Weaning age: impacts on gut health, performance, and behaviour

In modern swine production systems, weaning is an essential period. During this period, piglets experience social stresses, such as moving to the post-weaning building, separation from sows, and living with piglets that are not their littermates. Piglets raised under free-range conditions are weaned between 12 and 17 weeks of age, but in intensive swine farming systems, piglets are usually weaned between 2 and 5 weeks of age, when the gut and immune system are immature. Post-weaning changes g