Suplementação oral de blends probióticos comerciais para leitões de baixo e alto peso ao nascimento

Abstract

Several are the decisive factors for an efficiency in production, and the period of suckling of piglets is one of the most critical and that influences the subsequent cycle of development of the animal, mainly of low weight piglets at birth. Thus, supplementation with oral probiotics may be an alternative for greater survival of these piglets. This experiment aimed to evaluate the supplementation of oral blend probiotics for low and high birth weight piglets. 72 litters were used, divided into three treatments and two weight categories (> 1.15 kg and ≤1.15 kg). Performance, rectal temperature, diarrhea incidence, glucose, urea, creatine levels and mortality rate were assessed in the maternity and daycare phases. In the maternity unit, high-weight piglets at birth showed better performance when compared to low-weight piglets (P < 0,01). Glucose levels 30 minutes, 1 and 2 hours after the probiotic, were lower for the control group, with no effect of birth weight. A rectal temperature below 38.0º was observed for low birth weight piglets, indicating hypothermia, due to the low body energy reserve (P < 0,01). The incidence of diarrhea was not changed for any treatment, as well as weight category. Mortality, on the other hand, was higher for low-weight piglets in the control treatment, and had a lower mortality rate for low-weight piglets treated with Probiotic Blend 1 (P = 0,05). In the nursery phase, high-weight piglets remained outperforming low-weight piglets. Glucose, urea and creatinine levels were not affected by treatments and weight category (P > 0,05). Mortality and incidence of diarrhea was not revealed during the entire daycare phase in any of the treatments. Thus, supplementation of oral probiotics can help in the mortality rate of low birth weight piglets, and in glucose levels. In addition, promoting better performance of piglets of high birth weight.