Influence of flavored drinking water on voluntary intake and performance of nursing and post-weaned piglets

Water is an absolute requirement in the daily needs of the pig. It has been suggested that when sows have a limited milk production, piglets may not consume enough water which will impact on their hydration. Eighty mixed parity sows of a high prolificacy genetic line were used to evaluate the impact of a flavor added to the drinking water for piglets on the voluntary water intake and performance during nursing phase and first week post-weaning. Sows and their respective litters were distributed in a completely randomized experimental design among the four treatments according to parity order and body weight 24 h post-farrowing. The treatments represented by control where piglets received standard water (T1) and other three levels of flavor inclusion in the water (T2 = 100 ppm; T3 = 200 ppm and T4 = 400 ppm). Piglets were allowed free access to water treatments via a semi-automatic water dispenser from d 3 until weaning (approx. 21 day). At weaning a total of 936 piglets were weighed, selected and distributed in a completely randomized experimental block design among treatments in the nursery pens according to weight (light, moderate and heavy), sex (male and female) and previous lactation treatment. The piglets were housed in the nursery facilities and were continuously offered the same four treatments that were used during the lactation phase until 7-day post-weaning. The flavor added to the drinking water significantly increased the piglets water (P = 0.047) and creep feed (P = 0.001) intake, which impacted positively on piglet average daily gain, and piglet weaning weight during the nursing phase. Treatments also influenced piglets' nursery voluntary total water (P = 0.0001) and total feed consumption (P = 0.002). Also the piglets' total average weight gain (P = 0.042), and pen daily gain (P = 0.003) and final weight (P = 0.0001) were influenced by the water flavor. In conclusion, this experiment has demonstrated that the inclusion of flavor compounds in the drinking water of the piglets during nursing and post-weaning phases has the potential to improve piglet performance. Our findings lead us to believe that the strategic use of a water flavor to manipulate the sensorial properties of water is a viable strategy to increase the piglet's voluntary water and feed intake and as a consequence improve litter performance at weaning and during the first week post weaning all of which can help prepare the animal for the negative effects of the weaning process.