Providing feed to the piglets in the farrowing room, or creep feeding, is practised to ensure a smooth transition onto solid feed at weaning. It is assumed that even a limited intake of the creep feed will familiarize the piglet with solid feed and mitigate a post-weaning growth lag by 1) increasing the body weight of piglets at weaning, 2) encouraging consumption of solid feed immediately post-weaning and 3) initiating the adaptation of the gastro-intestinal tract to solid feed.  It was found that by allowing piglets access to a Phase 1 diet in the farrowing room (creep feeding) for the final 7 days prior to weaning on day 28 did not provide a sustained growth benefit, regardless of weaning weight.

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