This causes stomach acid levels to be reduced. With lower acid levels in the stomach, digestion is not as complete and harmful bacteria in the intestine have a food source to work on and a more favourable pH. For example, E-coli is well known to cause scours in pigs but it has difficulty functioning when pH levels are below pH4. Normal stomach conditions prevent these bacteria from multiplying but excessive dietary protein or excessive calcium levels can allow a flare-up of scours. Ration acidifiers can assist in keeping intestinal contents at proper pH levels, but attention should be directed at watching daily intakes of the various nutrients. Lowering calcium in the ration does not negatively affect growth of young pigs but can reduce scours where this is a problem.
Poor growth can also be a result of poor intake.
Where conditions combine to reduce daily intake, it is necessary to reformulate to increase nutrient density. Even the properly formulated ration will disappoint if intake is not as expected, regardless of age or weight category.