Preliminary study: Oregano as a growth promoter in weaned pigs

Abstract

In spite of the verified capacity to improve the performance in pigs, the use of antimicrobials as growth promoters comes progressively being restricted in diverse countries. The new regulations tend to look for new alternatives the antibiotic use and quimioterapeutic like growth promoters in pigs. In these alternatives, nutraceutics constitute one of the investigated options. The objective of the work was to evaluate oregano antimicrobial effects on the apparent digestibility of nutrients, in the daily gain of weight, nutritional conversion and presentation of diarrheas in pigs just weaned. Three groups of pigs of 21 days of age, F1 (Landrace x Large White) were studied, during four weeks from which one of these groups was taken like control group (commercial food), and the other two group with food made at the farm with two different oregano concentrations from (03 and 06 % respectively). Diets contein maize flour and soja supplementation with aminoacids and essential minerals for the pigs diet. The project lasted a month in which the weight gained by the animals and the nutritional conversion of such was moderate weekly; also it was compare oregano effectiveness with respect to a commonly concentrated. The results of the study showed significant differences between the studied groups, in daily gain of weight, conversion index and presentation of diarrheas. The most significant conclusion is that the alternatives for promotional antibiotics of growth improve the productive parameters in pigs, in addition, of the antimicrobial effect that they have.