The general topic of the 22nd BOKU Symposium Animal Nutrition 2024 was “Livestock in nutrient cycles: A dialogue between nutrition physiology and the environment“. We were again represented with a scientific contribution.

The title of our poster was: “Effects of a special feeding concept in sows and piglets on rearing performance in the suckling period”.

The background:
We all know that it is important to influence intestinal development as early as possible to give the piglet the best possible conditions for a successful start – ideally already before birth through the mother sow‘s diet. Medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA) such as lauric acid are of particular importance in animal nutrition due to their antibacterial and energy-providing properties.

In a practical trial two different nutritional regimes were investigated together in one study: MCFA in the lactation feed together with promoting early feed intake of the suckling piglet by administration of a dietary feed (= „Gut it!“ concept). The aim of the present study was therefore to examine the effects of a special feeding concept for sows and piglets on the rearing performance during the suckling period.