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Two experiments were conducted to test the hypothesis that torula yeast may replace animal and plant proteins in diets for weanling pigs without negatively impacting growth performance or blood characteristics. In exp. 1, 128 weanling pigs (6.71 ± 0.76 kg) were allotted to four treatments with four pigs per pen and eight replicate pens per diet. Pigs were fed one of four diets from day 1 to 14 post-weaning (phase 1), whereas all pigs were fed a common diet in phase 2 (day 15 to 28). The four dietary treatments included a control diet with 5% fish meal, 2.5% plasma protein, and no torula yeast. The second diet contained 5% fish meal, 4.75% torula yeast, and no plasma protein. The third diet contained 2.5% plasma protein, 6% torula yeast, and no fish meal, and the last diet contained 10.75% torula yeast, no fish meal, and no plasma protein. The inclusion of torula yeast was calculated to replace the amount of digestible Lys provided by fish meal, plasma protein, or both fish meal and plasma protein in the control diet. During the initial 14 d, fecal scores were visually assessed. At the end of phase 1, blood samples were collected and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), peptide YY, immunoglobulin G, total protein, and albumin were analyzed. Results indicated that torula yeast could replace fish meal and plasma protein without affecting growth performance, fecal scores, or blood characteristics of pigs. In exp. 2, 160 weanling pigs (6.11 ± 0.62 kg) were allotted to one of four diets with five pigs per pen and eight replicate pens per diet. Phase 1 diets contained 0%, 10%, 18%, or 26% torula yeast, whereas phase 2 diets contained 0%, 8%, 14%, or 20% torula yeast. Torula yeast was included in diets at the expense of animal proteins and soybean meal. On days 14 and 28, blood samples were collected and concentrations of cytokines, BUN, total protein, and albumin were analyzed. Phase 2 gain-to-feed ratio (G:F) linearly increased (P < 0.01) as the concentration of torula yeast increased in the diets. The concentration of albumin on day 14 linearly increased (P < 0.05) and the concentration of TNF-α was linearly reduced (P < 0.01) as the concentration of torula yeast increased in the diets. In conclusion, under the conditions of this research, torula yeast could replace fish meal and plasma protein without affecting the growth performance of pigs, but inclusion of increasing levels of torula yeast improved G:F of pigs, which may be because of greater nutrient utilization., (© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Society of Animal Science. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Objective: Three experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of Saccharomyces yeast postbiotics (SYP) in feeds for sows on the growth of offspring (Exp. 1), for nursery pigs on their growth (Exp. 2), and for nursery and finishing pigs on their growth (Exp. 3). Methods: Exp. 1 had 80 sows at breeding assigned to 4 groups with SYP at 0, 0.050, 0.175, and 0.500 g/kg. Offspring were fed a common diet for 126 d. Exp. 2 had 144 barrows at 8 kg body weight (BW) allotted to CON (no SYP); YPC (SYP at 0.175 g/kg; d 0 to 42); and YPD (SYP at 1.25, 0.75, and 0 g/kg; d 0 to 7, d 8 to 21, and d 22 to 42, respectively) with 8 pens/treatment (6 pigs/pen). Exp. 3 had 96 barrows at 8 kg BW allotted to CON (no SYP); YPN (SYP at 0.175 g/kg; d 0 to 42); YPF (SYP at 0.100 g/kg; d 43 to 119); and YPA (SYP at 0.175 and 0.100 g/kg; d 0 to 42 and d 43 to 119, respectively) with 8 pens/treatment (3 pigs/pen). Results: In Exp. 1, increasing SYP increased (p<0.05, quadratic) the sow body score (maximum at 0.30% SYP), reduced (p<0.05, quadratic) the days-wean-to-estrus (minimum at 0.27% SYP), and increased (p<0.05) offspring BW at weaning and their average daily gain (ADG) and feed efficiency (G:F) at d 126. In Exp. 2, ADG, average daily feed intake (ADFI), and G:F of YPC were the greatest (p<0.05). The ADG and ADFI of YPD were greater (p<0.05) than CON. Fecal score of YPC and YPD was smaller (p<0.05) than CON. In Exp. 3, YPA had the greatest (p<0.05) ADG and YPN and YPF had greater (p<0.05) ADG than CON. Conclusion: SYP enhanced sow performance, offspring growth, growth of nursery and growing pigs with the greater efficacy at 0.27 to 0.32 g/kg feed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the effects of mixed-species direct-fed microbial (DFM) on growth performance, gas emissions, meat quality, nutrient digestibility, and the fecal score of finishing pigs. A total of 100 crossbred finishing pigs ((Yorkshire × Landrace) × Duroc) weighing 58.97 ± 3.12 kg were randomly assigned to one of two diets (5 pigs per pen (2 barrows and 3 gilts); 50 pigs per treatment) in an 8-week trial. Dietary treatments comprised of the basal diet without probiotics control or basal diet + (0.1%) mixed probiotics (DFM). Mixed DFM supplementation showed a tendency to increase (P = 0.093) the body weight of finishing pigs during day 56. Comparing mixed DFM with the control diet, mixed probiotics significantly improved average daily gain (ADG) during weeks 5–8 (P = 0.024) and overall (P = 0.013). DFM-supplemented diets reduced the emission of CH4 and NH3 significantly at weeks 4 and 8 compared with control. DFM supplementation did not affect H2S, methyl mercaptans, acetic acid, or CO2 emissions. Mixed DFM supplementation showed a tendency to increase (P = 0.07) nitrogen digestibility. Pigs receiving mixed DFM had improved ADG and reduced NH3 and CH4 emissions without affecting meat quality, nutrient digestibility, intestinal microbes, and fecal score. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the dietary effects of Quillaja saponin (QS) and seaweed (SW) on growth performance, fecal score, and gas emissions in weaning pigs. A total of 120, 21-day old crossbred ([Yorkshire�×�Landrace] × Duroc) weaning pigs were randomly assigned to three treatment groups. These dietary treatments consisted of (1) TRT1: CON (basal diet), (2) TRT2: CON + 200�mg/kg QS, and (3) TRT3: CON + 500�mg/kg SW. Pigs were raised in 10 replicate pens per treatment (two males per pen and two females per pen) for 5 weeks based on body weight and sex. The inclusion of QS significantly (p�<�0.05) increased average daily gain (ADG) and average daily feed intake (ADFI) during the overall period compared to the control diet. Moreover, the tendency to increase ADG was found at weeks 1 and 5, whereas ADFI showed a tendency to increase at week 1 with the supplementation of QS compared to the CON diet. However, the feed conversion ratio, fecal score, and gas emission failed to show significant effects throughout the experiment. In summary, QS has a beneficial effect on the growth performance of weaning pigs without any negative effect on gas emission and fecal score. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Researchers and pig veterinarians are interested in assessing pigs' fecal consistency. This study developed a standardized protocol and scale for the cotton swab method, which is a way of assessing the fecal consistency in pigs. The accuracy of the cotton swab method was evaluated in weaned pigs using fecal dry-matter analysis as a golden standard. The study also proposed fecal dry-matter percentage thresholds for the categorization of fecal consistency on a four-point scale. Results: The thresholds of 10.3%, 16.6%, and 21.9% fecal dry-matter were suggested for categorization of the consistency of fecal samples on a four-point scale. The accuracy of the cotton swab method was high. The agreement to the four-point fecal consistency score derived from the fecal dry-matter percentage was almost perfect (weighted Gwet's agreement coefficient = 0.87 [95% confidence interval: 0.84; 0.91]). The cotton swab method had a sensitivity of 85.0% (95% confidence interval: 76.5; 91.4) and a specificity of 95.2% (95% confidence interval: 92.0; 97.3) when used to diagnose whether pigs had diarrhea or not. For non-diarrheic pigs, the method almost always (n = 287/289) required less handling than the collection of a fecal sample by digital rectal manipulation. Conclusion: The cotton swab method is an accurate way to assess fecal consistency in pigs, both on a four-point scale and as a dichotomous diarrhea score. The method is quick to perform and less invasive than methods relying on the collection of fecal samples. New fecal dry-matter thresholds between feces of different consistencies were proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Potato protein concentrate (PPC) has been included in piglet diets for many decades because of its properties with respect to piglets' protein requirements. The inclusion level was limited because of the content of toxic anti-nutritional factors, such as glycoalkaloids (GA). Glycoalkaloid content in PPC is reduced via resource-requiring processing, but if piglets tolerate GA in levels like in the standard PPC, energy-consuming processing can be reduced. The concern when increasing standard PPC levels is the potential negative effects of GA on growth performance. In the experiment, it was shown that piglets' growth performance was not affected negatively, nor was the fecal score, when fed increasing levels of PPC and hence increasing GA. All diets were formulated to meet the national nutritional requirements for weaner pigs. Interestingly, one of the dietary treatments with high inclusion of standard PPC (and thus GA) displayed greater performance as compared with the group fed a diet without standard PPC. Therefore, it was concluded that standard PPC can be included with high inclusion rates in weaner diets without negatively affecting growth performance or fecal score and that the focus must be on the GA content of the diets rather than the inclusion rate of the standard PPC. Glycoalkaloids (GA) are anti-nutritional factors in standard potato protein concentrate (PPC) fed to piglets. Increasing levels of standard PPC was expected to affect growth performance and fecal score negatively. Seven-hundred-and-twenty pigs (7–30 kg) were fed one of the following four diets within three feeding phases (days 0–13, 13–24, and 24–45): control (CTRL), PPC standard inclusion (PPC-S; 4%, 2%, and 0%), high PPC inclusion (PPC-H; 8%, 3.5%, and 2%), and extremely high PPC inclusion (PPC-EH; 12%, 5%, and 3.5%). During days 0–13, CTRL displayed no difference in growth performance compared with the three experimental groups (PPC-S, PPC-H, and PPC-EH). During days 13–24, PPC-H achieved greater (p < 0.001) average daily feed intake (ADFI) compared to CTRL. During days 24–45, no differences between groups were observed. For the overall experimental period (0–45 days), PPC-H displayed greater average daily gain (ADG) (p = 0.010) and ADFI (p = 0.024) compared to CTRL. The feed conversion ratio (FCR) remained unaffected between the groups for all experimental periods. Increasing levels of PPC and hence GA did not affect the probability of diarrhea. In conclusion, increased standard PPC and hence increased levels of GA in isonitrogenous diets did not negatively affect growth performance nor fecal score in piglets (7–30 kg). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The study evaluated the effects of bacteriophage cocktail (BP) and ZnO administered during weaning time for piglets exposed to a non-sanitary environment. The bacteriophages were designed to eliminate Escherichia coli (K88, K99 and F41), Salmonella (typhimurium and enteritidis), and Clostridium perfreingens (types A and C). Forty 21-day-old crossbreed piglets were assigned to four treatments, including the PC (sanitary environment), NC (non-sanitary environment), BP (NC plus 108 pfu/kg BP), and ZO (NC plus 2,500 mg/kg ZnO). Piglets in the NC, BP and ZO were kept in a non-sanitary environment for 14 d, which was contaminated with the feces of infected pigs. Results: Pigs in the BP and ZO treatments had a higher final body weight compared with the NC. The NC treatment showed the highest concentration of inflammatory cytokines including interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α in the plasma. The administration of BP and ZO showed lower myeloperoxidase concentrations compared with the NC. The NC treatment showed a lower concentration of superoxide dismutase in serum compared with the PC. Among the treatments in non-sanitary environment, the NC treatment showed a higher concentration of malondialdehyde compared with the ZO. The PC treatment showed a lower concentration of butyric acid in the feces compared with the BP treatment. Among non-sanitary treatments, the villus height in the duodenum was greater in the BP and ZO compared with the NC. The lower abundance of Proteobacteria phylum was observed in the BP and PC treatments compared with the NC. The highest relative abundance of Eubacterium was recorded in the BP treatment. The abundance of Megasphaera and Schwartzia was higher in the NC pigs compared with the BP piglets. The abundance of Desulfovibrio was lower in the supplemented treatments (BP and ZO) compared with non-supplemented (NC and PC). The abundance of Cellulosilyticum genera was higher in the BP and ZO treatments rather than in the NC. The piglets in the NC treatment had the highest abundance of Escherichia-Shigella, followed by the PC and ZO treatments. Conclusion: In conclusion, these results suggest that the supplementation of bacteriophage cocktail could effectively control Proteobacteria phylum, Clostridium spp. and coliforms population and mitigated the adverse influences of weaning stress in piglets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study was conducted to evaluate effects of β-glucan with vitamin E supplementation on the growth performance, blood profiles, immune response, fecal microbiota, fecal score, and nutrient digestibility in weaning pigs. Methods: A total of 200 weaning pigs with an average body weight (BW) of 7.64±0.741 kg were allotted to five treatment groups and were divided based on sex and initial BW in four replicates with ten pigs per pen in a randomized complete block design. The experimental diets included a corn-soybean meal-based basal diet with or without 0.1% or 0.2% ß-glucan and 0.02% vitamin E. The pigs were fed the diets for 6 weeks. A total of 15 barrows were used to evaluate the nutrient digestibility by the total collection method. The BW and feed intake were measured at the end of each phase. Blood samples were collected at the end of each phase, and fecal samples were collected at the end of the experiment. Results: The addition of β-glucan with vitamin E to weaning pig feed increased BW, average daily gain, and average daily feed intake. A significant decrease in yeast and mold and Proteobacteria and a tendency for Lactobacillus to increase compared to the control was shown when 0.1% β-glucan and 0.02% vitamin E were added. The fecal score in weaning pigs was lower in the treatments supplemented with 0.1% or 0.2% β-glucan and 0.02% vitamin E compared to the control. In addition, vitamin E was better supplied to weaning pigs by increasing the concentration of a-tocopherol in the blood of weaning pigs when 0.02% vitamin E was supplemented. However, there was no significant difference in either the immune response or nutrient digestibility. Conclusion: Inclusion of 0.1% β-Glucan with 0.02% vitamin E in a weaning pig's diet were beneficial to the growth performance of weaning pigs by improving intestinal microbiota and reducing the incidence of diarrhea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Weaning is the most stressful event in pig’s life, resulting in postweaning diarrhea and growth retardation. The supplementation of Advanced Digestion Enhancing Protein Plus Technology (ADEPPTTM), which contains iron-binding polypeptides and non-starch polysaccharides, to nursery diets may reduce the occurrence of diarrhea and enhance growth performance of weaning pigs. Objective: To evaluate the effect of ADEPPTTM supplementation on growth performance and fecal score in weaning pigs. Methods: At weaning, a total of 54 weaning pigs (initial body weight: 7.42 ± 0.52 kg) were assigned to 3 treatments in 3 replicates with 6 pigs per pen based on sex, breed, and body weight for a 28-d feeding trial. The pigs were fed cornsoybean meal-based diets containing 0.0, 0.5, and 1.0% of the ADEPPTTM product in 2 phases (d 0-14 and d 15-28 postweaning, respectively). In the first week (d 3-5 postweaning) of the trial, a pig was removed from each pen when diarrhea was observed, housed in a separate pen within treatment, and then treated for 3 days with a 100-ml solution of electrolytes and ADEPPTTM by drenching. Growth performance and fecal score (1=normal to 4=watery diarrhea) were measured. Results: In the feeding trial, there were no significant differences in body weight, average daily gain, and average daily feed intake throughout the overall period. However, a quadratic trend was observed in gain to feed ratio (p=0.09) for d 0-7 postweaning and overall period with increasing ADEPPTTM supplementation levels in which the greatest value was observed in the 0.5% ADEPPTTM level. The fecal score tended to decrease linearly with increasing ADEPPTTM levels during d 0-7 (p=0.11) and 0-14 (p=0.12) postweaning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experiment was conducted to test the hypothesis that dietary inclusion of enzymatically hydrolyzed spray-dried bovine plasma (H-SDBP) is as effective as non-hydrolyzed spray-dried bovine plasma (SDBP) for increasing growth performance of weanling pigs housed in uncleaned pens. A control diet based on corn, soybean meal, and 90 g/kg soy protein concentrate (SPC) was formulated. Four diets containing either SDBP (i.e., 25 or 50 g/kg) or H-SDBP (i.e., 28 or 56 g/kg) that partially or fully replaced SPC were also formulated. A randomized complete block design with 240 weanling pigs (6.52 ± 0.98 kg), five diets, four pigs per pen, and 12 replicate pens per diet was used. Pigs were fed experimental diets for 14 days post-weaning, whereas a common phase 2 diet was fed to pigs from day 15–42 post-weaning. Results indicated that from day 1–14, fully replacing SPC with SDBP or H-SDBP increased (P < 0.05) average daily gain (ADG), gain to feed ratio (G:F), and ending body weight of pigs. During this period, linear (P < 0.01) increases in ADG, G:F, and body weight of pigs were also observed as dietary concentrations of SDBP increased. When pigs were fed the common diet from day 15–42, final body weight of pigs increased (linear, P < 0.05) for pigs fed SDBP or H-SDBP in phase 1. For the overall experimental period, ADG of pigs linearly increased (P < 0.05) as dietary concentration of both plasma sources increased in phase 1 diets. From day 8–14, and from day 1–14, fecal scores of pigs were reduced (linear, P < 0.05) as the concentration of SDBP increased in the diet. Partially replacing SPC with H-SDBP also reduced (P < 0.05) fecal scores of pigs from day 8–14. In conclusion, both plasma sources were effective for increasing pig growth performance and reducing diarrhea in the post-weaning period. • Inclusion of spray dried protein plasma in diets for weanling pigs increases growth. • Fecal score by weanling pigs is reduced if spray dried plasma is included in diets. • Hydrolyzed spray dried plasma may replace conventional spray dried plasma in diets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: dietary supplementation with organic acids and essential oils has positive effects on growth improvement and nutrient digestion. Microencapsulation of nutrients allow for the slow release of core materials in a specific period and/or environment. Objective: to investigate the effect of microencapsulated organic acids and essential oils (MOE) on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, blood and fecal characteristics in weanling pigs. Methods: one-hundred twenty-five weanling pigs [(Yorkshire × Landrace) x Duroc] with an average body weight (BW) of 6.76 ± 0.11 Kg were used in a 42-d experiment. Pigs were allotted to five dietary treatments according to initial body weight, using five replicates per treatment and five pigs per pen. Dietary treatments were: 1) NC (negative control): basal diet free of antibiotics; 2) PC (positive control), basal diet with tiamulin 39 mg/kg; 3) MOE0.5, basal diet with 0.5 g MOE/kg; 4) MOE1, basal diet with 1 g MOE/kg; and 5) MOE2, basal diet with 2 g MOE/kg. Results: final BW was greater in MOE2 and PC treatments compared to NC treatment (p<0.05). Increased feed efficiency (G:F) was observed for MOE treatments during 0 to 7 d compared with NC and PC (p<0.05). During 7 to 21 d, MOE0.5 and MOE1 supplementation decreased average daily feed intake (ADFI) compared with PC (p<0.05). However, there were no differences in average daily gain (ADG) and G:F among treatments (p>0.05). During 22 to 42 d, ADG was greater for PC compared with NC (p<0.05). The G:F of NC and MOE0.5 was lower than that of PC (p<0.05). Overall, ADG and G:F were greater for PC compared to NC (p<0.05). On 42 d, DM and N digestibilities in PC and MOE were greater (p<0.05) than in NC. Fecal scores of pigs fed MOE1 were lower (p<0.05) than those of pigs fed NC. Fecal pH was decreased in MOE0.5 and MOE1 when compared to NC (p<0.05) on day 7. Fecal pH was decreased with MOE compared to NC and PC (p<0.05) on d 21. Conclusion: MOE supplementation improved growth performance and nutrient digestibility while decreasing fecal scores and pH in weanling pigs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A total of 18 sows (Landrace × Yorkshire) with an average body weight of (within 24 h after farrowing) were used for a 5-week experiment to determine the effects of varying dietary Valine, Lysine (V:L) ratios on performance and fecal score in lactating sows and litters. Sows were raised in individual pens, and assigned to one of three experimental diets consisting different concentration of Valine, Lysine ratios (0.83%, 0.85% and 0.88%). sows body weight was significantly improved by 0.85% valine and lysine ratio compared to 0.85% and 0.88%. However, no significant difference were observed on sows body weight loss, back fat thickness, average daily feed intake and days to return to estrus of sows during the three experiment period. In addition, growth performance of piglet weaning weight were significantly improved by 0.85% valine and lysine ratio compared to 0.85% and 0.88%. Morever, piglet average daily gain was significantly increased 0.88% valine and lysine ratio compared to 0.83% and 0.85%. The three dietary treatments had a significant differences (P>0.05) on fecal score of sows, farrowing and 14 d old age piglets were significantly observed by valine and lisiune ratio. In conclusion, Valine, Lysine had no positive effects on the fecal score of sows and litter during lactation and also no positive effect on gut and its microflora. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stressful events associated with weaning predispose piglets to reduced feed intake, which in concert with immature digestive and immune systems, results in increased incidences of diarrhea and poor performance. Flavors and sweeteners can be used in diets for young pigs as a means of attracting them to dry feed and increase their feed intake and performance after weaning. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of dietary inclusion of flavors and sweeteners and their combination on growth performance and post-weaning gut health of nursery pigs. A total of 1,144 weaned pigs (initial BW 6.61 ± 0.2 kg) were used in a randomized complete block design and assigned to one of four dietary treatments, with 11 replicates (pens) of 26 piglets per pen. Dietary treatments were 1) Control: standard 4-phase nursery feeding program; 2) Sweetener: control plus sweetener (0.015%); 3) Flavor: control plus flavoring (0.05%); 4) Combination: control plus sweetener and flavoring. Experimental diets were provided at a budget of 0.9, 3.4, 4.5, and 24 kg/pig in Phase 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. A common phase 5 diet was provided ad libitum until d56 after weaning. Feed disappearance and body weight were measured every other week. A pen fecal score assessment was performed at d4, 7, 10, and 14 after weaning. Overall, there were no differences among dietary treatments for growth performance. However, during the first two weeks post-weaning pigs fed diets containing flavors and sweeteners had a greater (P = 0.097) ADFI than control pigs. On d14, pigs fed diets containing flavors and sweeteners had less incidence of soft and watery feces (X2 < 0.05) compared to control pigs. This study provides evidence that dietary inclusion of flavors and sweeteners has important benefits to the overall health of nursery pigs likely related to feed intake in the period immediately after weaning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This experiment evaluated the effect of dietary protease supplementation on pig's growth performance and post-weaning diarrhea in a 43-d trial. A total of 936 weaned pigs [21 d of age, initial BW 5.87 ± 0.31 kg] were used in a 2 × 2 factorial design (2 nutritional levels × 2 protease levels). The nutritional levels corresponded to a standard feeding program and a reduced feeding program (15% lower SID Lys) and without or with protease supplementation (0.0125% inclusion). Piglets were distributed in 36 pens with 26 pigs per pen and 9 replicates per dietary treatment. Pigs received a common Phase 1 diet and experimental diets in Phase 2, 3, and 4, (0.91, 3.4, 4.5, and 24.0 kg/pig, respectively). Phytase was included at 2,500 U in Phase 2 - 4, all diets met energy and AA:Lys requirements for nursery pigs. Feed intake and body weight were determined every 2 weeks. A pen fecal score assessment was performed at d7, 10, and 14. Performance data were analyzed using the PROC MIXED procedure and fecal score data using the PROC FREQ procedure (SAS Inst., Inc., Cary, NC). No significant interactions (P > 0.05) were observed between dietary treatments. From d15 to 43 and during overall experimental period, pigs fed standard diets had greater BW, ADG, and G:F (P < 0.05) than pigs fed deficient diets (Table 1). On d7, pigs fed deficient diet had more (X2 < 0.05) soft and watery feces, and consequently less normal feces compared to pigs fed standard diets (Figure 1). On d7, 10, and 14, pigs fed diets with protease supplementation had more (X2 < 0.05) normal feces compared to control pigs. Overall, effects of dietary protease supplementation on growth performance were not expressive under the conditions of this study but protease addition benefited intestinal health of nursery pigs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]