With the zinc oxide ban now fully implemented, ForFarmers specialists explain the importance of feeding the right nutrients for gut health.
During the critical weeks of piglets’ lives when nutrition and gut health are so important, producers need to ensure they are supplied with adequate diets that deal with post-weaning challenges.
Using knowledge of the nutrient kinetics of fibre, starch and protein, ForFarmers says it has delivered a formulation that provides highly digestible nutrients to continue to support good gut health.
Balanced mineral levels and a blend of amino acids also help avoid gut disorder and looseness, and this has been seen to reduce post-weaning stress.
Every farm will be different, and every litter of piglets may have unique challenges, so there is never just one solution.
“Without the medicinal benefits of zinc oxide, we need to look holistically to ensure nutrition supports health. It is critical that a more bespoke approach is taken,” said Sam Bradley, ForFarmers pig technical manager. “One-size-fits-all ranges won’t necessarily fulfil the requirements of the piglets and early health challenges.”
Ms Bradley, who launched ForFarmers’ solution to zinc-free diets, VITAL, two years ago, urged producers to discuss challenges with their feed supplier to understand the performance expectations without zinc.
The VITAL range has primarily focused on achieving good gut health and reducing post-weaning stress, and it has yielded positive results on several customer farms.
Following the phased removal of zinc oxide from piglet diets, a large number of producers have switched to using the diets, with uptake tripling in the past two months, as the ban was fully implemented.
ForFarmers monogastric nutritionist Dr Ade Adebiyi said: “Our approach to life after the zinc oxide ban is bespoke to each customer. We have been working closely with customers for over two years to make this transition, initially collaborating with them to understand the unit history and management and taking a closer look at piglet health status, challenges within the environment and management systems to inform decisions on piglet nutrition.
“After the ban, it is clear the solutions we offer need to be managed through a combination of factors, with nutrition, particularly in the first week after weaning, playing a central role. Understandably, pig producers are looking for guidance as they navigate this transition.”
Norfolk outdoor pig producer Helen Mutimer, of Mutimer Partnership, said: “From the first conversation with ForFarmers, we were discussing past diet regimes, health challenges, our unit environment and management. Transitioning to the VITAL diet has felt like a journey we embarked on alongside them. Consistent support has been available in past few months, with on-farm advice and a suite of tools and services, such as hygiene swabbing and regular performance reviews to ensure a positive outcome.
“Based on our experiences, we knew there would be times where piglets require extra care and support to achieve the desired good health and performance.”
ForFarmers has developed a health package that may be used in conjunction with VITAL diets to provide this extra support.
“So far, we have trialled the VIDA-plus health pack on several farms and it has substantially helped to reduce looseness and promote growth on units where gut health has previously been a problem, even when therapeutic levels of zinc oxide was previously used regularly,” Dr Adebiyi added.
“In particular, it has proven to be very effective in improving gut health in smaller piglets. We know that if we target good gut health early and promote good performance, this will also help our customers reduce their reliance on antibiotics.”
Contact our dedicated team of pig specialists for advice and how we can help your business.
