Effect of plant extract administered through drinking water on post-weaning gut health of piglets

The objective of the present work was to evaluate the effect of a novel plant extract, derived from common food plants, on performance and health of weaned piglets fed mixed diet. At weaning (24 d), a total of 144 piglets were used in a 2x2 factorial arrangement. Treatments were Grazix TM (LiveLeaf Bioscience), a blend of Plant Extract administered through drinking water, 0 (C) or PE (8ul/d/kg), and feeding regimen, Ad Libitum and Restricted. Piglets were allocated in pens in two postweaning rooms. The trial lasted 35 d. Piglets of one room were orally challenged with E.coli. Results indicate that the use of plant extract may be useful in the prevention of postweaning diarrhea with an associated improvement in growth performance.