Social, nutritional and environmental stressors are involved in weaning and can activate an immune response in piglets. To solve this, they are often fed a low level of antibiotics. This is being phased out by Health Canada so alternative strategies are needed to help the piglets cope. Flaxseed is rich in omega 3 fatty acids which have many health benefits, including anti-inflammatory properties and can be transferred through the milk of the sow. Sows fed flaxseed had higher omega 3 fatty acids in their milk. When piglets are raised in a high health situation, antibiotics used in feed post-weaning have no benefit. When piglets were weaned from the sow with higher fatty acids, they had lower white blood cell counts. Weaning at 3 weeks of age may be beneficial if the exit weights from the nursery are similar to the exit weights of 4 week old weaned pigs.
Can Flaxseed Replace Antibiotics in Nursery Diets (full article)
