PROBIOTICS FOR SUCKLING AND WEANED PIGLETS

Abstract

Two experiments (E) were conducted to evaluate the effects of supplementation of probiotics for suckling and weaned piglets in a randomized block design. In the E1, 38 suckling litters were distributed among two treatments:  either no supplementation or oral supplementation with 2 mL of a probiotics suspension of Enterococcus sp and Lactobacillus sp (5x10⁶ UFC/mL) within the first 24 hours after birth. In the E2, 108 weaned piglets with twenty-one days of age were distributed among four treatments: Pre-starter (PS), Starter 1 (S1) e Starter 2 diets (S2) without antibiotics and probiotics; PS and S1 diets with 100 ppm of colistine and S2 diet with 60 ppm of halquinol; PS, S1 and S2 diets with 0.04 % of probiotics Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus licheniformis (3.2x10⁹ UFC/g); and PS, S1 and S2 diets with antibiotics and probiotics. In the first experiment, the piglets receiving probiotics did not differ those receiving in terms of average daily gain, occurrence of diarrhea, low-weight piglets and mortality. In the E2, there was antibiotic x probiotics interaction (P=0,046) on feed conversion from day 0 to day 17, due to the presence of the antibiotics, probiotics improved (P=0,072) feed conversion. However no effect was observed in dairy feed intake, average daily gain and incidence of diarrhea in the E2. No treatment effects on the variables were observed from day 0 to day 28 or from day 0 to day 46. The evaluated probiotics did not improve the performance of suckling and weaning piglets.