Effects of a Liquid Supplement and a Nursery Starter Diet Given Immediately Post-Weaning on Growth Performance and Morbidity and Mortality of Nursery Pigs.

This study was carried out to compare the effects of supplemental nutrition programs provided immediately post weaning on growth performance and morbidity (live pigs removed from test for health reasons) and mortality. The programs were administered during the nursery period (5.2 ± 0.37 to 25.4 ± 2.66 kg BW) under commercial conditions. The study used a randomized complete block design (blocking factor = date started on test) with 3 treatments: 1) Control (4-phase standard commercial nursery dietary program); 2) Control plus a Liquid Supplement [a commercially available nutrient dense mixture of plasma proteins, electrolytes, and energy sources; via the water supply (1:128 liquid supplement:water ratio) for 7 d post weaning]; 3) Control plus additional Nursery Starter Diet (containing high levels of milk by-products and animal protein sources; fed at 0.11 kg/pig immediately post weaning followed by the 4-phase Control dietary program). A total of 7,524 barrows and gilts were housed in mixed-sex pens of 44 (57 replicates) at a floor space 0.31 m²/pig. Pigs had ad libitum access to feed and water throughout the study. Pen was the experimental unit and data were analyzed using PROC MIXED of SAS with the model accounting for the effects of nutrition program, block, and replicate. Average daily gain and ADFI were greater (P < 0.05) for the Liquid Supplement treatment compared to the other treatments, which were similar (P > 0.05) for these traits [ADG: 354, 363, and 354 g (SEM 6.4); ADFI: 531, 540 and 526 g (SEM 9.1) for the Control, Liquid Supplement, and Nursery Starter Diet treatments, respectively]. There was no effect (P > 0.05) of treatment on G:F or mortality levels. Morbidity levels were lower (P = 0.02) for the Liquid Supplement treatment than the Nursery Starter Diet treatment, with the Control being intermediate and similar (P > 0.05) to the other treatments (2.6, 2.0, and 3.2% for the Control, Liquid Supplement, and Nursery Starter Diet treatments, respectively). The results of this study suggest that providing a Liquid Supplement in the water for 7 d post weaning can increase growth rate and may decrease morbidity of nursery pigs.