Tackling today’s challenges in swine rearing

Swine producers are faced with legislative pressure, increased feed costs, and high consumer expectations. As a result, nutritionists need to be equipped with a toolbox of options to improve feed efficiency and grow healthier pigs.

Pathogen control and gut health: a priority in swine farming

Pathogens are a key threat to swine performance. Inclusion of organic acid blends in feed can be an effective means to preventing growth of bacteria like E. coli.

During the postweaning period, piglets are extremely susceptible to all kinds of digestive challenges because of environmental, physiological, dietary, and social stress factors. The change from easily digestible sow milk to solid feed places a particularly heavy burden on the weaned piglets’ immature digestive systems.

Those looking for efficient solutions to control pathogen levels and improve nutrient utilization in swine can turn to Eastman. With our long heritage providing organic acids and blends to the animal nutrition industry and our in-house technical expertise, we can help you get the best out of your organic acid combinations and usage strategy.

Feed acidification is extremely important for swine—especially for piglets. Formic acid-based blends can have a positive impact on animal health, providing multiple benefits. Lowering the stomach pH with Eastman Acitra to increase protein digestion in piglets and inhibiting microbial growth in the stomach can result in an optimal intestinal balance.

Eastman Acitra Plus, combining short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) and medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA), can inhibit a broader range of microbes, tackling both gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria; they also reach the proximal gut.

GBM Performant, our coated, calcium butyrate solution, supports microbial balance, gut mucosal barrier, and gut physiology. All this together results in healthier swine, more efficient nutrient utilization, and better performance.

Combining coated calcium butyrate with SCFA and MCFA and sodium benzoate (Eastman Protural) is an effective feeding strategy to alleviate postweaning complications, improving postweaning growth performance. The optimal blend or combination will depend on animal age, customer needs, objectives, and preference.

The addition of organic acids to liquid feed or drinking water can have major advantages. The biggest is the flexibility in the control of certain pathogens in contrast to in-feed acid supplementation. Water is the most essential nutrient for livestock; choosing the right solution for water acidification is a vital part of the overall feeding strategy. The supplementation of organic acids in water can help maintain healthy swine gut microflora, resulting in better animal performance.

Discover our brands offering gut health solutions for swine.

Certain statements may not be applicable in all geographical regions. Product labeling and associated claims may differ based on government requirements.