Supplemental effects of fish oil, powdered/coated docosahexaenoic acid on the growth performance, nutrient digestibility, blood profile and fecal coliform and lactic acid bacteria counts in weaner pigs

Abstract The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of supplemental unrefined fish oil and refined fish oil enriched in docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in powdered and coated forms on the performance and immune status of weaner pigs. In total, 140 crossbred weaner pigs [(Yorkshire x Landrace) x Duroc, 28 days old] with an average body weight (BW) of 7.47 ± 1.27 kg were used in a 6-week experiment trial in three phases. Pigs were blocked based on BW and sex and randomly allotted to 1 of 4 dietary treatments [5 pigs per pen (2 barrows and 3 gilts); 7 pens per treatment]. Treatments consisted of pigs fed basal diet or basal diet supplemented with 5 g/kg unrefined fish oil (FO), 1.73 g/kg powdered DHA enriched oil (pDHA), and 2.99 g/kg coated DHA enriched oil (cDHA). The supplementation of unrefined FO or DHA enriched FO to the diet of weaner pigs significantly increased body weight (BW) at days 7, 21, and 42 compared with pigs fed control diet. The average daily gain (ADG) increased (P