight (BW) into 12 pens with 6 calves per pen. Pens were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 treatments: calves fed creep for 105 d (105dCF) or final 21 d (21dCF) before weaning. Cow-calf pairs were housed on concrete drylots with open-front buildings. Cows were limit-fed at maintenance a total mixed ration (TMR) that consisted of corn, grain coproducts, and corn stalks. Calves (n = 16) were utilized for ex vivo experiments. Experiment 1 was conducted on d 76, before the 21dCF calves having access to creep feed. Rumen fluid was collected from 8 calves per treatment via esophageal tubing and mixed with McDougall’s buffer (1:2 ratio). Each rumen fluid inoculum was combined with 2 substrates (cow TMR or creep feed) in a split-plot design and incubated for 24 h at 39°C. Data were analyzed using the MIXED procedure of SAS 9.4. In Exp. 1, there was no creep feeding duration by substrate interaction (P ≥ 0.16) for 24-h pH, butyrate, acetate, or IVDMD. Molar proportions of acetate and butyrate were greater (P ≤ 0.001) for the 105dCF calves than for the 21dCF calves. There was a treatment by substrate interaction (P = 0.02) for total VFA. The 105dCF calves had greater total VFA than 21dCF calves with a greater magnitude of difference observed with TMR substrate. Calves on 105dCF had greater (P &amp;lt; 0.01) IVDMD than 21dCF calves regardless of substrate (64% and 59%, respectively). Experiment 2 was conducted on day 105 after all calves were abruptly weaned and transported 263 km to the feedlot. Procedures were similar to Exp. 1, except substrates included creep feed and feedlot receiving diet. In Exp. 2, no treatment by substrate interaction (P ≥ 0.13) was observed for 24-h pH, acetate, propionate, total VFA, or IVDMD. Although acetate was greater (P &amp;lt; 0.01) for the 105dCF calves, propionate was greater (P &amp;lt; 0.01) for the 21dCF calves. There was no treatment effect (P = 0.57) for total VFA; however, it was greater (P &amp;lt; 0.01) for the creep feed substrate than for the receiving diet substrate. In Exp. 2, IVDMD tended to be greater (P = 0.06) for 21dCF calves than 105dCF calves. In conclusion, results indicated creep feeding improved ruminal fermentation ex vivo, but even a short-term creep feeding duration of 21 d appears to be adequate in preparing rumen microbial community to degrade the receiving diet as there were fewer differences in rumen fermentation characteristics at feedlot arrival.

PSI-20 Effects of Prebiotic Galactooligosaccharide (Gos) on Piglet Growth and Jejunal Morphology During the Peri-Weaning Period

Abstract Galactooligosaccharide (GOS) is a specific prebiotic that is enzymatically synthesized from lactose to form beta-linked oligosaccharides containing 2-8 galactose units. In this study, GOS-enriched whey permeate (Milk Specialties Global, Eden Prairie MN) was supplemented to piglets in lactation and nursery phases. To maximize pre-weaning GOS intake, novel gruel creep feeders were utilized. Using a 3x2 factorial design, piglets from 24 litters received either no creep feed (NC), creep without GOS (CG-) or creep with 5% GOS (CG+) followed by a phase 1 nursery diet without (NG-) or with 3.8% GOS (NG+). After 1 week, pigs were fed common phase 2 and phase 3 diets. At d 22 (pre-weaning) and d 31 (post-weaning), 6 pigs per treatment were euthanized for intestinal measurements. Pre-weaning, creep fed pigs grew 19% faster than controls (P &amp;lt; 0.01) but GOS effects were not detected (P &amp;gt; 0.1). In contrast, pigs fed GOS in phase 1 grew 34 % faster than controls (P &amp;lt; 0.04), irrespective of creep treatment (interaction P &amp;gt; 0.1), and with corresponding greater intakes (P &amp;lt; 0.06). These GOS effects were sustained for overall nursery performance. Furthermore, overall ADG of CG+ piglets in the nursery tended to be greatest (P = 0.09), gaining 361g/d, followed by NC (324 g/d) and CG- (310 g/d) treatments (Table 1). No effects on jejunal morphology were detected at d 22, although there was an effect of age with decreased villi length, villus area, villi:crypt ratio and increased crypt depth at d 31 (P &amp;lt; 0.01). Supplementation of GOS in phase 1 increased villus length (36%) and area (51%) but only in pigs previously fed the control creep (CG-) diet (interaction, P &amp;lt; 0.01). Treatment effects on cecal pH and VFA concentrations were not detected, although there was an effect of age with a decrease in pH (P &amp;lt; 0.01) and increase in propionate and butyrate concentrations post-weaning (P &amp;lt; 0.01). We conclude that gruel creep feeding increases weight gain regardless of GOS treatment and that nursery growth and intestinal morphology are improved by post-weaning GOS supplementation. Funded in part by Milk Specialties Global, USDA-NIFA 2022-67015-37125 and Hatch 1016618.