Does the newly weaned piglet select a zinc oxide supplemented feed, when given the choice?

Effect of Maternal Flavour Conditioning Combined with Organic and Inorganic Iron-Supplemented Creep Feed on Piglet Performance and Haemoglobin Status

Iron injections are vital but imperfect against iron deficiency anaemia (IDA). This experiment explored the effects on piglets of maternal flavour conditioning and the voluntary intake of anise flavoured, iron-supplemented creep feed compared with iron injections. The experiment was a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement: ±maternal exposure to dietary anise flavour and ±intramuscular injections of piglets. Twenty-three sows and their litters (242 piglets) were randomly allocated to one of four treatments (n = 5 or 6 per treatment): no flavour plus no injection (NF + NI); no flavour plus iron injection (NF + I); flavour plus no injection (F + NI); and flavour plus iron injection (F + I). All piglets could access anise flavoured, iron-supplemented creep feed (organic and inorganic forms) from D2 of birth. Sow feed intake and milk anethole concentration, piglet body weight (BW) and average daily gain (ADG), creep feed disappearance, piglet behavioural time budgets, and piglet blood glucose and haemoglobin concentrations were determined. Over the four-week study, the only significant differences found were that iron-injected piglets had reduced blood glucose (p = 0.036) on D14 and that maternal flavour provision increased the frequency of piglet creep feed interaction (p = 0.023) and decreased the frequency of suckling events (p = 0.009). In summary, maternal flavour conditioning reduced piglet creep feed neophobia without influencing consumption. The supplementation of creep feed with iron and anise flavour to piglets under the conditions of this trial was effective in preventing IDA, regardless of exposure to maternal flavouring conditioning.

Determination of the Optimal Level of Dietary Zinc for Newly Weaned Pigs: A Dose-Response Study

Simple Summary

Piglets have a very low feed intake immediately after weaning. We hypothesise that the EU-legislated maximum dietary zinc concentration (150 mg zinc/kg diet) will increase the risk of zinc deficiency after weaning. Zinc deficiency includes symptoms such as impaired growth and increased risk of diarrhoea. However, a high dietary zinc concentration has an antimicrobial effect on the bacteria and increases the risk of antimicrobial resistance. The findings of this study show that the dietary zinc level had a quadratic effect on growth, with a turning point at an approximately 1400 mg zinc per kg diet. The risk of diarrhoea increased up to 60% for pigs that had a blood zinc concentration which decreased after weaning. Maintaining the blood zinc concentration seven days after weaning required up to 1121 mg zinc per kg diet. There was no evidence for an antimicrobial effect when feeding pigs a diet with up to 1601 mg zinc per kg.

Abstract

One hundred and eighty individually housed piglets with an initial body weight of 7.63 ± 0.98 kg (at 28 days of age) were fed a diet containing either 153, 493, 1022, 1601, 2052 or 2407 mg zinc/kg (added Zn as zinc oxide; ZnO) from day 0–21 post weaning to determine the optimal level of Zn for weaned piglets. Body weight, feed intake and faecal scores were recorded, and blood and faecal samples were collected. Dietary Zn content quadratically affected both feed intake and gain in the first two weeks, with an approximately 1400 mg Zn/kg diet and a Zn intake of 400 mg/day as the optimal levels. The relative risk of diarrhoea increased up to 60% at day 7 and 14 if serum Zn status dropped below the weaning level (767 µg/L), and maintain the weaning serum Zn status required approximately 1100 mg Zn/kg (166 mg Zn/day) during week 1. Blood markers of intestinal integrity (D-lactate and diamine oxidase) were unaffected by dietary Zn, and dietary Zn levels of 1022 and 1601 mg/kg did not affect the faecal numbers of total bacteria, Lactobacilli and E. Coli bacteria compared to 153 mg Zn/kg. These results indicate that the requirement for Zn in newly weaned piglets may be substantially higher than currently assumed.

Alternative to ZnO to establish balanced intestinal microbiota for weaning piglets

A wide range of phytobiotic feed additives are available on the market claiming to have beneficial effects on the growth of the host animal and to promote the development of a balanced microflora. The present study investigated the effects of the phytobiotic-prebiotic mixture of curcumin, wheat germ, and chicory on the growth performance and on the intestinal microflora composition of weaning piglets. Post weaning diarrhea causes significant losses for the producers, most commonly it is prevented by feeding high doses of zinc oxide (ZnO). The effect of a phytobiotic-prebiotic feed additive (1 kg T^-1) was compared to a positive control (3.1 kg T^-1 ZnO) and to a negative control (no feed supplement) in an in vivo animal trial. There was no significant difference in the final body weight and average daily gain of the trial and positive control groups, and both groups showed significantly (P<0.05) better results than the negative control. The feed conversion ratio of the phytobiotic-prebiotic supplemented group was significantly improved (P<0.05) compared to both controls. Both phytobiotic-prebiotic mixture and ZnO were able to significantly reduce (P<0.05) the amount of coliforms after weaning, even though ZnO reduced the amount of coliforms more efficiently than the trial feed additive, it also reduced the amount of potentially beneficial bacteria. Metagenomic data also corroborated the above conclusion. In the trial and positive control groups, the relative abundance of Enterobacteriaceae decreased by 85 and 88% between 3 weeks and 6 weeks of age, while in the negative control group a slight increase occurred. Lactobacillaceae were more abundant in the trial group (29.98%) than in the positive (8.67%) or in the negative (22.45%) control groups at 6 weeks of age. In summary, this study demonstrated that a phytobiotic-prebiotic feed additive may be a real alternative to ZnO for the prevention of post weaning diarrhea and promote the development of a balanced gut system.

Effect of different levels of organic zinc supplementation on pork quality

This study investigated the effect of two supplementation levels of zinc glycinate (ZnGly) on performance, carcass characteristics, and meat quality of growing-finishing pigs. Thirty pigs (bodyweight: 61 ± 4.0 kg) were assigned to three treatments and fed ad libitum for 56 days a diet supplemented with 0 (control), 45 (Zn45), or 100 mg/kg (Zn100) of ZnGly. The highest ZnGly supplementation lowered the average daily gain (P = 0.031); while, cold carcass weight did not differ between treatments. Both ZnGly levels reduced carcass chill loss (P < 0.001). Micromineral content, color stability, and fatty acid profile of meat were not altered by ZnGly. Superoxide dismutase activity was lowered by Zn45 compared to control (P = 0.007); while, catalase activity was enhanced by Zn100 (P = 0.003). Although ZnGly supplementation did not influence lipid oxidation in raw meat and in meat homogenates incubated with pro-oxidant catalysts, Zn45 limited lipid oxidation in cooked meat (P = 0.037). Our results demonstrated that supplementing pigs with 45 mg/kg of ZnGly could improve the oxidative stability of pork subjected to strong pro-oxidant conditions, but this effect needs to be further elucidated.

Comparative effects of zinc oxide and zinc oxide nanoparticle as feed additives on growth, feed choice test, tissue residues, and histopathological changes in broiler chickens

Zinc is an essential nutritional trace mineral required for growth and health. The aim of the current work is to compare the effects of bulk zinc oxide and zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) on the growth performance, feeding behavior, and zinc residues in tissues with the associated histopathological alterations in chicken. Meanwhile, the antibacterial activity against the isolated E. coli O78 strain was evaluated. Ninety Hubbard one-day-aged broiler chicks were divided into 3 groups, 30 each: birds of the 1st group fed a basal ration, those of the 2nd group fed a ration containing zinc oxide at a dose of 3000 mg/kg diet, and chicks of the 3rd group are given a ration containing ZnO-NPs at a dose of 90 mg/kg diet from 2 to 20 days age. The experiment lasted for 35 days. Feed choice test was done at the 3rd week of age on another 12 birds. Results revealed that birds fed with ZnO-NPs showed an improvement in body weight compared with the zinc oxide-administered group. There was no reluctance from birds to both diets supplemented with either zinc oxide or ZnO-NPs, with a constant preference to ZnO-NPs diet throughout the 5-min test. The highest levels of zinc were detected in the livers, kidneys, lungs, and muscles in the 1st day following cessation of drug administration. There was no significant effect on the levels of creatinine, uric acid, AST, and ALT. Mild to moderate degenerative changes as well as necrosis could be detected in the livers and hearts following both treatments. In conclusion, nano-zinc oxide could be practically used in broiler feed at a dose of 90 mg/kg diet instead of bulk zinc oxide, at a dose of 3000 mg/kg diet, with an improved body weight. Both supplements caused no significant effects on serum parameters and had the same antibacterial activity against E. coli O78.