• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제15권10호
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• pp.1378-1385
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• 2002

The importance of direct genetic, maternal, heterosis and epistatic effects were examined on post-weaning weight, height, length, girth, fat depth and muscle (ratio of stifle to hip width) with dry and wet season gains in these traits. The breeds used were two pure breeds (Jersey and Limousin), the Limousin${\times}$Jersey $F_1$, and two backcrosses ($F_1{\times}$Jersey dams and $F_1{\times}$Limousin dams). Direct genetic effects were large (p<0.001) for all traits except for length. Jersey maternal effects were large for weight, girth, fat depth and muscle in the post-weaning wet season gains which is an evidence of the impact of Jersey dam on progeny beyond weaning. There were large heterosis effects on fat depth and muscle relative to other traits. Epistatic effects were observed for post-weaning performance in weight, girth, fat depth and muscle. There are indications that there were different genetic effects for post-weaning compared to preweaning growth traits. Thus, it could be hypothesized from this study that different quantitative trait loci (QTL) affect early and late growth in Jersey and Limousin cross cattle breeds. The follow up work will examine the different chromosomal gene effects on pre- and post-weaning growth.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제14권10호
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• pp.1394-1399
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• 2001

Influence of pre-weaning nutrition on post-weaning gain was assesses under intensive feeding in Malpura lambs. Thirty six Malpura (15 days old) lambs divided in to 3 equal groups were maintained on high (G1), medium (G2) and low (G3) energy and protein containing creep mixture with free suckling and ad libitum roughage (pala leaves: Ziziphus nummularia) up to 90 days of age. The lambs during post-weaning phase were fed on a 40:60 roughage and concentrate based composite diet to assess their post-weaning growth response. Total dry matter intake in pre-weaning phase was higher (p<0.01) in G3 than G2 and G1 while feed conversion efficiency was better in G1 than G2 and G3. The birth weight, 15 days body weight and weaning weight were however similar in the three groups. The finishing body weight, total body weight gain and average daily gain during post-weaning phase were higher (p<0.01) in G3 than in G1 and G2. The lambs in G3 consumed more (p<0.01) dry matter during post-weaning phase along with better feed conversion efficiency than other two groups. However, the DCP intake/kg body weight gain was higher in G1 than G2 and G3. Digestibility of DM, OM, CP, NDF, ADF and energy were similar among the three groups during post-weaning phase. Percent nitrogen retention as nitrogen intake was higher (p<0.01) in G3 (71.1%) than G1 (67.7%) and G2 (69.7%) during the post-weaning phase of study. The G1, G2 and G3 lambs in post-weaning phase consumed 8.1, 7.7 and 8.1 g DCP and 246.8, 227.2 and 246.1 kcal $DE/kg\;W^{0.75}/d$ and had 84.4, 80.0 and 111.1 g average daily gain, respectively. It is concluded that the lambs fed on low energy and protein containing creep mixture in pre-weaning phase showed improvement in growth during post-weaning phase under optimum feeding regime.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제30권4호
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• pp.523-530
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• 2017

Objective: Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects on growth performance, digestibility, and blood metabolites of lambs during pre- and post-weaning period of inclusion of a commercial probiotic (PRO) containing a mixture of two strains of Pediococcus, Pediococcus acidilactici ($1{\times}10^6$ colony-forming unit [cfu]/g) and Pediococcus pentosaceus ($1.3{\times}10^6cfu/g$), with dextrose as the carrier compound compared to a diet based on concentrate mixture and wheat straw. Methods: In exp. 1, 24 male lambs of about $15{\pm}2.6$ d age and initial body weight (BW) of $5.52{\pm}0.6kg$ were randomly allocated into three groups. One group received control diet without additives, and remainders received control diet supplemented with 0.5 or 1 g PRO/lamb/d. Daily feed intake and biweekly BW were recorded. In exp. 2, five lambs, (initial $BW=29.72{\pm}1.15kg$, $age=6.54{\pm}0.32mo$) were used as experimental animals in a digestion trial. They were fed the same diets as in Exp. 1. Results: The supplementation of PRO did not result in any significant differences in milk intake, average daily gain (ADG), or total gain between treatments during the pre-weaning period. Total dry matter intake tended to be greater (p = 0.07) with addition of PRO in the post-weaning diets. During post-weaning phase, the final BW, ADG, total gain, and feed conversion ratio of the lambs receiving PRO treatments tended to be greater ($p{\leq}0.10$) than the control group. Addition of PRO in post-weaning diet decreased ($p{\leq}0.01$) blood urea and cholesterol concentrations. With the exception of ether extract digestibility, all nutrients digestibility were improved with inclusion PRO in the post-weaning diets. Conclusion: Lambs that received PRO in post-weaning diet appeared to show a better performance than lambs in pre-weaning period. Addition of the probiotic in the post-weaning diet trended towards improved dry matter intake, growth performance, feed conversion ratio, and nutrients digestibility.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제23권1호
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• pp.52-60
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• 2010

This experiment was conducted on 60 Hanwoo calves comprising five feed additive groups, with 12 calves in each group, to determine the effects of additives at pre- and post-weaning on growth performance and blood profile. The groups were control, antibiotic (Neomycin 110 ppm), illite (2%), fermented green tea probiotics (FGTP, 0.5%), and mixed additives (FGTP 0.25%, illite 1% and licorice 0.1%). The calves were offered experimental pellet feeds ad libitum and after one month were supplied with imported timothy hay. They moved freely within the group and suckled their mother' milk during the pre-weaning stage (birth to 3 months) and were separated from their dam during the post-weaning stage (4-5 months). During the pre-weaning stage, the highest average daily gain (ADG) was recorded in the antibiotic- and mixed additive-fed groups followed by FGTP, control and illite groups. In the post-weaning stage, significantly higher total weight gain and ADG were recorded in both the FGTP and mixed additive groups compared to the other groups (p<0.05). Feed efficiency of mixed additive- and illite-fed calves were almost similar with antibiotic-fed calves compared to the other two groups, but the ADG was lowest in illite-fed calves during the pre-weaning stage. In contrast, post-weaning calves fed FGTP and mixed additives showed better feed efficiency. The values of hematological indices, differential leukocyte count, blood proteins and immunoglobulin among the additive-fed calves were not significantly different (p>0.05), although hemoglobin and hematocrit values were lower in FGTP compared to control, but similar in mixed additive and antibiotic groups. These results indicate no detrimental effects of feed additives on the blood profile of calves at both pre- and post-weaning age. Serum albumin in post-weaning calves of all feed additive groups were similar but significantly lower (p<0.05) than in the control group. Post-weaning, IgM was significantly lower (p<0.05) in illite-fed calves compared to other treatment groups, but there was no difference at pre-weaning. Considering all factors, the mixed feed additives and FGTP can be the replacement feed formula for antibiotic for Hanwoo beef calf production, especially when used post- weaning.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제14권11호
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• pp.1610-1615
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• 2001

Three studies were conducted to determine the effect of sex on pre- and post-weaning performance of pigs. These studies were conducted in response to observations that female pigs appear to grow faster than male pigs after weaning. In addition, female pigs have been found to grow faster than male pigs when supplied with supplemental milk before weaning. The aims of the present work were to further characterise the ontogeny of sex differences growth of nursing and growing pigs. In the first study, piglets sucking 32 sows were crossfostered to produce litters of 10 boars (n=9), 10 gilts (n=l 1) or 5 boars and 5 gilts (n=12). Liveweight of the sucking pigs was then measured weekly until weaning at 4 weeks of age. In the second study, 80 boars and 80 gilts were weaned at 26 days of age and growth performance measured until 21 days post-weaning. In the third experiment, 40 boars and 40 gilts were weaned into groups of 5 pigs at either 17 or 25 days of age and pigs were weighed until they were approximately 90 kg liveweight. All-boar litters grew more slowly than the all-gilt and mixed litters such that by 14 days of age the all-boar litters were 10% lighter than the all-gilt or mixed litters (39 vs. 43.8 kg, p=0.050). The proportional difference in litter weight appeared to be maintained at 21 days of age (53.9 vs. 59.4 kg, p=0.063) but was diminished by 28 days of age (66.5 vs. 70.8 kg, p=0.28). In the second study, gilts grew more quickly than boars over the first 7 and 21 days post-weaning and as a consequence were 10% heavier than boars at 21 days after weaning (13.7 vs 12.48 kg, p=0.001). In the third study, gilts grew more quickly than boars in the immediate 7 days post-weaning (40 vs. 5 g/day, p=0.014) whereas from 7 until 35 days post-weaning there was no significant difference in growth rate (381 vs. 360 g/day, p=0.19). Gilts also grew more quickly than boars over the 14 days after being moved into the grower (631 vs. 570 g/day, p=0.013) and finisher (749 vs. 688 g/day, p=0.038) sheds. However, these differences were not maintained over the entire period in each shed. These data support the hypotheses that gilts handle the stresses of weaning and other transitions better than boars.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• 제56권3호
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• pp.7.1-7.7
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• 2014

The recognition that omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) possess potent anti-inflammatory properties in human models has prompted studies investigating their efficacy for animal growth and immunity. This study examined the effect of feeding an n-3 PUFA-enriched diet on growth and immune response of weanling piglets. Newly weaned pigs (averaging $27{\pm}2$ days of age and $8.1{\pm}0.7kg$ of body weight) were assigned randomly to receive a control (3% vegetable oil, n = 20) or n-3 PUFA-supplemented (3% marine n-3 PUFA, n = 20) diet for 28 day after weaning. Female pigs consuming the n-3 PUFA-enriched diet were lighter at week 4 post-weaning than those fed the vegetable oil supplement. Weanling pigs gained more weight, consumed more feed and had better growth to feed ratios between days 14 and 28 than between days 0 and 14 post-weaning. Plasma insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) decreased between days 0 ($87.2{\pm}17.0ng/mL$) and 14 ($68.3{\pm}21.1ng/mL$) after weaning and then increased again by day 28 ($155.2{\pm}20.9ng/mL$). In piglets consuming the vegetable oil-enriched diet, plasma tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-${\alpha}$) increased from $37.6{\pm}14.5$ to $102.9{\pm}16.6pg/mL$ between days 0 and 14 post-weaning and remained high through day 28 ($99.0{\pm}17.2pg/mL$). The TNF-${\alpha}$ increase detected in the piglets fed vegetable oil was not observed in the piglets fed n-3 PUFA. Results indicate that weaning induces considerable immune stress in piglets and that this stress can be mitigated by dietary supplementation of n-3 PUFA.

• 농업과학연구
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• 제44권4호
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• pp.477-486
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• 2017

This review provides an overview of dietary nucleotides as an alternative to in-feed antibiotics for weaning pigs. Dietary nucleotides are composed of DNA or RNA molecules and are normally contained in protein-rich feed ingredient, brewer's yeast, yeast extract, and milk. Weaning pigs are suffering from several stresses, such as environmental challenges (i.e. crowding, transportation, and feeding). Such stressors can damage the intestinal epithelium and cause an invasion by Escherichia coli, secondary inflammatory responses, and post weaning diarrhea. To overcome weaning disorder, people often use antibiotics which reduce symptoms and boost growth performance. However, since antibiotics were banned due to concerns of antibiotic resistant bacteria, researchers are studying alternative materials to antibiotics. Dietary nucleotides are one of the alternative materials for replacing antibiotics and can be used in abnormal conditions, such as weaning diarrhea, low digestibility, and disease condition. Nucleotides have substances that have important roles in cell division and cell growth, affecting growth performance, intestinal condition, and immunological effect at the weaning stage. However, nucleotides' composition is very different between sources and this aspect makes it difficult to utilize nucleotides at the weaning stage. Therefore, this review paper focuses on i) the characteristics and functions of dietary nucleotides and ii) the effect of dietary nucleotides on the growth performance and immune system of pigs.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• 제64권2호
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• pp.302-311
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• 2022

This study investigated the effect of a synergistic blend of free and buffered organic acid (FMP) on the performance of piglets born to sows supplemented with a blend of short- and medium-chain organic acids (SGG) during the late gestation and lactation period. A total of 150 multiparous sows (n = 50/treatment, Landrace × Yorkshire) were blocked (2.4 parity) and assigned to 1 of 3 dietary treatments: CON - corn-soybean meal-based basal diet, SGG-Low - CON+ 1.5 kg/ton SGG, and SGG-High - CON + 3kg/ton SGG. During weaning, 600 piglets (6.72 ± 0.5kg) which weaned from sows supplemented with 3 levels of SGG were allocated to 2 weaner diets (Control and FMP - 3kg/ton) following 3 × 2 factorial arrangement. Supplemental effects on performance were measured at d0-d21 and d 21-42, and the entire period. Pigs fed with FMP and born to sows supplemented with SGG-High gained more weight and ate more (p < 0.05) compared with those in the CON group in both phases, and with SGG-Low in the second phase. Over the entire post-weaning period, piglets born to sows supplemented with SGG-Low and SGG-High had a higher average daily gain (ADG) and body weight (BW) (p < 0.05). Regardless of sow treatment, pigs fed with an FMP diet had higher ADG (p < 0.001), BW (p = 0.045), and a lower feed conversion ratio (p = 0.033). Also, feeding FMP diets reduced the fecal Escherichia coli and Clostridium perfringens counts at d42. The current study indicates that sows fed SGG supplement had a positive carry-over effect on the post-weaning growth rate, and FMP supplement enhances the growth performance and reduced the number of C. perfringens and E. coli. Thus, the application of 3 kg/ton of SGG in sows' diet and subsequent feeding of piglets with FMP would be an effective strategy to improve growth rate and reduce pathogenic bacteria in post-weaned piglets.

• Animal Bioscience
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• 제34권4호
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• pp.714-723
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• 2021

Objective: This study aimed to determine the effects of soft pellet creep feed (SPCF) on growth performance and intestinal development in piglets. Methods: A total of 18 sows and their litters of crossbred piglets (14±2 days, 3.73±0.72 kg) were assigned to one of three dietary groups receiving i) powder creep feed (PCF), ii) hard pellet creep feed (HPCF) or iii) SPCF during the pre-weaning period. After weaning, piglets were selected for continuous evaluation of the three diets on growth performance and intestinal health. Results: In the pre-weaning period, the average daily feed intake and average daily dry matter intake were significantly higher in the SPCF group than the HPCF group (p<0.05). In the post-weaning and entire experimental period, the different diets had no significant effect on growth performance. At 10 d after weaning, the serum glucose concentration was lower in the SPCF group (p<0.05) than the other groups; a higher (p<0.05) villus height and lower (p<0.05) crypt depth in the jejunum were also observed in the SPCF group than the other groups; Meanwhile, in the duodenum and jejunum, the SPCF group had a higher (p<0.05) villus height to crypt depth ratio than the other groups; Furthermore, the higher (p<0.05) threshold cycle values of lactic acid bacteria and lower (p<0.05) threshold cycle values of Clostridium, Enterobacter and Escherichia coli were also observed in the SPCF group, and the sucrase and maltase activity was higher (p<0.05) in the SPCF group than the other groups in duodenum and ileum. Conclusion: The SPCF improved pre-weaning feed intake and decreased the negative effects of weaning stress in the intestine in piglets.

• 농업과학연구
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• 제45권4호
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• pp.677-685
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• 2018

Weaning pigs often face post-weaning challenges such as diarrhea, low feed intake, and body weight (BW) loss which affects the health and economic value of weaning pigs. Interestingly, the use of yeast cultures (YCs) as feed supplements for pigs has increased markedly in recent years. This study evaluated the effects of yeast cultures (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) on the growth performance, fecal score, and nutrient digestibility of weaning pigs. A total of 50 crossed healthy weaning pigs [(Yorkshire ${\times}$ Landrace) ${\times}$ Duroc] with an average BW of $7.46{\pm}1.60kg$ (28 day of age) were used in a 6-week experiment. The experiment was divided into 3 phases (Phase 1, 1 - 2 weeks; Phase 2, 2 - 4 weeks; Phase 3, 4 - 6 weeks). Dietary treatments were as follows: 1) CON: basal diet and 2) CON + 0.50% YC. During phase 1, the average daily gain (ADG) and average daily feed intake (ADFI) were significantly increased (p < 0.05) in the weaning pigs fed YC supplementation diets compared with the weaning pigs fed the CON diet. During phase 3 as well as overall, the gain/feed ratio (G/F) was significantly increased (p < 0.05) in the YC supplementation group compared with the pigs fed the CON diet. In conclusion, the supplementation of YCs in the diet positively affected the growth performance of weaning pigs during the first two weeks after weaning.