The Hidden Costs of Oxidative Stress in Nursery Pigs
By Dani Wilder
Marketing and Communications Specialist, DPI GLOBAL
Not all stress in the nursery is easy to see. While challenges like temperature, feed intake, or health events are often addressed quickly, oxidative stress works behind the scenes—quietly influencing how nursery pigs grow, adapt, and perform during a critical stage of production.
Oxidative stress increases when pigs are exposed to common pressures such as weaning, diet changes, environmental fluctuations, or management challenges. When these pressures overlap, pigs may divert energy away from growth and toward managing internal stress instead.
Why It Matters in the Nursery
The nursery phase is one of the most demanding periods in a pig’s life. During this time, pigs are expected to adjust rapidly while their digestive and immune systems are still developing. When oxidative stress builds, it can show up as:
- Reduced feed efficiency
- Less consistent weight gain
- Lower resilience to additional challenges
Individually, these effects may be subtle. Over time, they can add up to real performance losses.
Supporting Balance from the Start
Managing oxidative stress isn’t about reacting to visible problems—it’s about supporting pigs so they are better equipped to handle the challenges already built into modern production.
Micro-Shield™ is designed to support nursery pigs during periods of stress by helping maintain internal balance. Powered by polyphenols, Micro-Shield™ supports resilience, allowing pigs to stay on track through critical transitions in the nursery.
Stronger Starts Lead to Stronger Outcomes
Oxidative stress may be hidden, but its impact is not. Addressing it early helps support more consistent performance, stronger starts, and better long-term outcomes—because when pigs start strong, everything that follows becomes easier.
A Commitment to Supporting Producers
At DPI GLOBAL, supporting producers means looking beyond what’s visible and addressing the challenges that influence performance from the inside out. For decades, we’ve focused on natural, science-driven solutions that help pigs navigate stress, maintain balance, and perform more consistently through every stage of production.
Micro-Shield™ reflects that commitment. Designed to support resilience in nursery pigs, it helps producers protect performance during critical transitions—when small challenges can have lasting effects.
Learn more about Micro-Shield™ and DPI GLOBAL’s approach to supporting stronger starts at www.dpiglobal.com.
Meet the Author: Dani Wilder
Marketing and Communications Specialist, DPI GLOBAL
Dani is a Marketing Specialist at DPI GLOBAL, where she focuses on crafting engaging content, managing media planning, and promoting the company’s innovative, science-based solutions. Passionate about sustainability and effective communication, Dani enjoys collaborating with the DPI team to share meaningful stories that connect with producers and industry stakeholders.
When Dani isn’t creating marketing strategies, she enjoys reading, judging livestock shows, and raising show pigs with her family.
