Performance, feeding behaviour and microbial diversity in weaned piglets fed liquid diets based on water or wet wheat-distillers grain

Abstract

Performance, nutrient digestibility, feeding behaviour, diarrhoea frequency and faecal microbial diversity was studied in weaned piglets allotted to dry feed (diet A), liquid feed with water (diet B) or liquid feed with wet wheat-distillers grain (diet C). There were no differences in digestibility of organic matter and energy, and the performance was similar between piglets fed liquid diets. Piglets fed diet A spent more time on eating/drinking compared with piglets fed liquid diets. The frequency of diarrhoea decreased (p < 0.05) from from diet A (11 out of 16) to diet B (6 out of 16) and further to diet C (1 out 16). The type of diet did not affect the diversity of coliform bacteria or lactobacilli, but the composition of the Lactobacillus flora was changed. The lower diarrhoea frequency when feeding diet C may be due to a prophylactic effect induced by the inclusion of wet wheat-distillers grain in the diet.

Keywords

liquid feed; 16S rRNA gene; coliform bacteria; diarrhoea; Lactobacillus

Published in

Archives of Animal Nutrition
2005, volume: 59, number: 3, pages: 165-179

SLU Authors

• Pedersen, Carsten

  • Department of Applied Animal Science and Welfare, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Roos, Stefan

  • Department of Molecular Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Jonsson, Hans

  • Department of Molecular Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Lindberg, Jan Erik

  • Department of Applied Animal Science and Welfare, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

UKÄ Subject classification

Animal and Dairy Science

Publication identifier

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17450390500147875

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/7396