Suplementação vitamínica-mineral via água melhora o desempenho de leitões pós-desmamados

Abstract

Among the management practices of a farm, weaning is one of the most critical, due to the vulnerability of piglets to stress. Since the separation from their respective sows, the piglets face a series of changes, such as the separation of the sow, the change of environment, the change of diet and the mixing and equalization of litters, which impose the re-establishment of a new social hierarchy. The present study aimed to supplement newly weaned piglets using a vitamin supplement via water. For this purpose, 90 weaned piglets (45 females, 45 castrated males) of the same genetics (TN70 x Talent by Topigs) were used. The animals were weaned at 24 days and distributed in randomized blocks (weight, sex and origin) in 3 treatments of 10 replicates of 3 animals each. In each stall, water and food were offered ad libitum. The treatments consisted of a control group (CON), which consisted of offering pure water throughout the nursery period; 5D, in which the piglets received supplementation via water for five days after weaning and for another five days in the transition from initial diet I to initial diet II; and 10D, where the piglets received supplementation via water during the first ten days of nursery. The 10D treatment affected the performance of the piglets, showing higher ADG (P=0.0477) on the 26th day of daycare and higher water consumption (P=0.0053) during the total daycare period. The 5D and 10D treatments positively influenced the redox status of the animals, with lower concentrations of MDA on the 10th day of day care. The feed intake behavior in the first 24 hours improved (P=0.0459) in the 10D treatment for TEat %. The incidence of diarrhea was lower in the 5D and 10D treatments during phase 4 (P=0.0017) and lower for the 10D treatment during the entire experimental period (P<0.001). Thus, the use of vitamin-mineral supplement via water for ten days improves the performance of weaned piglets, with beneficial effects on the redox status, behavior and reduction in the incidence of diarrhea.