Effect of a live yeast culture in diets of weanling piglets on performances and frequency of diarrhoea

In two 6 week trials involving 330 hybrid weanling piglets (Pietrain x Seghers Hybrid), the effect of a live yeast culture (Levucell SB2-Saccharomyces cerevisiae) in starter diets on performance and frequency of diarrhoea was investigated. In trial 1, 150 piglets (weaned at 28 +/- 3 days, initial weight +/- 8.4 kg) were allotted to five dietary treatments, based on weight, sex and litter with six pigs/pen and five replicates per treatment. Treatments were: 1: control diet (17.8% crude protein, 1.14% lysine); 2: control diet + 500 g/t Levucell (SB2); 3: control diet + 1000 g/t Levucell (SB2); 4: control diet + 500 g Levucell and 40 g or 50 g virginamycin/t; 5: control diet + 40 g or 50 g Virginiamycin/t. All diets were in meal form and were fed ad libitum. In trial 2, 180 piglets (weaned at 28 +/- 3 days, initial weight +/- 8.8 kg) were similarly allotted as in trial 1 to five dietary treatments; treatments were the same as in trial 1, with the exception, however, that 50 g virginiamycin was added to the control diet instead of 40 ppm. Pigs were weight and feed consumption recorded every 2 weeks; health was recorded daily. Daily gain, daily feed intake and feed to gain ratios were similar for all dietary treatments, although treatment 4 (500 g/t SB2 + 40 or 50 ppm virginiamycin) resulted in a small but not significant improvement in performance. The addition of the yeast culture did not significantly affect diarrhoea.