Aiming to evaluate the spray-dried plasma levels (BP) in diets for piglets weaned at 28 days of age, an experiment with 128 piglets with initial body weight of 7.635 ± 0.103 kg was conducted and allocated in a experimental block design composed of four treatments, eight replicates and four animals per replicate. The treatments used were: diets with dried milk (DM) and without spray-dried plasma (BP) from 29 to 42 days of age; diets with DM and 2.8% of BP from 29 to 35 days of age (period I) and 2.0% of BP from 36 to 42 days of age (period II); diets with DM and 4.2% of BP in the period 1and 3.0% of BP in the period 2; and Diets without DM and with 5.6% of BP in the period 1 and 4.0% of BP in the period 2. From 42 to 56 days of age (period 3) all animals received the same creep feeding diets. No effect from the BP inclusion levels on the average daily feed intake (ADFI), in period 1 was verified. Period 1 showed a linear effect of the BP inclusion levels on the bionutritional index (IBN = 6.8371GPMD - 3.5732CRMD) and on the daily weight gain (^Y = 0.1364 + 0.0100X). There was no effect of treatments on the diarrhea index. It was concluded that the best BP level to be used in diets for 28-day-old weaning piglets is 5.6%, and that there are no beneficial effects from the inclusion of BP in the second weak after weaning at the age of 28 days.
bionutritional index; diarrhea index; feed intake; weaning age
