Piglets nutrition

At weaning, piglets are challenged by multiple sudden changes in their environment and diet. They are typically weaned between 3 to 4 weeks, when their digestive tract and immune system are still in development. As they need to adapt to new components in the diet, they are challenged with lower feed intake, digestive disorders and nutrient losses. To ensure optimal growth, piglets need (pre)starter diets formulated to meet their nutritional requirements and fully support their digestive health and immune system. A successful nursery feeding program contains several components, but the most important are to: 1) match dietary nutrient levels and ingredients with weight and age of the nursery pig; 2) maximize feed intake, because newly weaned pigs are in an extremely energy deficient state and early intake helps maintain a healthy intestine; and 3) appropriately adjust pigs (based on age, weight, health status, etc.) to lower cost diets (usually grain-soybean meal diets) as quickly as possible after weaning to reduce total feed cost. The concepts are relatively simple and can be applied in a variety of situations around the world.