In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of the addition of different probiotics to commercial diets for piglets on diet digestibility, total bacterial count (TBC) of faeces, Clostridium count and growth performance. In the digestibility assay, 24 entire male pigs with an average initial body weight of 18.8 ± 0.87 kg were housed individually in metabolism cages and distributed in a completely randomised experimental design; this consisted of three treatments (probiotic-free commercial feed; commercial feed with the addition of 0.2% probiotic containing a blend of microorganisms; commercial feed with the addition of 0.1% yeast-based probiotic Saccharomyces cerevisiae boulardii) and eight replicates. The digestibility of the feeds was determined. At the end of the experiment, 25 grams of faeces were collected for microbiological analysis. In the subsequent experiment, 150 crossbred piglets (entire males and females), weaned at 21 days of age and having an average initial body weight of 6.81 ± 0.71 kg were distributed in a randomised complete block design, with six treatments repeated twice in the first and thrice in the second block, totaling five replicates and five pigs per experimental unit. The treatments, arranged in a 3 x 2 factorial arrangement, consisted of a combination of the three experimental diets used in the digestibility test and two genders. The growth performance in the nursery was evaluated during the following phases: pre-starter I (21 to 29 days), pre-starter I and II (21 to 40 days) and the total period (21 to 63 days). There was an effect (p < 0.05) of the diets on the digestible protein and the logarithm of the TBC. There was no effect (p > 0.05) of the interaction or the diets on the growth performance of the pigs in any of the phases. Both in the entire experimental period and in the pre-starter I and II phases, male pigs presented better feed conversion (p < 0.05) than females. There was an improvement in the apparent digestibility of the crude protein of the feed when the pigs were fed commercial feed containing probiotics. Pigs fed commercial feed containing probiotics based on yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae boulardii presented a reduced TBC in their faeces. Commercial feed containing probiotics did not influence the growth performance parameters of nursery phase piglets.

In this study, the objective was to assess the growth performance, rectal microbiological profile, serum and immunological standards, and incidence of diarrhoea in piglets in the nursery phase fed diets with and without the addition of coated sodium butyrate 30% (SB). A total of 80 crossbred piglets (40 entire males and 40 females), with an average initial body weight of 9.47 ± 1.03 kg, were distributed in a randomised block design, with four treatments repeated twice in the two blocks and five piglets of the same gender per experimental unit. The treatments comprised a combination of two feeds, formulated based on corn and soybean meal with and without 0.1% SB inclusion as an additional product, and both genders, fed from of the pre-starter I diet. SB did not affect (p > 0.05) the growth performance and rectal microbiological profile of the piglets, but efficiently (p = 0.05) controlled the incidence of diarrhoea. The average values of the characteristics measured in the blood of the piglets were within the normal physiological parameters of the species. The inclusion of SB in commercial feed did not alter the growth performance and rectal microbiological profile of nursery piglets under low sanitary challenge conditions. However, the organic acid efficiently reduced gastrointestinal disorders that cause diarrhoea, with diarrhoea incidence rates of 2.68 and 4.46% for piglets fed with and without the inclusion of the additional organic acid, respectively.

The goal of this study was to assess the effect of farm size (FS) and farrowing order (FO) on the occurrence of endoparasites eggs in commercial sows housed in maternity and gestation areas during the period from May to July 2014. Forty-three piglet production units were classified by FS: small (100 to 250 sows), medium (251 to 510 sows), large (511 to 1,000 sows) and very large (more than 1,000 sows). Sows were classified by FO: up to two, three to five or more than five parturitions. Faecal samples were processed using the simple flotation technique in a hypersaturated salt solution (30-35% NaCl). The results revealed that the overall prevalence of gastrointestinal endoparasites obtained in this study was 12.47%, in that 4.64% were positive for Ascaris suum, 0.56% for Trichuris suis and 8.27% for coccidia oocysts. The prevalence of endoparasites obtained for small and medium size farm, and for large and very large farm was 34.58% and 15.52%, respectively. In conclusion, the study shows that more than half of the farms were positive for A. suum and coccidia oocysts, but mainly for younger females. In general, sows with up to two parturitions and small farms showed a higher endoparasites percentage.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of supplementation of pig diets in the growth and termination phases with different calcium sources. In experiment I, 36 whole males were distributed in randomized blocks in six groups, with six replications. A basal diet was formulated to meet the animals' nutritional requirements except for calcium (0.09%), and the sources evaluated (calcitic limestone, monodicalcium phosphate, calcinated bone flour, and oyster flour) replaced the basal diet to provide 0.59% of total calcium. To determine the endogenous calcium, a diet containing low calcium (0.019%) was given simultaneously to another group of animals. Feces and urine were collected for determination the coefficients of apparent and true digestibility. In experiment II, 160 piglets were distributed in randomized blocks in four treatments, with five replications and four animals per experimental unit. Carcass and performance parameters, calcium concentration in bone and serum, and bone parameters were evaluated. The data were submitted to analysis of variance and factorial. The calcium source did not influence the digestibility coefficients determined by total collection (P > 0.05). The digestibility of Ca from oyster flour estimated by collection with an indicator was higher than that from the other sources (P < 0.05). Calcium sources did not interfere in the evaluated parameters (P > 0.05). The sources studied in this work can be used to supplement growing pigs' diets.