Extended plasma supplementation is gaining attention as an effective nutritional strategy to support piglet performance beyond the critical first two weeks after weaning. While spray dried plasma is widely recognized for helping piglets during the immediate post-weaning period, new research shows that maintaining supplementation into Phase 2 can provide additional growth benefits under practical nursery conditions.
A study conducted by APC and IRTA evaluated nursery diets containing Appetein, APC’s granulated spray dried porcine plasma, and compared them with a conventional soy protein concentrate-based diet. Piglets that continued receiving plasma beyond the initial post-weaning phase achieved:
- Higher average daily gain during Phase 2
- 1.54 kg greater body weight by the end of the nursery period
- Strong performance under conventional protein levels
- No clinical post-weaning diarrhoea observed during the trial
Overall, these findings reinforce the value of extended plasma supplementation beyond the first two weeks after weaning. In addition, they demonstrate that continuing plasma supplementation can support piglet growth throughout the nursery period.
Download our latest Tech Note to explore the complete study design, performance results and practical implications for nursery feeding programs.