Table 2.
Effects of treatments on the performance of piglets.
| Item | Control | BA40 | Probiotics | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number at birth, live | 12.25 ± 0.75 | 12.00 ± 0.71 | 11.75 ± 0.47 | 0.867 |
| Number at weaning | 11 ± 0.41 | 11.00 ± 0.71 | 10.50 ± 0.50 | 0.767 |
| Weaning alive rate1, % | 90.8 ± 0.07 | 91.6 ± 0.004 | 90.6 ± 0.04 | 0.948 |
| Litter weight at birth, kg | 20.95 ± 1.06 | 19.10 ± 0.74 | 20.12 ± 0.73 | 0.316 |
| Weight at birth2, kg | 1.76 ± 0.11 | 1.63 ± 0.06 | 1.74 ± 0.12 | 0.623 |
| Litter weight at weaning, kg | 90.46 ± 4.11 | 95.59 ± 6.01 | 88.11 ± 8.94 | 0.728 |
| Weight at weaning3, kg | 8.28 ± 0.60 | 8.75 ± 0.60 | 8.32 ± 0.51 | 0.816 |
| Litter weight gain4, kg | 69.03 ± 4.62 | 76.1 ± 5.67 | 67.79 ± 9.35 | 0.665 |
| Weight gain5, kg | 6.52 ± 0.70 | 7.07 ± 0.56 | 6.63 ± 0.57 | 0.755 |
| Diarrhea incidence6, % | 3.08 ± 0.38a | 1.53 ± 0.21b | 2.85 ± 0.25a | 0.007 |
BA40 = Bacillus amyloliquefaciens 40.
a,bMeans within a row with different superscripts significantly differ (P < 0.05).
1
Weaning alive rate = [litter size at weaning (live) - litter size at birth (live)]/litter size at birth (live).
2
Piglet weight at birth = litter weight at birth/litter size at birth (live).
3
Piglet weight at weaning = litter weight at weaning/litter size at weaning (live).
4
Litter weight gain = litter weight at weaning - litter weight at birth.
5
Piglet weight gain = piglet weight at weaning - piglet weight at birth.
6
Diarrhea incidence = total diarrhea piglets/[litter size at birth (live) × trial days].