Swine Probiotics Improve Weight Gain, Reduce Manure

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) studies suggest that feeding pigs a probiotic could mean less manure to manage.

Pig producers supplementing livestock feed with dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) and other coproducts generated from biofuel production have found the hard-to-digest fiber increases the production of manure.

In their study, microbiologists at the ARS Agroecosystems Management Research Unit in Ames, Iowa, fed pigs either a typical diet or a high-fiber diet. The high-fiber diet contained 10 percent soybean hulls and 20 percent corn DDGS.

The pigs were also given bacterial supplements the scientists developed from different strains of Bacteroides ovatus, which had been obtained from human fecal samples and cultured in fiber-rich media.

Pigs that received the bacterial supplements reduced their manure output by 20 percent. These pigs also gained more weight and had improved blood cholesterol and glucose levels, both indications of an improved energy status, compared to pigs not given probiotics.

The probiotic could improve pig performance and reduce manure volumes, which in turn would increase producer profits and reduce the environmental footprint of pork production. Probiotics can be fed in a liquid supplement or possibly freeze-dried and mixed with feed.

Sources: Journal of Animal Science; Agricultural Research

Artwork: Image Number K9441-1
Probiotics and Prebiotics for Pigs
Animal Husbandry and Livestock Books
Farm Supply
Feed & Hay