Early weaning phase is the most critical challenge in piglet development, as the associated stress often impairs production performance. Therefore, mitigating this stress and enhancing growth are the primary goals immediately after weaning. Two hundred and forty 21-d-old piglets were offered diets supplemented with octapeptin at 0, 10, 20, 40, 80 mg/kg, respectively. After the completion of the feeding trial, one piglet per pen (n = 8) with a body weight close to the group average was selected from the CON (0 mg/kg) and O80 (80 mg/kg) groups respectively based on their growth performance for analysis of intestinal morphology, immune function, and serum metabolomics. The current study demonstrated that dietary supplementation with 80 mg/kg octapeptin could improve feed conversion efficiency of the weaned piglets, which was associated with enhanced ileum development, strengthened intestinal immune function, and modulated serum metabolite profiles.

Read the full article in the Journal of Animal Science.