Table 1.

Effect of nursery treatment and time after weaning on jejunal and ileal histomorphology

	Day 21 of age1		Day 28 of age		Day 59 of age		SEM3	P-values2
	HIGH	LOW	HIGH	LOW	HIGH	LOW		Nursery	Time	Nursery * Time
No.4	28	28	28	28	28	28
Jejunum
Villus height (VH), μm	475bc	534b	416cd	376d	615a	663a	32	0.156	<0.001	0.018
Villus width, μm	109	108	100	107	133	132	5	0.660	<0.001	0.587
Crypt depth (CD), μm	44	38	45	43	49	50	2	0.134	<0.001	0.188
Crypt width, μm	169	177	259	277	275	263	13	0.624	<0.001	0.373
Absorptive capacity, μm2	10.1ab	11.2a	8.6bc	7.7c	10.5a	11.4a	0.4	0.233	<0.001	0.018
VH:CD	3.2	3.5	1.6	1.4	2.5	2.7	0.15	0.483	<0.001	0.198
Ileum
Villus height, μm	539b	650a	401c	374c	718a	726a	39	0.107	<0.001	0.014
Villus width, μm	109	107	109	116	129	123	5	0.911	0.0004	0.331
Crypt depth, μm	38	44	47	48	53	52	4	0.694	0.0041	0.570
Crypt width, μm	169	165	256	283	264	263	14	0.395	<0.001	0.239
Absorptive capacity, μm2	11.2	12.5	7.9	7.2	12.4	12.6	0.7	0.489	<0.001	0.097
VH:CD	3.2ab	3.9a	1.6c	1.4c	2.9b	2.9b	0.23	0.331	<0.001	0.030

Pigs were weaned at 21 d of age and received either HIGH- (contained multiple, animal protein sources) or LOW- (contained corn and soybean meal as the main protein sources) complexity nursery diets.

P-values for the main effects of nursery treatment, time, and the interaction between nursery treatment and time.

Maximum value for the standard error of the means.

Number of litters evaluated.

Within a row, means without a common superscript differ, P < 0.05.