title: Effect of feeding a milk replacer to early-weaned pigs on growth, body composition, and small intestinal morphology, compared with suckled littermates.
abstract: Feeding of milk replacer to early-weaned pigs was evaluated in two experiments. In Exp. 1, 18 litters of pigs were either weaned conventionally (d 21), split-weaned and fed milk replacer plus starter diet (d 14 and 21), or weaned and fed milk replacer plus starter diet (d 21). Split weaning combined with feeding a milk replacer increased ADG 22% from d 14 and d 28 compared to conventional weaning (P < .05). Feeding a milk replacer plus starter diet after weaning increased ADG 30% between d 21 and 28 compared to conventional weaning (P < .01). In Experiment 2, four litters of 12 pigs each were divided at d 18 into six heavy and six light pigs and randomized across sow-suckled, milk replacer, or starter diet groups. After 1 wk, pigs fed milk replacer weighed 20% more (P < .001), contained 10% more protein (P < .01) and 17% more fat (P < .05), and had 74% longer villi in the proximal small intestine (P < .001) than suckled pigs. In contrast, pigs fed starter diet weighed 19% less (P < .001), contained 20% less protein and fat (P < .001), and had 28% shorter villi in the proximal small intestine (P < .05) than suckled pigs. Therefore, milk replacer feeding the 1st wk after weaning stimulates pig development, both locally in the small intestine and on a whole-body basis, most likely by an increased energy and nutrient intake. Suckling beyond 18 d postnatally inhibits pigs to reach maximal potential weight gain. In conclusion, milk replacer feeding might be beneficial to reach maximal pig weight gain at weaning.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana 61801, USA.
authors.forename: R T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Zijlstra
authors.forename: K Y
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Whang
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Easter
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Odle
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000502:physiology*; D000833:Animals, Suckling / Q000502:physiology*; D001823:Body Composition / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005526:Food, Formulated / Q000592:standards*; D005934:Glucagon / Q000097:blood; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000166:cytology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008871:Microvilli / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008892:Milk / Q000592:standards*; D011897:Random Allocation; D013552:Swine / Q000097:blood / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology; D013997:Time Factors; D014886:Weaning; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D007328:Insulin; D005934:Glucagon