Zinc is critical to maintaining appetite, reproductive efficiency, skin and skeletal health, a strong immune system, and a host of other functions as a cofactor for over 200 enzymes. More recently the pharmacological role of zinc as a feed additive for nursery pigs has been demonstrated.

The bioavailability of dietary zinc (Zn) in pigs is of importance for the Zn supply to the pig but also for Zn excretion through manure to the environment. The bioavailability of added Zn may differ according to the source of Zn applied but is also affected by other dietary components.

Sep 1, 2023 · In poultry, supplemental dietary zinc had minimal impact on the diversity or composition of the gut microbiome [110, 111]; however, as seen in pigs, zinc supplementation decreased the abundance of Lactobacillus organisms in certain studies [110, 112].

This review, therefore, considers recent advances in understanding the influence of zinc, copper, and manganese on the gastrointestinal environment of pigs and poultry, including more novel, alternative sources seeking to maintain supra-nutritional benefits with …

In practice, to reduce intensive diarrhea in piglets, pharmacological doses of ZnO (1000 to 4000 mg kg −1) are prescribed. However, the allowed maximum of 150 mg kg −1 is still higher than the requirements of weaned piglets [13].

Feb 13, 2025 · Pigs retain only a small percentage of ingested zinc, leading to the excretion of 80-90% of the nutrient, which is then applied to cropland through manure, creating a potential risk of soil toxicity, ecotoxicity and environmental contamination.

Nov 7, 2023 · Pharmacological levels of dietary zinc between 2,000 and 3,000 ppm is a common recommendation to initial nursery diets to reduce post-weaning diarrhea and improve growth performance (Hill et al., 2000; Shelton et al., 2011).

Copper and zinc are classified as trace minerals because they are required by pigs at relatively low levels for normal growth. When added at high dietary levels, copper (100 to 250 ppm) and zinc (2000 to 3000 ppm) can increase the growth performance of young pigs.

Jun 15, 2022 · In the current dose–response study, the aim was to determine the optimal dietary level of Zn (supplemented as zinc oxide; ZnO) for pigs the first three weeks PW, and the endpoints were feed intake, growth performance, serum Zn status, faecal scores, blood biomarkers of intestinal integrity (D-lactate and diamine oxidase activity [DAO]) and ...

Sep 21, 2022 · However, the addition of zinc and copper at quantities greater than the requirement exerts a beneficial effect on growth performance of nursery and grow-finish pigs (Liu et al., 2018). Greater quantities of zinc and copper are often referred as growth promoting or pharmacological levels.