For many piglets in industrial farms, weaning means the abrupt separation from the sow, relocation to an unfamiliar pen, together with regrouping with unfamiliar piglets from different litters. This social stress can be accompanied by dietary challenges because the piglet is transitioned from the sow’s milk to a plant-based weight loss program – shifting from liquid to strong feed. These elements, together with different stressors, make weaning one of many most tough durations in a pig’s manufacturing cycle. This section is particularly crucial as a result of piglet efficiency throughout this time immediately impacts the financial success of swine farms. It’s well-known that the expansion charge depends on ample nutrient consumption.
Nonetheless, within the first few days after weaning, feed consumption typically drops considerably, and a few piglets might go a day or two with out consuming. As piglets fail to eat, in addition they fail to develop and even reduce weight, which might delay improvement and have an effect on lifetime efficiency. Given these challenges, administration and dietary interventions give attention to encouraging piglets to eat as quickly as attainable to reduce development delays and long-term efficiency losses. A deeper understanding of piglet feeding dynamics may also help refine these interventions and higher deal with the issue.
Well being results of weaning related anorexia
The decline in feed consumption instantly after weaning has important penalties for piglet well being and improvement. When piglets fail to devour satisfactory vitamins, their immune perform is compromised, making them extra inclined to infections and illnesses (Spreeuwenberg et al., 2001). Moreover, the dearth of passage of dietary vitamins within the gut can trigger disturbances in intestinal physiology of piglets similar to degradation of the morphology and discount in enzyme exercise which finally ends in decrease nutrient absorption (Fàba et al., 2024; Moeser et al., 2017) that has repercussions in piglet efficiency. An unhealthy intestine and enhance in undigested vitamins typically result in post-weaning diarrhea—a typical well being problem in industrial swine manufacturing. The mixed results of weaning stress and anorexia not solely decelerate piglet improvement however also can exacerbate long-term efficiency setbacks, together with poorer feed effectivity and elevated variety of days to market weight (Boudry et al., 2004; Pulske et al., 1997).
When ought to the piglets eat
Weaning presents a physiological dilemma for piglets, as they are anticipated to start out consuming instantly regardless of being in a situation that’s not conducive to feeding. Piglets should abruptly adapt from the extremely palatable, biologically tailor-made sow’s milk to a man-made weight loss program formulated based mostly on assumptions about their dietary wants utilizing plant-based elements. Though the drop in feed consumption in piglets post-weaning is widespread, the extent and length of feed discount fluctuate extensively amongst piglets, making it tough to pinpoint a common feeding sample. Because of this, as a substitute of making an attempt to reply each when and how a lot piglets ought to eat concurrently, it might be extra prudent to focus first on when they need to eat. Whereas guaranteeing that the piglets eat sufficient to cowl their wants, it is very important recognise the challenges piglets face throughout this transition and perceive how they react to them and the way it impacts their feeding habits.
Bruininx et al. (2001) discovered that 10 hours after weaning, 40–55% of piglets had not but eaten. Curiously, a better proportion of heavier piglets (55%) remained anorexic in comparison with smaller ones (40%) throughout this era (Determine 1).
Nonetheless, by 24 hours, this distinction between weaning weights disappeared, with solely about 20% of piglets nonetheless not consuming. By 48 hours, this quantity dropped to lower than 5%. This momentary interval of anorexia is commonly accepted in industrial farms, as the primary 48 hours after weaning usually contain intense preventing among the many new pen-mates as a brand new social hierarchy is established (McGlone, 1985). The height of this preventing occurs in the course of the first few hours (Bruininx et al., 2001), which consequently dissuades the piglets from consuming (Dong and Pulske, 2007). Le Dividich and Sève (2000) estimated that post-weaning vitality consumption in the course of the first week is as much as 40% decrease than pre weaning ranges. This discount in vitality and nutrient consumption hinders development, and piglets typically expertise weight reduction within the first few days. This setback has long-lasting damaging impact to the piglet’s efficiency. Analysis has proven that piglets that didn’t develop and even worse, misplaced weight, in the course of the first week after weaning required an extra 10 days to succeed in market weight (Kats et al., 1992).
All these penalties reveals that methods to mitigate weaning related anorexia are essential. Correct weaning administration similar to gradual weight loss program transitions and lowering environmental stress may also help piglets adapt extra easily and preserve optimum intestinal well being throughout weaning.
Moreover, dietary interventions, similar to extremely digestible diets, palatable feed components, and intestine health-promoting dietary supplements, can encourage early feed consumption. Feeding behaviour research are additionally key to completely understanding the extent of the problem and attainable options.
Conclusion
Weaning has well-recognized damaging results on piglet metabolism, intestinal well being, and immunity, a lot of that are linked to the numerous drop in feed consumption throughout this transition. A deeper understanding of the challenges piglets face, in addition to the short- and long-term penalties of low feed consumption, may also help nutritionists formulate their diets to higher help development and enhance well being. By incorporating scientifically confirmed feed components that improve piglet feed consumption and leveraging insights into piglet feeding behaviour, producers can implement simpler methods to handle weaning stress and optimize piglet diet.
