A note on the use of a feed flavour to stimulate the feed intake of weaner pigs

The flavouring substance, Firanor No. 3, is designed to be added to the concentrate of nursing sows. For 3 sows it was given at 50 mg/kg concentrate and 3 sows got none. The piglets had access to a creep feed from 1 week old. They were weaned at 30 days and 2 from each sow got Firanor in the weaning diet at 50 mg/kg. Progeny of sows given flavouring and given the flavouring in the weaning diet ate 818 g daily during 3 weeks, significantly more than the others which ate 725 g on unflavoured feed after flavoured milk, 751 g on flavoured feed after no flavour and 729 g with no flavour. Average intakes as percentage liveweight were 5.5, 4.7, 4.7 and 4.8, the first significantly greatest, in the first week, but in the third week they were not different, from 7.2 to 7.5. Average daily gains were 450, 359, 366 and 363 g