Acid based Eubiotics as Natural Alternatives to Therapeutic Zinc Oxide in Newly Weaned Piglets

Dear Prof. Donzele,

I agree piglet numbers are constrained in this work and as it is a challenge study we expect to see a larger degree of variation so would drive a need for more piglet numbers. There were numerical differences in feed intake but this was highly variable due to age of piglet and health implications following the K88+ challenge, therefore it was not significant.
In larger scale work on farm, we have seen that intake is the same or slightly higher with ABE use. This may then help to promote beneficial bacterial in the GIT which has a knock on effect on the need for zinc oxide. What is interesting is that piglets do not choose to consume a diet high in zinc oxide and so in some cases, we are reducing voluntary intakes as a way to manage the amount of feed entering the large intestine. I think by looking at diet digestibility, and suitability as well as managing bacterial populations we should be able to produce pigs with lower zinc dietary levels. Have you done any work in this area?