Early feeds

Initiator 4

Initiator 4 is a revolutionary creep feed for piglets in the farrowing house, typically fed from 4 days of age. In trials, it has been proven to improve pre-weaning viability, decrease weight variation, improve whole life performance and increase on-farm profitability.

Initiator 4 should be fed to appetite, approx. 1-2g per piglet at day four, up to 220-250g per piglet by day 28.

PD-Progress

Our PD-Progress range is an evolution of our Ultra XP diets, developed on the back of 5 years’ research to remove therapeutic zinc and designed to support the piglet through the post-weaning diarrhoea challenge whilst maintaining good potential for growth.

Adapted to meet the piglet’s nutrient requirements whilst facing a disease challenge
Minimises nutrient availability to bacteria
Draws on the functional benefits of raw materials
Incorporates the use of appropriate additives to support the microbiome and digestion

Removing therapeutic zinc from diets is going to require careful co-ordination of several key factors – nutrition is just one part of the solution in the smooth transition to zinc-free pig production.

In 2018, piglet performance was improved through the use of our Ultra XP range in the absence of zinc:

XP range with/without zinc	+ zinc	- zinc
ADG, g/day	337	365
ADFI, g/day	401	445
FCR	1.23	1.19
Day 20 weight, kg	14.59	15.13

(Leeds University, 2018)

8% improvement in growth rate
11% improvement in feed intake
3% improvement in feed conversion
4% improvement in day 20 weight

In 2021, building on the work of the Ultra XP range in the absence of zinc, use of the PD-Progress range resulted in:

Progress performance without zinc	XP, - zinc	Progress, - zinc
ADG, g/day	349	386
ADFI, g/day	390	407
FCR	1.12	1.05
Day 20 weight, kg	16.15	16.89

(Leeds University, 2021)

11% improvement in growth rate
4% improvement in feed intake
6% improvement in feed conversion
8% improvement in day 20 weight

Range Benefits

DIETS DESIGNED FOR REARING PIGS WITHOUT THERAPEUTIC ZINC INCLUSION

Contains highly digestible protein sources
Nutrients optimised for challenged pigs
Formulated to support the immune function

OPTIMISES GUT BARRIER FUNCTION

Encourages excellent feed intake to support a healthy gut
Nutrients specific for gut health and maturation
Formulated to low levels of anti-nutritive factors
Good energy source to epithelial cells

PROMOTES GOOD INTESTINAL FLORA

Contains probiotics, prebiotics and acids for optimal gut health
Specific raw material profiles encourage the right kind of hind gut fermentation

Why PD-Progress works

Stress in the piglet causes the gaps between the epithelial cells to become wider. This means pathogens and toxins can pass through the gut causing problems for the pig, ie. ‘leaky gut’. A piglet suffering from leaky gut will also find nutrient absorption deteriorates and therefore growth is impaired.

Getting piglets eating as quickly as possible after weaning, a key time for stress, minimises leaky gut and other health challenges. Our PD-Progress range can help because:

It’s formulated to meet the different requirements of challenged pigs
It minimises nutrient availability to bad bacteria
It’s packed with our technology to promote good gut health
It encourages excellent intakes

Progress 1 Typical usage 1kg – 3kg per piglet	A first stage diet for piglets weighing 5kg liveweight and above
Progress 2 Typical usage 1kg – 3kg per piglet	A first stage diet for piglets weighing 6kg liveweight and above
Progress 3 Typical usage 1kg – 3kg per piglet	A first stage diet for piglets weighing 7kg liveweight and above
Progress 4	A second stage diet for piglets weighing 8kg liveweight and above
Progress 5	A second stage diet for piglets weighing 9kg liveweight and above
Progress 6	A second/third stage diet to follow an appropriate starter feed programme