Effects of Birth Order on Performance and Affective State of Pigs

Slegers, Yara; Oolbekkink, Yoska; Roelofs, Sanne; Staay, Franz Josef van der; Nordquist, Rebecca E.

doi:10.3389/fanim.2021.669692

Cited by 4 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 45 publications

(95 reference statements)

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“…Piglets establish hierarchies for nursing from specific teats, and these preferences become stable during the first 7 days of life and remain stable during lactation [ 34 , 42 ]. Our results agreed with other studies that found that piglets latched to thoracic teats are heavier and gain more weight [ 37 , 43 ]. Studies have confirmed better ADG during the first month of life in piglets lactating from the thoracic teats [ 42 ].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

“…We determined that birth time, colostrum intake, and sow colostrum IgG should be controlled when estimating serum antibody titers of PCV-2. Other studies have reported that birth order explains some of the variability of the IgG serum concentration of piglets due to access to colostrum supply [ 37 ]; however, its role as a predictor of piglet performance remains unclear [ 26 , 38 ]. On the other hand, birth order has been considered a relevant predictor of piglet mortality [ 28 , 37 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Other studies have reported that birth order explains some of the variability of the IgG serum concentration of piglets due to access to colostrum supply [ 37 ]; however, its role as a predictor of piglet performance remains unclear [ 26 , 38 ]. On the other hand, birth order has been considered a relevant predictor of piglet mortality [ 28 , 37 ]. Nonetheless, our study setting only allowed us to determine its effect on ADG.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Association between Head-to-Chest Circumference Ratio and Intrauterine Growth-Retardation Related Outcomes during Preweaning and Postweaning

Manríquez

Poudevigne

Roche

et al. 2022

Animals

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The objective of this study is to evaluate the association between the head-to-chest circumference ratio (HCR) and birth weight (BW), colostrum intake, and average daily weight gain (ADG) at preweaning and postweaning periods. Additionally, associations between HCR and PCV-2 serum antibody titers and the PCV-2 seroconversion ratio (SCR) were assessed. Head and chest circumferences were measured at birth, and HCR was calculated from 110 piglets born from 8 pregnant sows randomly selected from maternity pens. Linear mixed models were used to test whether changes in HCR were associated with fluctuations of BW, colostrum intake, and ADG. In addition, HCR least-square means were compared between piglets classified as lower or greater BW, colostrum intake, and ADG. Finally, receiving operating characteristic curve analyses were performed to estimate HCR thresholds for discriminating between lower and greater performance piglets during preweaning and postweaning periods. Increments in HCR were associated with lower BW, colostrum intake, and ADG. An HCR threshold of 0.82 maximized sensibility and specificity for the classification of lower and greater performance piglets regarding BW, colostrum intake, and ADG during the periods of 0 to 7 and 0 to 69 days of life. When piglets were categorized into HCR ≤ 0.82 and HCR > 0.82 groups, piglets with HCR ≤ 0.82 had lower (log10) PCV-2 serum antibody titers at 26 days of life compared with piglets with HCR > 0.82 (3.30 ± 0.05 vs. 3.47 ± 0.05 g/dL). On the other hand, piglets that showed low SCR between 26 and 69 days of life had greater HCRs compared with piglets with high SCRs (0.83 ± 0.008 vs. 0.8 ± 0.008). The use of HCRs allowed us to identify piglets with lower performance and impaired immune response against PCV-2. The HCR indicator could be used as a selection criterion for preventive management for piglets showing delayed performance potentially associated with IUGR.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Association between Head-to-Chest Circumference Ratio and Intrauterine Growth-Retardation Related Outcomes during Preweaning and Postweaning

Manríquez

Poudevigne

Roche

et al. 2022

Animals

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“…Notably, piglets in birth order ranked in Q4, representing the foetuses that implanted at the ovarian end of the uterine horn, exhibited higher birth weights compared to piglets in birth orders ranked in Q1-Q3. This finding aligns with a previous study of pigs that also reported a higher birth weight in the last-born piglets compared to those born in the middle positions (Slegers et al, 2021). Likewise, Jang et al (2014) demonstrated in gilts that foetuses located at the ovarian end of the uterine horn tended to have higher body weights compared to those in the middle, while those positioned at the cervical end of the uterine horn displayed intermediate body weights.…”

Section: Piglet Birth Weightsupporting

confidence: 91%

Factors affecting birth weight and stillbirth in sows housed in a tropical environment

Adi,

Boonprakob,

Kirkwood

et al. 2023

Reprod Domestic Animals

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This study analysed data from a commercial swine herd in Thailand equipped with a free‐farrowing housing system, comprising 17,196 piglets from 1318 litters, to explore the impact of sow and litter characteristics on the piglet birth weight and the incidence of stillbirth. The piglets were classified into four groups based on the total number of piglets born per litter (TB): ≤9 (n = 1434), 10–12 (n = 3232), 13–15 (n = 6537) and ≥16 (n = 5993). Sows were classified into four groups based on parity number: 1, 2–4, 5–7 and ≥8. The piglets were categorized into quartiles based on their birth order ranking: Q1 (n = 4786), Q2 (n = 4143), Q3 (n = 3808) and Q4 (n = 4456). Piglet birth weight was individually measured before colostrum ingestion. On average, TB, the number of live‐born piglets and the incidence of stillbirth were 13.1 ± 3.7, 11.5 ± 3.8 and 6.3%, respectively. Among these litters, 26.6% had TB numbers ≥16. The average piglet birth weight was 1.37 ± 0.36 kg, with 18.3% of piglets weighing ≤1.0 kg at birth. Piglet birth weight was influenced by birth order ranking, as Q4 piglets were found to be heavier than piglets born in Q1–Q3 (p < .001). Moreover, the percentage of piglets with a birth weight of ≤1.0 kg increased from 5.9% in litters with TB of ≤9–25.3% in litters with TB of ≥16 (p < .001). Additionally, primiparous sows had lower piglet birth weights compared to sows with parity numbers 2–4, 5–7 and ≥8 (p < .001). Piglets born in the fourth quartile (Q4) had a higher risk of stillbirth compared to those born in the first (Q1), second (Q2) and third (Q3) quartiles (12.5% vs. 2.2%, 4.1% and 6.6%, respectively, p < .001). The incidence of stillbirth in litters with TB ≥16 was also higher than that in litters with TB ≤9 and 10–12 (p < .05). Furthermore, sows with parity numbers ≥8 had a higher incidence of stillbirth (9.7%) compared to primiparous sows (4.0%, p < .001), sows with 2–4 parity (5.2%, p < .001) and sows with 5–7 parity (7.6%, p = .003). In summary, a high incidence of stillbirth was found in piglets born in the last quartile of litters, in litters with >16 piglets and for sows with parity numbers ≥8. Piglets born in the last quartile of litters were heavier than those born in the first to third quartiles.

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“…All these factors, more or less directly related to the birth order, presumably have consequences, which are until now not fully understood. It has been proved that there is a higher prenatal mortality rate of late born piglets (Tuchscherer et al, 2000;Pedersen et al, 2011;Rootwelt et al, 2012;Panzardi et al, 2013); however, findings on the effect on growth performance are contradictory (Friend and Cunningham, 1966;Hartsock and Graves, 1976;Beaulieu et al, 2010;Charneca et al, 2013;Le Dividich et al, 2017;Slegers et al, 2021). Further, due to the challenging nature of such observations, research of the effect of birth order on suckling behaviour and animal welfare is scarce (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Birth order, suckling behaviour and growth in piglets: a case study of the extreme delay in birth of two surviving piglets

et al. 2021

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In pigs, higher birth order is associated with higher mortality rate, with abnormal delays in birth as a rule result in a prenatal death. Here we present a case study of an extreme delay in birth of two surviving piglets (delayed piglets) which were born 15 h after the beginning of parturition and 12 h after the last piglet of the main episode of the parturition (n=12) was born. The rest of the observed litter was divided into early born (n=6, born within 80 min) and late born piglets (n=6, born within the next 80 min from the beginning of parturition). Suckling behaviour, survival and growth performance of piglets were studied in relation to birth order whereby special attention was given to the delayed piglets. In general, suckling stability tended to decrease with birth order with the delayed piglets having completely unstable suckling. In the first suckling, piglets predominantly chose posterior teats, but later, when suckling order was established, early born piglets preferentially sucked on the front half and the late born piglets on the back half of the udder. The delayed piglets suckled on the middle teats immediately after birth, but later they chose preferential teats on different parts of udder (2nd and 6th teat pair). Growth performance of delayed piglets was lower, although not significantly (probably due to small sample size), compared to the late and especially to the early born group. Despite an extraordinarily long delay in birth, there was no clear association with the suckling order and its stability, the birth/body weight and daily gain. However, survival of piglets after that long delay in birth itself represents an extraordinary phenomenon that we cannot explain.

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Effects of Birth Order on Performance and Affective State of Pigs

Cited by 4 publications

References 45 publications

Association between Head-to-Chest Circumference Ratio and Intrauterine Growth-Retardation Related Outcomes during Preweaning and Postweaning

Association between Head-to-Chest Circumference Ratio and Intrauterine Growth-Retardation Related Outcomes during Preweaning and Postweaning

Factors affecting birth weight and stillbirth in sows housed in a tropical environment

Birth order, suckling behaviour and growth in piglets: a case study of the extreme delay in birth of two surviving piglets

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