Supplemental milk replacer has also been shown to elicit a positive response in pre-weaning growth performance, which may help to reduce pre-weaning mortality. Likewise, socialization by allowing pigs to mix before weaning improves social skills, minimizing mixing stress and aggression related injury immediately post-weaning. Providing creep feed to pigs during lactation is another reliable strategy that has been shown to increase immediate post-weaning FI by acclimating pigs to solid feed prior to weaning. Research consistently demonstrates that weaning older, more developmentally mature pigs helps prevent many of the adverse GI effects associated with weaning stress. Reducing nutrient disruption post-weaning can be accomplished through the implementation of management and nutritional strategies. In this review, our objective is to describe the different pre-weaning strategies that can be used to minimize nutrient intake disruption and improve FI in the immediate post-weaning period. During this time the piglet’s gastrointestinal (GI) system is also undergoing extensive epithelial, immune and nervous system development.

Weaning is a crucial phase of swine production marked by a multitude of biological and environmental stressors, which have a significant impact on immediate post-weaning behavior and feed intake (FI). A creep feeder with a hopper may create more eaters with less feed wastage. Implications: The proper choice of creep feeder is essential to manage creep feeding and to maximize the number of eaters in the litter. However, the rotary feeder with the hopper produced the highest proportion of pigs consuming creep feed within the litter (80% P <. Litters provided creep feed using the rotary feeder with the hopper had 2.7 times lower total creep-feed disappearance than litters using the rotary feeder without the hopper and the pan feeder (P <. 05) in preweaning gains and weaning weights of pigs and litters using the different types of creep feeder. Piglets were categorized as “eaters” when either of the two fecal samples was colored green otherwise, they were categorized as “non-eaters.” Pigs were weighed Days 0 (birth), 18, and 21, and litter creep-feed disappearance was determined daily. Fecal samples were collected from piglets with sterile swabs 3 to 12 hours before weaning.

A creep diet with 1.0% chromic oxide was offered ad libitum from Day 18 until weaning (Day 21). Materials and methods: A total of 54 sows and their litters were assigned to three treatments: rotary feeder with hopper, rotary feeder without hopper, and pan feeder. Objective: To determine the effects of creep feeder design and feed accessibility on preweaning performance and the proportion of eaters of creep feed.

Creep feeder