In the present systematic review and meta-analysis, we evaluated the effects of providing piglets with creep feed during lactation on piglet pre- and post-weaning performance. A total of 20 articles met the inclusion criteria. Creep feeding in lactation improved pre-weaning piglet performance in 46% of the studies selected, while 58% of the included studies reported that creep feeding in lactation improved piglet performance during the nursery phase. Creep feeding increased the average piglet body weight (creep = 7.23 ± 0.30, no creep = 6.96 ± 0.31; p = 0.03) and litter weight (creep = 81.2 ± 4.18, no creep = 76.4 ± 4.22; p < 0.001) at weaning. The average piglet body weight and litter weight were positively associated (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively) with total creep feed intake. Creep feeding of piglets for more than 14 days increased (p = 0.003) the litter weight at weaning compared to litters not provided or provided for shorter periods with creep feed. The present work strengthened the notion that creep feeding during lactation presents opportunities for improving weaning weights and post-weaning piglet performance compared to litters not provided or provided for shorter periods with creep feed.

The weaning of pigs in most commercial pork production systems is an abrupt event performed at a fairly young age, i.e., mostly between 2.5 and 5 weeks of age. This practice induces a stress response, and its impact on behavior, performance and the gastrointestinal tract has been well described. Historically, there has been a focus on pre- and post-weaning nutritional strategies and post-weaning housing conditions and medication to improve production and reduce mortality after weaning. However, alternative pre-weaning housing and management systems that promote the development of natural social behaviors of piglets before weaning have recently received more attention. Co-mingling of non-littermates before weaning is a strategy that aims to initiate social interactions prior to weaning. The separation of the litter from the sow in the period leading up to weaning, termed intermittent suckling, aims to enhance the gradual separation from the sow. In addition, these practices encourage the young pig to learn explorative nutrient sourcing. Altogether, they may reduce weaning-associated stress. In this review, these strategies are defined, and their effects on behavior, performance, mortality, gastrointestinal function and immunocompetence are described. Though these strategies may be adapted to a commercial setting, it also becomes clear that many factors can contribute to the success of these strategies.

Since 2006, the use of growth-promoting antibiotics has been banned throughout the European Union. To meet the expectations of livestock farmers, various studies have been carried out with the use of lactic acid bacteria. Scientists are trying to obtain the antimicrobial effect against the most common pathogens in large-scale farms. Supplementing the diet of broilers with probiotics (live, nonpathogenic microorganisms) stabilized the intestinal microbiota, which improved the results of body weight gain (BWG) and feed intake (FI). The positive effect of probiotics based on lactic acid bacteria has been shown to prevent the occurrence of diarrhea during piglet weaning. The antagonistic activity of postbiotics (inanimate bacteria, cell components, or post-fermentation by-products) from post-culture media after lactobacilli cultures has been proven on Staphylococcus aureus-the pathogen most often responsible for causing mastitis among dairy cows. The article aims to present the latest research examining the antagonistic effect of lactic acid bacteria on the most common pathogens in broilers, piglets, pigs, and cow farms.

Increased attention on the effects of the global push for a larger litter size has focused on the increased occurrence of piglets with decreased viability, which have lighter birthweights and a reduced ability to thrive in early life. To improve their odds of survival, interventions must be timely and targeted. This requires the early identification of low-viability pigs and appropriate strategies to manage them. Using novel measures such as abdominal circumference and crown to the rump length in conjunction with birth weight may provide an improved protocol for the identification of those at most risk of preweaning mortality. Further, identifying these at-risk piglets allows interventions to increase their colostrum intake and heat provisions shortly following birth. The appropriate management of the pre- and post-partum sows will improve the chances of decreasing the number of piglets born with lower viability. However, this outcome is constrained by limitations in resources such as technology and staffing. If these challenges can be overcome, it will allow for greater control and increased effectiveness in the implementation of current and new management strategies.

Newly weaned pig encounters psychosocial, physical, and nutritional stressors simultaneously when their immune system is not fully developed. These stressors have a cumulative effect on the immune response that contributes to the post-weaning growth lag which is characterized by depression in feed intake, reduced or negative growth rates, and increased susceptibility to pathogens in the first 24 to 48 h post-weaning. Consequently, the intestinal integrity, and digestive and absorptive capacity are impaired, and there is an increase in intestinal oxidative stress. It also causes the shifts in the taxonomic and functional properties of intestinal microbiome abruptly, thereby adversely affecting the health and performance of animals. It has been suggested that the effects of weaning stress on immune functions, intestinal barrier functions, and nervous system function in early weaned pigs extends into adulthood. The inclusion of different types of feed additives into the diet have been reported to alleviate the negative effects of weaning stress. The objective of this paper was to provide an overview on how the weaning stress affects gut health and the impact it has on production efficiencies, as well as the mechanistic aspects of several feed additives applied in reducing the weaning associated gut health problems and performance inefficiencies.

In addition to a multifactorial etiology of nutritional, social and environmental stressors, post-weaning diarrhea (PWD) in pigs is often related to infection with specific pathogens such as enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC). In swine farming operations, the incidence of PWD is a global concern and is associated with an unbalanced gut status, resulting in poor performance and high antimicrobial consumption via prophylaxis and metaphylaxis. Increases in antimicrobial resistance are reinforcing an already-urgent need for sustainable, alternative solutions for maintaining optimal gut health in livestock. Tannin-rich plants and extracts contain bioactive compounds that could be of great interest in this respect. This review describes how the use of tannins around weaning could be beneficial for pigs, with special emphasis on the reduction of ETEC-related PWD. An overview of the broad chemical diversity of tannins is presented together with their physicochemical and biological properties, as well as how they may be metabolized in the digestive tract. The pharmacological effects exerted by tannins are summarized; more precisely, the possible mechanisms by which tannins can disrupt the different steps of the pathogenesis of ETEC-related PWD are highlighted. The factors affecting the bioactivity of tannins are also discussed, shedding light on the importance of chemical structure among different tannins.

Mammary development takes place during the growing and gestation periods in swine but it also continues after farrowing. In fact, a significant proportion of mammary accretion occurs during lactation and is stimulated by suckling. After piglets are weaned, there is involution of the mammary glands and the process of mammogenesis starts again during the next parity. Suckling of a teat for the first 12 to 14 h after farrowing is not sufficient to maintain lactation, and mammary involution accompanied by alterations in gene transcription will take place. The involution process is reversible within 1 day postpartum but is not reversible if a mammary gland is unsuckled for 3 days. Mammary glands that undergo involution early in lactation do not show further involution in the post-weaning period. The action of a teat being suckled does not only affect mammary development in the ongoing lactation but it also impacts mammogenesis in the following lactation. Indeed, when a mammary gland is not suckled in first parity it has a diminished development and lower milk yield in second parity. Furthermore, it was shown that suckling of a teat for only the first 2 days postpartum in primiparous sows is sufficient to ensure optimal mammary development and milk yield from that teat in the next lactation. The behavior of nursing piglets in early lactation is also affected by whether or not a teat was previously used. Such knowledge on lactation biology is essential in order to develop the best adapted management strategies for the currently used hyperprolific sow lines and to optimize growth rate of their piglets. This review gives an update on the role of suckling for mammary development in lactating sows and on how it can affect management strategies of primiparous sows.