The Effect of Paylean on Nursery Pig Performance

Some consultants recently have reported that feeding Paylean to nursery pigs increases feed intake in newly weaned pigs. The consultants are using Paylean as a tool to help pigs get started eating feed quicker after weaning. Paylean is labeled only for use in finishing pigs and, thus, feeding to nursery pigs would be an off-label use. No scientific evidence exists on this practice. Paylean is a beta-adrenergic agonist that accelerates finishing pig muscle deposition by shifting nutrients toward lean tissue growth. The objective of our experiment was to determine if feeding Paylean to nursery pigs directly after weaning for various lengths of time could enhance feed intake and, thus, improve nursery pig performance.