Medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA) are known to improve postweaning growth performance in pigs by supporting energy balance and reducing postweaning diarrhea. This study evaluated the effect of increasing dietary MCFA levels up to 1.0%, replacing soybean oil, on growth performance, fecal score, energy status, gut health, and immune responses in nursery pigs fed high-protein diets (24% crude protein) for 35 d. Increasing MCFA levels enhanced growth rate in the late nursery period and improved overall feed efficiency, although feed intake was slightly reduced in early nursery period potentially due to satiety effects of MCFA. Increasing MCFA levels also improved fecal consistency and energy status, while reducing gut permeability and pro-inflammatory cytokines, without affecting antioxidant capacity. Fecal short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) concentrations increased with increasing MCFA levels in the late nursery period. Overall, increasing dietary MCFA supplementation levels up to 1.0% in high-protein diets enhanced growth rate, feed efficiency, and fecal consistency and improved energy status, gut barrier function, immunity, and fecal SCFA production in nursery pigs.

Read the full article in the Journal of Animal Science.