shown to have complementary modes of action. Viligen is a product that contains a blend of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), prebiotics and minerals, developed through more than 30 years of research with extensive feeding trials in pig- lets. The active ingredients included are all involved in gut de- velopment and digestive efficiency, promoting immunity and optimising the gut environment to allow the best digestion and absorption of nutrients.
Data on nursery pigs in North America Recent data on nursery pigs from trial sites in North America have shown typical benefits of supplementing the blend of SCFA, prebiotics and minerals into piglet starter diets. In the first trial, 1,008 piglets, weighing 6.3 kilogrammes at the start of the trial (weaning), were equally distributed into pens in a randomised, replicated research trial. Researchers measured performance from two periods post-weaning. At 11 days after weaning, the piglets fed the blend had a sig- nificantly higher average daily gain (ADG 0.36kg vs 0.33kg; P=0.03) and feed intake (ADFI 0.37kg vs 0.34kg; P=0.02). This led to a higher overall gain in this period for the piglets fed the blend (4.01kg vs 3.67kg; P=0.03) and a numeric improve- ment in feed to gain ratio from 1.04 in the control to 1.02 for the group fed the blend. In addition, two piglets died, and six were removed in the control group, whereas there were no deaths and only three removed in the group of piglets fed the blend. In the period from 11–23 days after weaning, there remained a strong trend in better body weight gain for the pigs fed the blend (28.24kg vs 27.54kg; P=0.06).
Second trial In the second trial, piglets fed diets with or without supple- mentation of the blend of SCFA, prebiotics and minerals over a 24-day period post-weaning had a significantly better ADG (0.62kg vs 0.55kg) and ADFI (0.73kg vs 0.65kg) and no deaths (two dead in the control group). This resulted in significantly increased (P<0.05) body weight gain (blend: 14.93kg vs control: 13.20kg). Further recent research used a total of 672 piglets fed either a control diet or one supplemented with the blend from weaning for 23 days. Figure 1 shows the significant benefits measured in ADFI (11%) and ADG (12%). These benefits resulted in a numeric improvement in feed to gain ratio (Figure 2), demonstrating the increased efficiency of nutrient absorption and utilisation. Supplementation with the blend resulted in an overall increase in body weight at the end of the trial, with the blend group reaching 14.8kg compared to 13.1kg in the control group. Mortality was reduced from 1.5% in the control-fed piglets to 0.3% in the group fed the blend, and morbidity dropped by 1.5% down to 4.2% for the piglets fed the blend. The economic benefits were assessed from the latter trial. They showed a return on investment of
€ 16.60 when a value of € 1.06 per kg of liveweight and a cost of € 5.61 per kg feed was applied. The benefits of feeding the blend of SCFA, prebiotics and min- erals to nursery pigs were attributed to faster and more stable adaptation at weaning of hindgut and digestive function, resulting in improved nutrient availability. The trials showed that feeding Viligen to piglets at weaning pro- moted growth, welfare and animal health cost-effectively. Us- ing a combined zootechnical feed ingredient that has been de- veloped to address the multiple challenges typically observed on-farm offers the most practical approach for pig producers.
References available on request.
FG * Viligen, Alltech
P < 0.11
After weaning, the piglet’s immature gut is vulnerable to invasion by dis- ease-causing organisms.
▶PIG PROGRESS | Volume 36, No. 8, 2020
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PHOTO: ALLTECH
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