The physiological and immune functions of piglets are still immature when weaning, so weaning pigs are prone to various risks. Weaned piglets are unable to secrete sufficient hydrochloric acid to maintain a low pH environment in the stomach, and mucosal immune proteins are limited in the gut.
Regardless of the quality of the energy/protein material in the feed, the small intestine villi of the weaned piglets will be destroyed, and pathogenic bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Salmonella will colonize the small intestine. Common effects such as diarrhea, high mortality, and high morbidity have serious negative effects on the growth performance of weaned piglets.
In the early stages of piglet weaning, we can control two factors, the first being weaning age. The EU states that weaning days should be no less than 28 days, unless there is a veterinary or welfare issue that must be weaned in advance. Many farms do the same, but the actual weaning age of the piglets varies from week to week because of the need to adapt to the flow of production batches. In this way we can achieve weaning when the piglet weighs 8-8.5kg, instead of weaning at 6.5-7kg. In the last week before weaning, the enzyme system and mucosal immunity of piglets are also developed faster and more mature. The second controllable factor is to solve the problem of insufficient acidosis in piglets during weaning. A simple organic acid mixture has been used for many years in weaned, growing and finishing pig diets.
Different acidifiers can be used. Each acid has unique properties and I believe that the ideal acidifier in the pig diet should have the 10 characteristics listed in Table 1.
Table 1: Ten characteristics of acidifiers in pig diets
1 | Strong pH lowering effect |
2 | Strong antibacterial, bactericidal and fungistatic effects |
3 | Pigs have good palatability |
4 | Promotes intestinal epithelial cells and villi development |
5 | Low dosage |
6 | Low cost of addition |
7 | Synergy with other ingredients in the feed |
8 | Easy and safe to handle |
9 | Low corrosive to feed equipment |
10 | Easy to mix with different carriers |
No single organic acid can meet the 10 points listed in the table. Some acids can meet almost all requirements, such as citric acid, sorbic acid, but the price of sorbic acid is slightly higher. Butyric acid and butyrate can stimulate the growth of intestinal epithelial cells, but their volatile and pungent odors lead to an increase in practical operation. In addition, dry feeding of powder or pellets is not suitable for the addition of acid in liquid form.
Therefore, in practice, different organic acids should be used in combination to meet the above 10 requirements. Certain complex acidifiers for weaned piglets must have high efficiency of bacteriostatic and bactericidal effects, and there are certain requirements for palatability. The acidifier used to grow the fattening pig diet is relatively simple and has lower palatability requirements. Special complex acidifiers were developed to control Salmonella. In Europe, this acidifier is also used to control Salmonella contamination in food.
As mentioned in Table 1, good acidifiers must also have synergistic effects with other ingredients in the feed. Our own research has found that certain acids act on bacterial cells to help other ingredients in the feed kill bacteria more easily. For example, some organic acids can affect the permeability of the cell wall, and some acid ions can enter the bacterial mitochondria after diffusing into the bacterial cells.
The acidifying agent can weaken the physiological function of the bacterial cells through the above mechanism, and has an antibacterial effect. We also found that some essential fatty acids can synergistically eliminate a variety of bacteria.
Drinking water control infection
In Europe, the addition of acidifiers to weaned pig diets is very common. However, acidifiers have other uses. Adding acidifiers to piglet diets can reduce bacterial growth. But by drinking water, piglets can also infect the same bacteria. The most effective way is to add an acidifying agent to the drinking water.
The farm's water supply system should receive sufficient knowledge and management input. After a long period of use, the water storage tank, water pipes, and drinking fountains of the water supply system may be infected by pathogenic bacteria. When piglets are given water once, there is a risk of reinfection. Weaned piglets cannot withstand this kind of toss. Piglets that have not been breastfed for 48 hours after weaning often drink large amounts of water. Therefore, the contaminated drinking fountain will bring serious diarrhea. Even if there is no large-scale diarrhea, it will have a certain negative impact on feed utilization.
The solution is to add a liquid acidulant to the water supply, such as adding an acidulant to the storage tank via a syringe or applicator. Adding an acidifying agent to the feed should also choose a special and suitable acidifying agent. The specific addition method depends on the characteristics of the acidifying agent, such as whether it is liquid, corrosive or pH-influencing.
Studies have shown that the effect of adding acidifiers to drinking water is very significant. The key point in the actual operation is to control the pH of the terminal water of the drinker, and the optimum pH is 4.0-4.5. Below this value, it will affect palatability; above this value, bacterial infection will occur. It is also effective to add an acidifying agent to the weak and sick drinking water. Acidified water increases their water intake and protects their gut health until they return to normal feeding.
We can add organic acids to the weaned pig diet to solve the problem of acid deficiency in piglets, but effective screening and combination of acids is needed.
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