The effect of creep feed intake and starter diet allowance on piglets’ gut structure and growth performance after weaning

Abstract

Diets offered to lactating and weaned piglets are the most expensive diets within pig production; however, the effect of these diets on lifetime pig performance is inconsistent. The objective of the current study was to investigate the impact of creep feed consumption during lactation and different starter diet allowances on piglets' gut structure and lifetime growth performance. In total, 320 pigs and 80 pigs (Landrace × Large white) were used after weaning in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement to study growth performance and gut structure, respectively. At weaning, piglets that ate creep feed and piglets that were not offered creep feed during lactation were allocated to 2 kg/pig (LL) or 6 kg/pig (HL) of starter 1 diet (16.5 MJ DE/kg, 22.5% CP, and 1.7% total Lys) allowance. At weaning and at 1 and 3 wk after weaning, 8 piglets per treatment were sacrificed and their small intestine morphology was evaluated (villus height and crypt depth). Piglets that ate creep feed had increased feed intake during the first week after weaning (P < 0.05), but no effect of creep feed intake was observed on piglets growth or gut structure during the postweaning period (both P > 0.05). Piglets that were fed HL after weaning had higher ADG and BW from weaning to 16 wk after weaning (both P < 0.05) and had lower FCR from weaning to 6 wk after weaning (P < 0.05). Piglets fed HL after weaning also had higher villi height and greater crypt depth than LL piglets at 3 wk after weaning (both P < 0.05). Creep feed consumption during lactation increases feed intake early after weaning, suggesting an improved capacity of piglets to cope with weaning, but did not influence their growth performance. Offering piglets 6 kg of starter diet enhances piglets' growth performance during the growing and finishing phase, probably by improving gut structure after weaning.

Foraging in the farrowing room to stimulate feeding : getting piglets to eat is bittersweet

“…Sex could not explain intra-litter variation in weaning age in a semi-natural setting (Newberry and Wood-Gush, 1985) and was not found associated with creep feed intake in commercial settings (Tucker et al, 2010;Muns and Magowan, 2018;Huting et al, 2019). In contrast, just as many studies did find indications Chapter 1 46 that sex can explain some of the variation in individual creep feed consumption.…”

“…'creep area', of the farrowing pen (Pluske et al, 2018), but nowadays the creep feed is either presented in a piglet feeder close to the head of the sow to facilitate social learning, or in the dunging area to facilitate access by piglets (more space) and the farmer (near corridor). Creep feed provision has been proposed to 1) familiarise piglets to feed prior to weaning, and thereby to reduce neophobia towards the weaner diet and to reduce the weaning-associated dip in feed intake (Bolhuis et al, 2009;Muns and Magowan, 2018;Figueroa et al, 2019), 2) stimulate development of the gastrointestinal tract and gut microbiota by adapting it to nutrients/dietary antigens not found in milk, while piglets are still immunologically protected by the sow (Dong and Pluske, 2007;Yao et al, 2011;Pluske et al, 2018), and 3) to supplement sow milk production, and thereby to improve the growth rate of piglets (Williams, 2003;Pluske et al, 2018). Evidence that any of these benefits might arise if creep feed is provided will be discussed in separate paragraphs below.…”

“…Moreover, creep-fed and non-fed piglets did generally not differ in faecal consistency, gut morphology, permeability and absorption before weaning (e.g. Hedemann et al, 2007;Muns and Magowan, 2018; Table 2), except that creep-fed piglets had higher villi and deeper crypts along the small intestine in one of the studies (Van der Meulen et al, 2010). In addition, (good and moderate) eaters did not differ in villus:crypt ratio of the small intestine, and volatile fatty acid concentrations and dry matter content in the colon before weaning from non-eaters (Bruininx et al, 2004).…”

“…Carstensen et al, 2005;Hedemann et al, 2007;Callesen et al, 2007a), while others reported subtle effects on the length, circumference, villus:crypt ratio, cell proliferation and net absorption of the small intestine (e.g. Kuller et al, 2007b;Cabrera et al, 2013;Muns and Magowan, 2018). Moreover, the structure of the small intestine and the concentration of colonic volatile fatty acids in the post-weaning period were not affected by the amount of feed ingested before weaning (Bruininx et al, 2004), with ambiguous results of creep feed intake level on post-weaning diarrhoea.…”

“…A major contributor to these problems is the abrupt change in diet from sow's milk to solid feed (Bolhuis et al, 2009). Habituating piglets to solid feed while they are with the sow, by providing creep feed, is therefore considered important for improving the feed intake and hence performance of newly weaned piglets, and may also supplement sow milk, although the impact on performance around weaning seems inconsistent (positive effect: Shea et al, 2013, Muns andMagowan, 2018;negative effect: Beaulieu et al, 2010;lack of effect: Sulabo et al, 2010b, Park et al, 2014. Apart from a potential effect on performance, creep feed provision may also affect piglet behaviour, including explorative activities.…”