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Report no. 596

Abstract
The effect of meal feed on the prevalence of Lawsonia, diarrhoea and on productivity was studied in a herd with pigs in the growth period 7 to 100 kg.

Dry feed was used in the herd. The trial comprised the following two groups:

Compared with pelleted feed in the finisher period, meal feed reduced the treatments for diarrhoea (from 0.57 to 0.38 days), and the days with poor faecal score in the pen (from 12.0 to 8.8 days). Both differences were significant. There was a tendency (p=0.06) towards a reduced shedding of Lawsonia in the finisher period when meal feed was used (31% Lawsonia-positive pens with meal feed versus 43% with pelleted feed) and this reduction was largely identical with what has been found previously. There was furthermore a tendency (p=0.06) towards reduced mortality in the finisher period when meal feed was used (1.1% with meal feed and 2.1% with pelleted feed).

The pigs given pelleted feed achieved the best productivity. This was the case in both the weaner period and the finisher period when the productivity was significantly lower among the pigs given meal feed compared with the pigs given pelleted feed.

Overall, the trial showed that meal feed reduced the prevalence of diarrhoea, resulted in better faecal score, and that there was a tendency to reduced shedding of Lawsonia, and a reduced mortality in the finisher period when meal feed was used. However, meal feed resulted in a significantly poorer productivity compared with pelleted feed. The relatively small effect on the number of treatments for diarrhoea and thereby on the consumption of medication must be weighted against the poorer productivity when meal feed is used. Whether it is possible to reduce diarrhoea by only using meal feed in the period with diarrhoea problems could not be established in this trial, nor could it be established whether the effect of meal feed will be more distinctive in herds with a higher level of treatment than that of the selected herd. The effect of meal feed on Lawsonia, diarrhoea and productivity will subsequently be studied in 1-2 herds.

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