Abstract:

Effects of in-feed antimicrobial alternatives and antimicrobials on nursery pig performance and weight variation

Timothy P. Keegan, MS; Steve S. Dritz, DVM, PhD; Jim L. Nelssen, PhD; Joel M. DeRouchey, PhD; Mike D. Tokach, PhD; Robert D. Goodband, PhD

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Objectives: To compare the effects of several antimicrobial alternatives and in-feed antimicrobials on nursery pig performance.

Methods: In Experiment One, 720 nursery pigs were used to evaluate feeding three yeast products (LactoSacc, Alltech, Nicholasville, Kentucky; Biomate Yeast Plus, Chr Hansen BioSystems, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; BioSaf, Saf Agri, Minneapolis, Minnesota); three antimicrobial products containing bacteria (Probios and Bio-Plus 2B, Chr Hansen BioSystems) or oligosaccharides (Bio-Mos, Alltech); and the antimicrobial carbadox (Phibro Animal Health, Fairfield, New Jersey). In Experiment Two, 320 nursery pigs were used to evaluate feeding LactoSacc, Bio-Plus 2B, Bio-Mos, and carbadox in an on-farm trial. In Experiment Three, 320 nursery pigs (same commercial herd as in Experiment Two) were used to evaluate feeding carbadox, a combination of tiamulin (Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, St Joseph, Missouri) and chlortetracycline (Alpharma, Fort Lee, New Jersey), a combination of neomycin and oxytetracycline (Phibro Animal Health), and Bio-Mos.

Results: In Experiment One, in pigs fed the carbadox diet, ADG was greater (P < .05) than in pigs fed all other diets, and feed:gain was better (P < .05) than in pigs fed the control diet or the Probios diet.

In Experiment Two, performance did not differ among treatment groups and controls. In Experiment Three, pigs fed the tiamulin-chlortetracycline and neomycin-oxytetracycline diets had greater ADG and average daily feed intake compared with control pigs (P < .05). There were no differences in growth performance among control pigs and those fed the carbadox or Bio-Mos diets.

Implication: The antimicrobial alternatives evaluated did not enhance growth performance.

Keywords: nursery, antibiotic, antimicrobial, growth

RIS citationCite as: Keegan TP, Dritz SS, Nelssen JL, et al. Effects of in-feed antimicrobial alternatives and antimicrobials on nursery pig performance and weight variation. J Swine Health Prod 2005;13(1):12-18.

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