Building foundations and diet consistency are as important in piglet feeding as daily live weight gain and feed intake, especially with the requirement for reduced antibiotic use, according to ForFarmers.
Recent on-farm trials undertaken by ForFarmers’ piglet feed specialists have shown that by focusing on piglet gut health, producers see improvements in litter performance, a reduction in mortality and an improvement in DLWG at the end of the nursery period. All of this results in impressive financial returns for the producer, the company said.
The pig industry is facing up to a future with reduced use of antibiotics, lower copper levels and, from 2022, without zinc oxide at medicinal levels in piglet feed. ForFarmers believes it can be part of the solution, by particularly addressing the critical issue of gut health in young animals, which goes a long way to determining the level of medication required.
The RUMA Guidelines on reducing antibiotics and managing the health status of new born piglets states that: “A good programme of adequate nutrition, management, cleaning and disinfection and a good herd health programme are necessary to minimise the incidence and losses”.
In this context, nutrition plays a vital role in maintaining performance. This means it is vital to regularly review piglet feeding programmes which support good gut health and subsequently building solid foundations for future growth, ForFarmers said.