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A total of 1,008 weanling pigs (12.0 lb and 19 d of age) were used in a 42-d experiment to compare different antibiotic regimens on growth performance and economic return. From d 0 to 11 and d 11 to 21, pigs were fed diets containing no antibiotic, a combination of Denagard (Novartis Animal Health, Greensboro, NC) at 35 g/ton and chlortetracycline at 400 g/ton (Denagard/CTC), or Pulmotil (Elanco, Greenfield, IN; 363 g/ ton from d 0 to 11 and 181 g/ton from d 11 to 21). From d 21 to 42, pigs previously fed Denagard/CTC or Pulmotil were fed diets containing no medication, Denagard/CTC, or a combination of Mecadox (Philbro Animal Health Corp., Ridgefield Park, NJ) at 25 g/ton and oxytetracycline at 400 g per ton (Mecadox/OTC). Adding Denagard/ CTC or Pulmotil to the diet from d 0 to 11 and d 11 to 21 improved (P 0.21) in ADG or ADFI between pigs fed Denagard/CTC and pigs fed Pulmotil; however, pigs fed Denagard/CTC tended to have better (P 0.17) in pig performance or IOFC between pigs fed Denagard/CTC and Mecadox/OTC. For the overall trial, adding antibiotics to the diet during any phase improved (P < 0.05) ADG, ADFI, F/G, and IOFC. These results demonstrate that adding antibiotics to the nursery diet improved pig performance and economical return on this commercial farm.

A total of 1,008 pigs (11.9 lb and 19 d of age) were used in a 42-d experiment to determine the influence of antibiotic regimen on growth performance and economic return. From d 0 to 10, pigs were fed diets containing either no antibiotic or Denagard at 35 g/ton and chlortetracycline at 400 g/ton (Denagard/CTC). From d 10 to 21, diets contained no medication, Denagard/CTC, Mecadox at 25 g/ton and Oxytetracycline at 400 g/ton, or Mecadox at 50 g/ton. From d 21 to 42, diets contained either no medication or Denagard/CTC. Adding Denagard/CTC to the diet from d 0 to 10 improved (P 0.49). Overall, MOFC was increased when antibiotics were added to the diet from d 0 to 10 and d 10 to 21 when gain was valued at $0.50 or $1.00/lb and tended to increase (P < 0.06) when Denagard/CTC was added to the diet from d 21 to 42 when the extra gain was valued at $1.00/lb. These results demonstrate that adding antibiotics to the nursery diet improved pig performance and economical return on this commercial farm.