Background

It is widely accepted that feed intake closely follows and is stimulated by water intake. Simply put, “you won’t eat if you’re thirsty”. So, improving water intake is especially important in pigs during the weaning transition phase to reduce the post-weaning performance slump.

Especially in summer, we need to ensure that newly-weaned pigs get that first drink as soon as they arrive at the post-weaning site.

With our Tonisity PxW waterline product, we can guarantee a consistently higher water intake which will drive feed intake post-weaning and result in better performance. Tonisity PxW is simple to administer through ordinary waterlines.

The unique flavour profile of Tonisity PxW attracts piglets to the drinker and encourages water intake. Tonisity PxW also contains the same bioactives renowned in Tonisity Px, which improve gut health and help get the pigs through weaning transition.

Tonisity PxW Study

The R&D team recently tested Tonisity PxW against a well-known competitor product in the USA.

The study included 4,513 pigs (weaned at 21 d) over 6 batches and ran from December to July. The post-weaning (nursery) site was a high-health farm, and the piglets travelled for ~3 hours between the farrowing and the nursery site. Tonisity Px was not administered in the farrowing house.

The team used the 5-day Tonisity PxW post-weaning protocol as shown in the diagram below. The “Competitor” pigs got the competitor product, as per the manufacturer’s instructions.

Results

• 21% higher water intake against the competitor from day one arrival in the wean-finish barn
• Consistently higher water intake for the whole 5-day administration period
• Regardless of month of the year (December to July), the PxW pigs had higher water intake than the competitor pigs
• The higher water intake was consistently observed over the six study batches

Conclusions

In line with previous results, Tonisity PxW consistently improves water intake in post-weaning piglets for the first five days post weaning, even against competitors, showing a clear benefit.

You can confidently challenge your clients to use Tonisity PxW instead of the product (if any) they are currently using.

Advantages were also observed on other production indicators, so please make sure you keep an eye out for the full report in the coming weeks.