High physiological demands in intensively raised pigs: impact on health and welfare

Prunier, Armelle; Heinonen, Mari; Quesnel, H.

doi:10.1017/s175173111000008x

Cited by 102 publications

(87 citation statements)

References 112 publications

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“…Mammalian milk is rich in lipids, carbohydrates, proteins and non-nutritional products, which are of functional significance to the growth physiology of the developing offspring [39, 46]. Among the non-nutritional products immunoglobulin A, LF, macrophages and lysosomes help in protecting the digestive tract against potential pathogens [46].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dietary lactoferrin supplementation to gilts during gestation and lactation improves pig production and immunity

Jahan

Kracht

et al. 2017

PLoS ONE

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Lactoferrin (LF), a sialylated iron-binding glycoprotein, performs multiple beneficial functions including modulating immunity and improves neurodevelopment, health and growth performance. Maternal LF intervention for gilts (first parity sows) on the performance of gilts and their offspring remains unknown. In the current study gilts were fed with a commercial pig feed supplemented with 1g LF /day (treatment group) or 1g milk casein/day (control group) from day 1 post mating throughout pregnancy and lactation for about 135 days. The milk production and body weight gain was monitored. The immunoglobulin concentrations in the serum of gilts and piglets were measured using ELISA. Our study showed that maternal LF supplementation to the gilt (1) significantly increased milk production at different time points (day 1, 3, 7 and 19) of lactation compared to the control (p<0.001); (2) significantly increased body weight gain of their piglets during the first 19 days of life compared to the control group (p<0.05); (3) tended to increase pregnancy rate, litter size and birth weight, number of piglets born alive, and decrease the number of dead and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) piglets; (4) significantly increased the concentration of serum IgA in gilt and serum sIgA in piglet (p<0.05). In summary, maternal Lf intervention in gilts can improve milk production, pig production and serum IgA and sIgA levels, and therefore plays a key role in shaping the performance of their progeny.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dietary lactoferrin supplementation to gilts during gestation and lactation improves pig production and immunity

Jahan

Kracht

et al. 2017

PLoS ONE

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“…Extended lactation may deplete body reserves (Prunier et al, 2010) and lead to a low body condition score and sows with a poor body condition score are prone to get shoulder lesions during lactation (Knauer et al, 2007). Further, the long time period in the crate with limited ability to move may be stressful to the sow (Jarvis et al, 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do nurse sows and foster litters have impaired animal welfare? Results from a cross-sectional study in sow herds

Sørensen

Rousing

Kudahl

et al. 2016

animal

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Increasing litter size has led to introduction of so-called nurse sows in several EU countries. A nurse sow is a sow receiving piglets after having weaned her own piglets and thereby experiencing an extended lactation. In order to analyse whether nurse sows have more welfare problems than non-nurse sows a cross-sectional study was conducted in 57 sow herds in Denmark. Clinical observations were made on nurse and non-nurse sows and their litters. The clinical observations were dichotomized and the effect of being a nurse sow was analysed based on eight parameters: thin (body condition score < 2.5), swollen bursae on legs, dew claw wounds, vulva lesions, poor hygiene, poor skin condition, shoulder lesions and cuts and wounds on the udder. Explanatory variables included in the eight models were: nurse sow (yes = 1/no = 0), age of piglets (weeks old, 1 to 7), parity (1 to 8 + ) and all first order interactions between these three variables. The effect of using nurse sows on piglet welfare was analysed with five models. The outcomes were: huddling, poor hygiene, lameness, snout cuts and carpal abrasions. The explanatory variables included in the five models were: nurse sow (yes = 1/no = 0), age of piglets (weeks old, 1 to 7), parity (1 to 8 + ) and all first order interactions between these three variables. Herd identity was included as a random factor in all models. The nurse sows had a significantly higher risk of swollen bursae on legs (P = 0.038) and udder wounds (P = 0.001). No differences in risk of being thin or having shoulder lesions were found. Foster litters had significantly higher risk of being dirty (P = 0.026) and getting carpal abrasions (P = 0.024) than non-foster litters. There was a tendency for higher lameness in foster litters than in non-foster litters (P = 0.052). The results show that nurse sows and their piglets to some extent experience more welfare problems than non-nurse sows with piglets at a similar age.

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“…Thus, selection for high production levels might have been associated with an increased susceptibility of animals to environmental stressors such as pathogens, heat variations or psychological stressors (Rauw et al, 1998;Prunier et al, 2010). This vulnerability would be even more marked in environments that strongly differ from the environment in which animals have been selected.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Health and immune traits of Basque and Large White pigs housed in a conventional or enriched environment

Merlot

Vincent

Thomas

et al. 2012

Animal

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Since decades, production traits such as growth rate, feed efficiency or body composition have been drastically increased in pigs by genetic selection. Whether this selection impacted animal robustness is still unclear. In this study, we compared Large White (LW) pigs, a breed submitted to intense genetic selection for production traits, and Basque (B) pigs, a local rustic breed, reared in two different housing environments (conventionalv.enriched). Adaptation to housing conditions among each breed was evaluated at the level of endocrine and immune traits. These are known to be impacted by housing conditions and breed; however, the interaction effects between genotype and environment are less described. Animals (20 per breed and housing environment) entered the experiment at 35 kg of live weight. Levels of cortisol, acute-phase inflammatory proteins, immunoglobulins and hydrogen peroxide, blood formula, lymphocyte proliferation andin-vitrocytokine expression were measured at ∼115 kg of live weight. Animals were checked for skin injuries during the growing period. At slaughter, at the average live weight of 145 kg, carcasses were examined for pathological conditions of the respiratory tract. The major result was that the two breeds exhibited differences in response to the housing environment. Among the 24 sanitary, endocrine or immune traits investigated, the housing conditions affected eight variables in both breeds (salivary cortisol at 0700 and 1900 h, severity of pneumonia at slaughter) or only in B pigs (severe skin lesions) or LW pigs (salivary cortisol at 1500 h, granulocyte numbers and lymphocyte/granulocyte ratio and lymphocyte proliferation). These observations strengthen the hypothesis that selection for high meat production level might be associated with an increased susceptibility of animals to environmental stressors.

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High physiological demands in intensively raised pigs: impact on health and welfare

Cited by 102 publications

References 112 publications

Dietary lactoferrin supplementation to gilts during gestation and lactation improves pig production and immunity

Dietary lactoferrin supplementation to gilts during gestation and lactation improves pig production and immunity

Do nurse sows and foster litters have impaired animal welfare? Results from a cross-sectional study in sow herds

Health and immune traits of Basque and Large White pigs housed in a conventional or enriched environment

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