The Effect of Feeding Liquid or Dry Creep Feed on Growth Performance, Feed Disappearance, Enzyme Activity and Number of Eaters in Suckling Piglets
Nanna Byrgesen,
Johannes Gulmann Madsen,
Christina Larsen,
Niels Jørgen Kjeldsen,
Malene Skovsted Cilieborg,
Charlotte Amdi
Affiliations
Nanna Byrgesen
Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Grønnegårdsvej 2, 1870 Frederiksberg, Denmark
Johannes Gulmann Madsen
Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Grønnegårdsvej 2, 1870 Frederiksberg, Denmark
Christina Larsen
Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Grønnegårdsvej 2, 1870 Frederiksberg, Denmark
Niels Jørgen Kjeldsen
SEGES Danish Pig Research Centre, Axeltorv 3, 1609 Copenhagen, Denmark
Malene Skovsted Cilieborg
Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Grønnegårdsvej 2, 1870 Frederiksberg, Denmark
Charlotte Amdi
Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Grønnegårdsvej 2, 1870 Frederiksberg, Denmark
The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of two dietary treatments (liquid creep feed (LCF) and dry creep feed (DCF)) offered during the suckling period on feed disappearance, number of eaters, and intestinal enzymatic development at weaning in an on-farm study with 347 piglets. Piglets were allocated to either the DCF or LCF treatment from day 10 to day 24 postpartum for 9 h a day. Red ferric oxide (1%) was added to the diet to categorize piglets into eating categories (good eaters, moderate eaters, or non-eaters) via faecal swabs. At weaning, 40 piglets were sampled for intestinal enzymatic development. The LCF treatment increased the dry matter disappearance from day 10–18 (p p > 0.05). The DCF pigs displayed greater average daily gain (ADG) pre-weaning (p = 0.024), and a greater body weight (BW) at day 61 (p p < 0.001) in the DCF pigs.
