Hormonal, behavioural and performance characteristics of Meishan sows during pregnancy and lactation

Abstract

Farmer, C. and Robert, S. 2003. Hormonal, behavioural and performance characteristics of Meishan sows during pregnancy and lactation. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 83: 1-12. Meishan sows are known for their high prolificity and great lactational performances. Specific breed characteristics in terms of their embryonic, foetal and placental developments as well as their differences in mammary development at the end of gestation are covered. The various known metabolic, physiological and endocrine factors related to the decreased embryonic mortality and increased placental vascularity, which are largely responsible for the greater litter size of Meishans, are discussed. An overview of published data on the endocrine status of the sow and foetuses throughout pregnancy is also presented. The superiority of Meishan sows during lactation is described in terms of its various components (i.e., piglet growth and development, sow and litter behaviour, milk composition) and the breed differences pertaining to sow metabolism and endocrinology during lactation are covered in order to provide an insight as to the possible mechanisms responsible for these superior performances. This review illustrates how a better understanding of the biological differences between Meishan sows and sows from European breeds could benefit the development of new management schemes to further improve reproductive potential of sows from traditional breeds. Les truies Meishan sont reconnues pour leur grande taille de portée et leurs excellentes qualités maternelles. Cette synthèse couvrira l'effet de la génétique Meishan sur la croissance embryonnaire et foetale ainsi que sur les développements placentaire et mammaire pendant la gestation. Les différents facteurs métaboliques, physiologiques et hormonaux reliés à la diminution de la mortalité embryonnaire et à la plus grande vascularisation du placenta, qui sont en grande partie responsables de la grande taille de portée chez les Meishan, seront décrits. Un survol de la littérature portant sur les concentrations hormonales chez les foetus et la truie pendant la gestation sera aussi fait. La supériorité des truies Meishan allaitantes sera également définie en termes de croissance et développement des porcelets, comportement de la truie et de la portée et composition du lait. Enfin, les effets de race sur le métabolisme et le statut endocrinien de la truie en lactation seront couverts afin de fournir des indices sur les causes de ces performances supérieures. Cette synthèse des connaissances sur les truies Meishan démontre qu'une meilleure compréhension des différences biologiques entre les truies de races Européennes et Meishan pourrait favoriser le développement de nouveaux systèmes de régie visant à augmenter les capacités reproductrices des truies de races traditionnelles.

Genetic parameters for reproductive traits at different parities in Large White pigs

“…Furthermore, genetic correlations between different parities are strong and positive (Roehe and Kennedy, 1995), therefore it is also reasonable to consider different parities as the same trait. For parity management, sows at first parity have a narrow birth canal (Pejsak, 1984), whereas sows of higher parities have a longer parturition interval (Farmer and Robert, 2003), and thus both tend to be associated with higher numbers of dead births (Vanderhaeghe et al, 2013). Optimum reproductive performance is generally attained at parities 2 and 3.…”

Allonursing in Wild and Farm Animals: Biological and Physiological Foundations and Explanatory Hypotheses

“…The amygdala, NAc and BDNST also have a role in the reward system and maternal memory, and the former in the olfactory recognition of the offspring. ADH: antidiuretic hormone; BNST: bed nucleus of the stria terminalis; MPOA/AH: medial preoptic area/anterior hypothalamus; NAc: nucleus accumbens; OX: oxytocin; PRL: prolactin; PVN: paraventricular nucleus; VTA: ventral tegmental area, adepted from [ 110 , 111 , 112 , 113 , 114 ].…”

Proteomics Analysis of Colostrum Samples from Sows Housed under Different Conditions

“…The synthesis and secretion of sow milk is regulated by many factors, including genetic factors, nutrition, and the housing environment. Many in-depth studies have evaluated the effects of genotype [1], nutrition [2,3], and lactation stage [4,5] on sow-milk quality; however, the housing environment has not been studied in detail. In previous studies, factors such as heat stress caused by temperature changes, chronic stress due to a restrictive environment (e.g., crates) [6], and lack of nesting materials before farrowing [7] were shown to alter the physiological processes in sows, including changes in oxytocin and prolactin secretion.…”