Nutrition Notes Evaluation of a 2 Phase Vs. 1 Phase Starter Program During The First 14 Days Post-Weaning Facebook Twitter LinkedIn There are some nursery unit managers who would prefer using one starter product in bulk during the first 14 days post-weaning as opposed to bringing in 3 to 4 pounds of a bagged starter followed by 6 to 7 pounds of another starter in bulk. The advantages to using one starter in bulk would be simplicity and less labor in handling bags of the first starter in a two-phase program. While a two-phase starter program would be the most efficient biologically in feeding a pig, we formulated a diet that contained a blend of ingredients and nutrients from both of the two-phase starters to create a single starter product. This product would be fed for roughly the first two weeks post-weaning. In Treatment 1, we used NexGen 12-17 for the first 7 days followed by NexGen 17-25 the next 7 days, simulating our current two-phase program with all diets fed in meal. In Treatment 2 we fed a single product for the first 14 days. The comparison of these two programs during the first two weeks post-weaning is shown in Table 1 from trials conducted at the Kent Product Development Center. Table 1. Effect of Two-Phase vs. One-Phase Starters on Performance & Economics in Pigs During Days 0-14 Treatment 1 2 2 Phase (1st 14 Days) √ - 1 Phase (1st 14 Days) - √ Common Diets (Days 14-34) √ √ Days 0-7 ADG, lb .26 .23 ADF, lb .37 .37 F/G 1.86 2.40 Cost/lb Gain, cents 58.69 65.00 Days 7-14 ADG, lb .63 .69 ADF, lb .73 .73 F/G 1.18 1.07 Cost/lb Gain, cents 24.30 29.14 Days 0-14 ADG, lb .44 .46 ADF, lb .55 .55 F/G 1.26 1.23 Cost/lb Gain, cents 30.63 3.01 Net Return, $/Pig@60cents/lb 3.11 3.01 KNG; 240 pigs/trt; 28 pens; Avg. Initial Wt., 13.8 lb During Days 0-7, pigs on the two-phase program had numerically better gain, feed efficiency and cost of gain compared to those on the one-phase diet. The poor feed efficiencies were a result of the pigs having some sickness the first few days before they started eating and growing better as observed during Days 7-14. During Days 7-14, the pigs on the one-phase program had numerically better gain and feed efficiency compared to those on the two-phase program. In contrast, cost of gain was higher on the one-phase program. After 14 days on test, the pigs performed the same between both programs with cost of gain being significantly lower on the two-phase program compared to the one-phase program along with a slightly higher net return ($0.10/pig). Net return is calculated as the value of pig gain (at $0.80/lb) minus the feed cost to put that much gain on. During Days 14-34, all pigs were fed standard NexGen 25-40 grind and mix diets for the next 20 days as shown in Table 2. Table 2. Effect of Two-Phase vs. One-Phase Starters on Performance & Economics in Pigs During Days 14-34 and Days 0-34 Treatment 1 2 2 Phase (1st 14 Days) √ - 1 Phase (1st 14 Days) - √ Common Diets (Days 14-34) √ √ Days 14-34 ADG, lb .86 .87 ADF, lb 1.32 1.37 F/G 1.54 1.59 Cost/lb Gain, cents 20.09 20.70 Days 0-34 ADG, lb .69 .70 ADF, lb 1.00 1.04 F/G 1.46 1.49 Cost/lb Gain, 22.78 24.00 Net Return, $/Pig@60cents/lb 8.72 8.53 KNG; 240 pigs/trt; 28 pens; Avg. Initial Wt., 13.8 lb During Days 14-34, when pigs were all fed similar diets, there were no statistical differences in performance and cost of gain. Overall (Days 0-34), we had similar performance with a small numerical advantage in cost gain and net return ($0.19/pig) for pigs fed the two-phase starters during Days 0-14 compared to the one-phase starter during Days 0-14. DISCUSSION: For producers who want to use a two-phase starter program during Days 0-14, there are small advantages in cost of gain and a slightly higher net return by feeding pigs two separate diets. However, the product we formulated to be used as a “1 Starter Product” for the first 14 days does result in solid performance with the benefit of a producer ordering this product in bulk only and avoiding bags and labor costs. So this product (NexGen 1 Phase) will now be offered for producers wanting this option in their nursery programs. Download PDF Related Nutrition Notes Low Soybean Meal Ration Recommendations For NexGen® Starter Program Soybean meal is a valuable protein source in pig diets. It has an ideal blend of amino acids, which comes very close to meeting the nutritional requirements of growing pigs…. Read More Supplemental Amino Acids In NexGen® Starters By James Smith, Ph.D., Senior Technical Swine Nutritionist, and Michael Edmonds, Ph.D., Vice President, Swine and Poultry Nutrition Conducting amino acid studies to fine-tune our pig starters are one of… Read More Fortification Of NexGen® Starters With Kent Natural Yeast By James Smith, Ph.D., Senior Technical Swine Nutritionist, and Michael Edmonds, Ph.D., Vice President, Swine and Poultry Nutrition Developing nursery feeding programs to enhance the growth, efficiency and health of… Read More Want to learn more from KNG research? Give us your email address to be notified when we publish new Nutrition Notes articles.
