Feed intake behaviour of piglets in single and group suckling pens

Early contact to plant-based feed (creep feed) should stimulate the adaption of the gastrointestinal system and promote gut development, with the desired effect of less physiological stress at weaning, lower incidence of diarrhoea and higher growth rates due to better feed efficiency. From May 2013 to July 2015 we studied the feed intake behaviour of piglets during a 6-week suckling period (93 farrowings, 917 weaned piglets). The piglets were born in one of two different free farrowing systems for one sow, after two weeks half of the farrowing batches were transferred to a group suckling system from their initial housing system (2x2 factorial design: initial housing organic or conventional intake of the piglets.

Automated summary

Introducing plant-based feed to piglets early on can help with gastrointestinal system adaptation, leading to less physiological stress at weaning, lower incidence of diarrhea, and higher growth rates.