EN
The aim of study was to investigate the effect of different dietary carbohydrate sources (couch grass, FOS or yeast cell walls, MOS) on the performance of piglets from birth to 84-days-of-life, diarrhea incidences, as well as on some blood parameters. A total of 286 piglets (Polish Landrace x Pietrain) of both sexes, from twenty seven litters, were used. Piglets were weaned at 28-days-of-age. From the second-week-of-age until the 14th day after weaning, the piglets were fed a commercial Prestarter mixture ad libitum, and from 42th to 84th-day-of-age they were fed a Starter diet. The mixtures did not contain antibiotics. The piglets of group I (control) received basal diets, group II (MOS) - the same diets, supplemented with a yeast cell wall preparation (Bio-Mos) and group III (FOS) - with couch grass. The level of MOS supplementation (3 g/kg diet) and couch grass (FOS) in meal form was added at the level of a 5 g/kg diet. Body weight was measured at birth, at the weaning period and at the end of the trial (84th-day-of-life). Feed intake was recorded weekly. The health status of the piglets and their diarrhea incidences were recorded daily. The mortality of piglets from birth till weaning and up until 12-weeks-of-life were recorded as well. The piglet’s diarrhea incidences (number of piglets and periods of duration) were also noted. Blood for analytical tests was taken at weaning (28th day) and on day 56 and 84 after birth from 24 piglets (4 gilts and 4 barrows from each group). The number of red blood cells (RBC), hemoglobin, hematocrit, number of white blood cells (WBC), neutrophiles, eosinophiles, basophiles, lymphocytes and monocytes in whole blood and total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and triglycerides in blood plasma were determined. The MOS or FOS supplement may be beneficial in piglet rearing as it reduces the piglet losses in the whole rearing period (from birth to 84 days) from 12.24% in the control group (without AGP) to 6.32% in the group fed the mixture supplemented with MOS and to 8.25% with FOS. These additives induced advantageous performance traits and lowered the level of total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol.