THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CREEP FEEDING-BEHAVIOR OF PIGLETS AND ADAPTATION TO WEANING - EFFECT OF DIET QUALITY

Individual variation in creep feed intake and its relation to adaptati on to weaning were studied in piglets weaned at 4 wk of age. The anima ls received either a ''low-complexity'' creep-starter diet based on co m, barley and soybean meal (12 litters), or a ''high-complexity'', med icated, commercial diet without soybean meal (12 litters). Diets were fed as creep feed during the 2 wk before weaning, and as the sole diet during the 2 wk after weaning. Creep feeding behavior of piglets was monitored by video recording. Pigs fed the high-complexity diet consum ed more creep feed (P < 0.05), tended to gain more during the week bef ore weaning (P < 0.10), and converted feed more efficiently arid gaine d more weight in the 2 wk after weaning (P < 0.01). Use of creep feed varied greatly among individual littermates. Multiple regression analy sis showed that on the high-complexity diet, pigs that used creep feed more than their littermates tended to be those with low gains in week s 1-3 after birth (P < 0.001), and tended to gain more weight during t he week before and during the 2 wk after weaning (P < 0.01). The trend s were consistent but weaker with the low-complexity diet. However, pr edictive power was low, with creep feeding accounting for only 4% of i ndividual variation in post-weaning gain on the high-complexity diet a nd 1% on the low. Regardless of diet quality, therefore, creep feeding remained highly variable and only weakly related to weight gains duri ng the 2 wk after weaning.