Supplying sows energy on the expected day of farrowing improves farrowing kinetics and newborn piglet performance in the first 24 h after birth

Abstract

The farrowing process is one of the most energy-demanding activities for the modern hyperprolific sow. This study evaluated the effects of supply of energy on the expected date of farrowing on the farrowing kinetics and piglets’ performance during the first 24 h after birth. A total of 80 sows were used. The sows and their respective litters were considered as the experimental unit. On the expected day of farrowing, the sows were allocated to one of the following groups: sows that did not have access to feed from farrowing induction until the end of the farrowing process (CON, n = 40); sows fed 500 g of energetic supplement, which consisted of 250 g of the basal lactation diet plus 250 g of cane sugar, 18 h after farrowing induction (SUP, n = 40). The farrowing duration, farrowing assistance, birth interval, number of total born, stillborn and mummified piglets were recorded for each sow. Piglets were weighed individually at birth and 24 h later. The interval from birth to first suckle was evaluated individually for each piglet in 16 randomly selected litters (eight litters per treatment group). Blood glucose concentrations of six sows were measured shortly after expulsion of the first piglet. Farrowing duration, farrowing assistance and stillborn rate tended to be greater (P = 0.06, P = 0.09 and P = 0.07, respectively) in sows from the CON group compared to sows from the SUP group. However, there was no difference (P > 0.05) between the groups for birth interval. Colostrum intake was greater (P < 0.05) for piglets from the SUP group compared to piglets from the CON group. Additionally, BW gain of the piglets suckling the SUP group was greater (P < 0.05) than those suckling the CON group at 24 h after birth. The blood glucose concentrations during the expulsive stage of farrowing were greater (P < 0.05) in the SUP group than for sows from the CON group. In conclusion, supplying modern hyperprolific sows energy on the expected day of farrowing is a valuable nutritional intervention to improve the farrowing kinetics and piglets’ performance in early life.

Effect of Saccharomyces cerevisiae boulardii on sows’ farrowing duration and reproductive performance, and weanling piglets’ performance and IgG concentration

“…The LSB supplementation to sows increased the ADFI during the first week of lactation (p<0.05). average daily feed intake 1 Analysis of variance (with room, parity, sow diet, and their interactions as effects; the interactions were nonsignificant, therefore, they were removed from the model 2 Non-parametric test (Kruskal-Wallis) with sow diet as effect 3 Analysis of variance (with room, parity, sow diet, and their interactions as effects; number of piglets at the beginning of the period was used as covariate); the interactions were non-significant, therefore, they were removed from the model 4 Analysis of variance (with room, parity, sow diet, litter diet, and their interactions as effects; number of piglets at the beginning of the period was used as covariate); the interactions with room and parity were non-significant, therefore, they were removed from the model 5 Analysis of variance (with room, parity, sow diet, and their interactions as effects; litter weight at the beginning of the period was used as covariate); the interactions were non-significant, therefore, they were removed from the model 6 Analysis of variance (with room, parity, sow diet, litter diet, and their interactions as effects; litter weight at the beginning of the period was used as covariate); the interactions with room and parity were non-significant, therefore, they were removed from the model 7 Analysis of variance (with room, parity, sow diet, litter diet, and their interactions as effects;); the interactions with room and parity were non-significant, therefore, they were removed from the model At day 109, the average sow body weight was 265. non-supplemented and supplemented litters, respectively. There was a significant difference in BFT loss during lactation, where the supplemented sows displayed a lower loss compared to the CON sows (p<0.05); furthermore, the sows with non-supplemented litters tended to lose less BFT than the sows with supplemented litters (p<0.1).…”

“…From the end of gestation [ 1 ] and during lactation, sows live in a catabolic state as they are not able to meet the energy requirements of their metabolic processes (i.e., maintenance, milk production, and growth) and hence need to mobilize body reserves [ 2 ]. Therefore, any help in optimizing the utilization of nutrients is of immense importance, for example for enhanced performance of the progeny since most of the energy would be used for milk production, and during parturition, which is a process with great energy expenditures [ 3 ]. A successful farrowing implies more piglets weaned and sold [ 4 ].…”

Increased feeding frequency prior to farrowing: effects on sow performance

“…It is accepted that litter size, litter birth weight variation, and stillborn number all increase with increasing parity ( Damgaard et al, 2003 ; Quesnel et al, 2008 ; Wientjes et al, 2012 ). Further, as litter size increases so does the total energy required by the sow to expel the piglets during farrowing ( Oliveira et al, 2020 ). In contrast to previous studies, the mean litter size in our study was relatively small, suggesting that other factors may have influenced farrowing duration and/or the feed-to-farrow interval.…”

Maternal Dietary Nitrate Supplementation Lowers Incidence of Stillbirth in Hyper Prolific Sows under Commercial Circumstances

“…Recently, the effects of maternal dietary interventions have been studied on farrowing duration and the risk of stillbirth [ 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 ]. Human sports supplements have been shown to induce vasodilatation, which increases blood flow and consequently oxygen flow in the body [ 17 , 18 , 19 ].…”