Effect of Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product on Nursery Pig Performance and Economic Return

A study was conducted in a commercial research facility by a Midwest feed company to determine the effects of Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product (LFP; SynGenX^®, Diamond V, Cedar Rapids, IA) on performance and economic return in weaned pigs. At weaning (20 d of age; 5.7 kg), 364 pigs were ranked based on BW and randomly allotted in a randomized complete block design to 1 of 4 dietary treatments fed in 3 phases (Table 1). Phase 1 diets contained 38 g/MT tiamulin, Phase 2 diets contained 440 g/MT chlortetracycline, and Phase 3 diets contained 55 g/MT mecadox. Phase 1 diets were typical nursery diets consisting of corn and soybean meal base, and included whey, fish meal, and plasma. Phase 2 and 3 diets were primarily corn and soybean meal. Feed and water were provided ad libitum throughout the study. Analysis of variance and orthogonal contrasts to determine linear, quadratic, or cubic responses to LFP inclusion were performed using Statistix. Pigs and feeders were weighed on d 0, 10, 20, and 34 to determine BW, ADG, ADFI, and G:F. During Phase 1 there was a significant quadratic response in ADG (76.6, 98.0, 98.0, and 87.1 g/d for Control, LFPLow, LFPMid, and LFPHigh, respectively; P < 0.05) and net return over feed cost (P < 0.05) with greater ADG and economic return observed in LFPLow and LFPMid compared to Control and LFPHigh. During Phase 3 there was a linear improvement in ADG (473.1, 481.7, 494.0, and 508.9 g/d for Control, LFPLow, LFPMid, and LFPHigh, respectively) and ADFI (P < 0.05) as the level of LFP inclusion increased. Additionally, there was a linear increase in ADFI (P < 0.05) and a tendency for a linear increase in ADG (303.9, 320.2, 323.4, and 326.1 g/d for Control, LFPLow, LFPMid, and LFPHigh, respectively; P < 0.08) in the overall 34 d study period as the level of LFP increased. On d 34 there was a numerical improvement in net return over feed cost ($8.15, 8.55, 8.68, and 8.60 for Control, LFPLow, LFPMid, and LFPHigh, respectively; P = 0.24). In conclusion, providing LFP improved ADG, ADFI, and net return compared to control-fed pigs.

Table 1. Dietary treatments
	Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product inclusion/MT
	P1 (d 0-10)	P2 (d 10-20)	P3 (d 20-34)
Control	0	0	0
LFPLow	0.5 kg	0.5 kg	0.25 kg
LFPMid	1.0 kg	1.0 kg	0.5 kg
LFPHigh	1.5 kg	1.5 kg	0.75 kg