To support feed intake and better pig performance at a lower price, Purina Animal Nutrition has reformulated its UltraCare nursery feeds. The company also has added swine nursery feeds formulated without antibiotics or animal byproducts as an option to the UltraCare feeds line, which is part of the wean-to-finish Progress to Profit Program.

“Purina has been listening to you and has been proactively working to identify and solve problems before you have them,” said Dan Moran, senior director, swine feed marketing, Purina Animal Nutrition. “Our research shows end-of-nursery weights are the best predictor of finishing weights. We have worked to further develop nutrition to support nursery performance so you can get the best possible return on your investment.”

The first step to a successful weaning transition is encouraging feed and water intake as soon as pigs enter the nursery. Purina’s new product development team created a blend of complex compounds to enhance feed intake in early nursery pigs. The blend, which took more than a year to develop, imitates a specific aromatic compound proven to drive feeding behavior, the company said.

In a research study comparing the new intake-enhancing technology to the previous formula, pigs ate twice as much of the feed with the new palatant. The total average daily feed intake (ADFI) of the group was 0.47 lb.

“The senses of smell and taste are important to a young pig,” said Dr. Dari Brown, senior director, technical solutions, Purina Animal Nutrition. “When feed is formulated with high-quality ingredients containing specialized palatants or compounds, pigs seek and consume feed more often and more aggressively, leading to optimal gut development and performance through finishing.”

To capitalize on the benefits of enhanced intake, the new UltraCare feed formulation includes new ingredients that support better pig performance at a lower price point than previous UltraCare nursery feeds.

“Getting the right nutrition in the nursery phase does more than support nursery performance,” Brown said. “The right nutrition in early nursery supports optimal gut development for efficient nutrient digestion and robust immunity through finishing.”

Formula without antibiotics or animal byproducts

The new UltraCare Non-Antibiotic (NAB) and Non-Animal Byproduct (NABP) swine nursery feeds contain the same intake-enhancing and gut-optimizing technologies as other UltraCare pre-starters and starters. The products are formulated to support the best performance possible without the use of antibiotics and animal byproducts.

It contains new, exclusive ingredients including botanicals; Powerformance, a proprietary enzyme that supports enhanced nutrient digestion, and VitaFibra, a source of natural infermentable fiber and soluble fiber to support a healthy gut environment.

“With feed, no one single ingredient can meet all your farm’s needs and goals,” Moran said. “It takes a comprehensive, research-based approach to find the right combination of ingredients and compounds that work together to maximize performance. The reformulated UltraCare nursery feeds have the potential to give you better performance than you thought possible for less money than you expected.”

To learn more about the Progress to Profit Program, and how this programmatic approach can impact performance and ROI potential, visit progresstoprofit.com.