Flavored Vitamin–Mineral Supplementation via Water Improves the Performance of Newly Weaned Piglets

TL;DR

Adding flavored vitamins and minerals to water helps newly weaned piglets gain weight faster and stay healthier.

Contribution

A flavored vitamin–mineral supplement in water improved piglet performance, redox status, and reduced diarrhea.

Findings

Piglets given supplements for 10 days after weaning had higher weight gain and water intake.

Supplementation reduced oxidative stress markers in blood and erythrocytes.

The 10-day supplementation reduced diarrhea incidence throughout the study.

Abstract

The aim was to evaluate the supplementation of weaned piglets using a water‐soluble flavored vitamin–mineral mixture. Ninety weaned piglets were distributed in a randomized block design with three treatments: control (CON), no supplement during nursery; W5D, with supplementation for 5 days after weaning and another 5 days before the end of Phase 3 and beginning of Phase 4; and W10D, with supplementation during the first 10 days after weaning. The W10D showed higher daily weight gain (p = 0.047) in Phase 3 and higher water expenditure during Phase 3 and Phase 4 (p < 0.05). The W5D and W10D reduced superoxide dismutase activity in erythrocytes and malondialdehyde concentration in plasma, indicating a positive effect on redox status. Behavioral assessment showed that W10D piglets spent more time on the feeder in the first 24 h after weaning compared with other groups (p = 0.045). Incidence of diarrhea was lower in the W5D and W10D treatments during the last phase (p = 0.002) and lower for the W10D treatment throughout the entire experimental period (p < 0.001). In conclusion, supplementation of a flavored vitamin–mineral mixture via water during the first 10 days postweaning improves the performance of piglets, with beneficial effects on redox status, behavior, and a reduction in the incidence of diarrhea.