EGF Helps Piglets Get Growing
Epidermal growth factor (EGF) supports the piglets' intestines development and is produced through the sows milk naturally. Weaning pigs earlier decreases the amount of milk and EGF a piglet would normally consume which slows their development and growth. Making EGF chemically is too expensive to...
Reducing Post-Weaning Diarrhea: Digesting the Results
Previously, low levels of antibiotics were supplied in feed so that post-weaning diarrhea was reduced. Feed additives may be able to help replace antibiotics and decrease the incidence of post-weaning diarrhea. Three types of prebiotics and an organic acid salt were added to the diets....
High Hopes for High Moisture Grain Treatment
Acidifying high moisture cereal grains may have benefits in pig nutrition. When acidified low moisture grains were implemented into nursery piglets' diets, growth performance and feed intake were improved due to nutrient digestibility and gut health improvements. Acidified high-moisture cereal grains in feed do not...
Post Weaning Diets: A Simple Solution
Nursery diets are quite expensive as they are complex in order to help the newly weaned pigs perform better. Simple and complex diets were tested on commercial farms, with the cheaper soybean meal diet limiting growth at first, though both groups were similar at market....
Validating Net Energy of Wheat DDGS
Feed prices are continuing to increase, so novel ingredients are being examined for their potential in swine diets. Wheat DDGS is becoming increasingly available in the Prairies and can be implemented in diets in a step-up inclusion strategy up to 15% and 30% in nursery...
The Next Game Changer in Feeding Pigs
A precision feeding system can help reduce costs by improving the efficiency of nutrients and feed, while also using traceability to enhance food safety and decreasing the environmental footprint by reducing feed waste. Phase feeding is the alternative and it meets the nutrient requirements of...
Mycotoxins and the Immune System
Mycotoxins are produced by mould that grows on grains and are toxic and cause diverse effects to livestock. Dilution and feed additives can be used to try to mitigate the effects but their effectiveness is not clear and it increases costs. One of the many...
Efficacy of Feed Additives
Fusarium mould can often contaminate grains and can produce different mycotoxins including deoxynivalenol (DON). DON has negative effects in pigs when given more than 1 ppm in their feed. Feed additives are available to help reduce the effects of DON, but their effectiveness is still...
Managing Mycotoxins Differently
Grain contaminated with fusarium mould is at a higher prevalence when the conditions are humid. A mycotoxin that can be produced from fusarium mould in cereal grains is deoxynivalenol. Pigs are very sensitive to this mycotoxin, with only 1 ppm guideline for ingestion. Often multiple...
Concentrating Energy in Young Pig Diets
Canola meal can be thought of as a supplemental protein source or a novel feed energy source due to the residual oil presence. Expeller-pressed canola meal has higher fibre content, but does not alter weaned pigs feed efficiency, nursery end weight or daily weight gain....