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December 2016 25
Pork News & Views
Decemeber 2016
Effect of Increasing Creep Feed
Pellet Size on Piglet Performance
Pre- and Post-Weaning
In the February 2016 issue of Pork
News & Views I wrote an article titled
“Getting Your Piglets Off to a Better
Start – Improve Creep Feed Intake!” In
that article I detailed the importance of
creep feeding for piglets, and strate-
gies to improve intakes. I discussed a
series of experiments conducted in the
Netherlands (van den Brand, 2014),
where piglets were offered creep feed
with larger pellet size (10 or 12 mm)
compared to a small (2 mm) pellet. The
rationale behind these experiments was
that in the wild, piglets are exposed to
large objects such as acorns prior to
weaning. These pigs not only learn to
eat large items, but there is also a social
(exploratory) benefit. The researchers
found that when litters were given the
choice of the small or large pellet, the
piglets preferred the larger diameter
pellet (350 g/litter/d higher intake of
large pellets compared to small). When
litters were offered one treatment (either
small or large pellet size), creep feed
intake was 650 g/d higher in litters
offered large pellets. Additionally, the
researchers also showed that piglets
given large pellets before weaning had
higher body weight gain and feed intake
post-weaning.
This summer, OMAFRA conducted a
demonstration trial using two commer-
cial barns in Ontario, with the aim of
determining the effects of using large
creep pellets on piglet performance pre-
and post-weaning. Working with Daco
Animal Nutrition, Masterfeeds Vigor
Starter 1+ product was used for the
trial, and was offered to piglets as either
their mini size pellet (~3 mm diameter)
or as a specially made large pellet (~12
mm diameter). The diet included highly
digestible ingredients and milk products
to aid piglets in the transition from a
milk diet to a vegetable based diet.
Thirty-four sows and their litters were
used in each barn. Half of the litters
were given mini creep pellets, and the
other half were given large pellets (Fig-
ure 1). They were fed starting 6 days
post-farrowing until weaning (d21) and
for 1 week post-weaning. Piglet weights
were recorded within 24 hours of birth,
at weaning, 2 days post-weaning, 7 days
post-weaning and 28 days post-weaning.
Feed disappearance was recorded one
week after feed was added in the farrow-
ing crates, at weaning (~2 weeks after
feed was added in the crates), 2 days
post-weaning and 7 days post-weaning.
At this point, producers switched piglets
over to their standard commercial diets.
Results:
We did observe different results in
each of the two barns. It is important
to keep in mind that each barn was a
different environment with different
Figure 1: Litters received either mini pellets (~3mm diameter; left) or large pellets
(~12 mm diameter; right).