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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 23 November 2017
The removal of in-feed antimicrobial growth promoters (AGPs) is expected to place pigs at greater risk of post weaning enteric disorders (PWED), and accentuate the need for alternative, non-pharmaceutical, strategies for disease prevention. Evidence in the literature suggest that appropriate non-starch polysaccharides (NSPs) may be added to weaner diets in order to improve gut health and reduce the incidence of PWED (Bolduan et al., 1988). NSP solubility may be an important factor in such potential health benefits with soluble NSPs that lead to high digesta viscosity actually increasing the occurrence and severity of PWED (Hopwood et al., 2004). The objective of this experiment was to investigate effects of NSP solubility and inclusion rate on gut health and development, growth performance and the risk of PWED in the absence of effects on digesta viscosity.