Albeiro López Herrera

In order to increase the performance reproductive sow, premature weaning of piglets has become common practice, generating stress and retarding the postweaning growth of the pigs. The stress generated by separation from the mother, the abrupt change in food, the inclusion of raw vegetative material in the diet, and the poor development of the gastrointestinal tract in piglets result in a disruptio ...

In the countries with the higher levels of pig production, piglets are weaned 14 to 28 days after being born (Marion et al., 2002). As a result, piglets are lighter and the digestive system is less developed during weaning, particularly the gut. This renders these animals more susceptible to digestive problems in the post-weaning period (Reis et al., 2007).Besides its digestive functions, the gut ...