A significant fraction (≈ 50%) of methionine (Met) in the diet of weaned pigs is retained by the portal drained viscera (Stoll, et al. 1998). The consequent reduction in extraintestinal availability of Met may compromise piglet performance. Met regeneration in hepatic and renal tissues is achieved through combination of a methyl group from either N5-methyl-tetrahydrafolate or from betaine (trimethyl-glycine) with the Met derivative homocysteine. Supplementing the diet with betaine might therefore improve extraintestinal Met availability and piglet performance. Furthermore, betaine is an osmolyte and has been shown to stabilize or protect the intestinal epithelial structure of broilers under conditions of intestinal stress (Kettunen, et al. 2001). Provision of supplementary betaine in the diet of the newly weaned pig may thus reduce the extent of small intestine (SI) morphological degeneration characteristic of the early post-weaning period. The study reported here was designed to test these hypotheses.

Wheat and wheat by-products vary in their available energy and protein content (Batterham et al., 1980) leading to unpredictable growth rate and feed use efficiency. Carbohydrase enzymes, targeting the non-starch polysaccharides in these raw materials, may improve their nutrient availability. However, questions remain over the relationship between the quality of the dietary raw materials and the level of exogenous enzyme activity required in the feed to elicit a response from pigs. Hence, the response of pigs to the use of a fungal xylanase, produced by Trichoderma longibrachiatum, was studied in diets containing wheat and wheat by-products.

Poor feed intake of conventional dry diets in the immediate post-weaning period can be a major factor limiting potential growth rate in the young pig. Feeding systems based on the automatic dispensing of liquid milk -substitute have been developed over the last 10-15 years but they have not achieved widespread usage within the U.K. industry for various reasons. Several studies have shown, however, the potential benefit of offering liquid or slurry diets over this critical period around weaning (eg. English, Maclean and MacPherson 1988; Anon 1991). Deprez et a] (1987) also demonstrated its beneficial effects on the morphology of the small intestine post-weaning. The present study examined the use of an experimental automated feeder (‘Autofeeder’, patent applied for) which could dispense a conventional pelleted starter diet plus water (1:1 ratio) 6, 8, 12 or 24 times throughout the day in varying quantities. It was compared against a conventional dry hopper (control) with ad libitum feeding.

Offering dry food to piglets prior to weaning at 3 weeks of age is a common commercial practice. Although it familiarises animals to dry food there is little quantitative information on the effects of the amount of food eaten on the young pigs' ability to utilise nutrients in the post-weaning period. In this preliminary study we compared the digestive utilisation of two diets (Table 1) based on either skimmed milk powder (diet M) or soya bean meal (diet S). Variations in pre-weaning food intake between individuals were imposed by the use of gavage feeding. No other supplementary food was offered before weaning.