Combined effects of probiotics and specific IgY antibody on growth performance and diarrhea in suckling piglets

Diarrhea in suckling piglets is a common issue that reduces weight gain and causes economic losses to the swine industry worldwide. This study aimed to identify dietary supplements for suckling piglets that improve growth and reduce diarrhea in suckling piglets. A total of 60 sows and their piglets (660 Yorkshire x Landrace piglets) were randomly assigned to 4 treatments, with 3 replications per treatment and 5 sows with their piglets per replicate. Treatment 1 (NT-1) served as the control, where pigs were fed a basal diet without supplementation of probiotics or IgY antibodies; Pigs in NT-2 were fed a basal diet supplemented with probiotics; Those in NT-3 were fed a basal diet supplemented with IgY antibodies, and pigs in NT-4 were fed a basal diet supplemented with a combination of probiotics and IgY antibodies. The results showed that weight gain in NT-4 was the highest, followed by NT-2 and NT-3, while NT-1 had the lowest. These differences in weight gain were significant (P < 0.05). Additionally, the feed conversion ratio (FCR) was highest in NT-1, followed by NT-3, NT-2, and lowest in NT-4. The diarrhea rate was lowest for NT-4 (0.84% and 0.61% before and after 14 days of age, respectively), followed by NT-2, NT-3, and highest for NT-1 (6.39% and 8.60% before and after 14 days of age, respectively). The differences in diarrhea rates were statistically significant (P < 0.05). In summary, combining probiotics with IgY antibodies was effective in promoting weight gain, improving feed conversion efficiency, and minimizing diarrhea in suckling piglets.