Sows’ parity and coconut oil postnatal supplement on piglets performance

ABSTRACTObjectives. The study aimed to evaluate the effect of sows’ of different parities and the supplement of coconut oil for piglets, on the development of litter. Materials and methods. A total of 51 sows of different parities and their 642 piglets were used in the trial. Each piglet was weighed and identified at birth in a sequential order. They were randomly distributed in two treatments (CG=control group and TG=test group). TG piglets had the first access to a dosage of 3.0 ml of coconut oil 12 hours after birth, and the second at 36 h after the first. Piglets were weighed at 21 days. In order to analyze the effect of the coconut oil supplement as a function of the weight at birth, piglets were grouped according to their weight (0.600 to 0.900 kg; 1.000 to 1.499kg; 1.500 to 1.999 kg; and 2.000 to 2.499 kg). Results. Sows parity affected the number and weight of born piglets. Sows in 4th, 5th and 7th parity had a larger litter than those from the 2nd parity. Sows from 2nd and 3rd parity had a lower number of piglets but heavier litter. No effect of the coconut oil supplement on neonatal piglets’ performance was found. Conclusions. The coconut meal was neither beneficial to neonatal piglets nor to those with low weight at birth, which usually present low body energy.RESUMENObjetivo. El objetivo del estudio fue evaluar el efecto del número de partos y el suplemento de aceite de coco en lechones recien nacidos. Materiales y métodos. Se utilizaron 51 cerdas de diferentes partos y sus 642 lechones. Cada lechón se pesó y se identificó al nacer en orden secuencial. Fueron distribuidos aleatoriamente en dos grupos (CG = control y TG=tratamiento). Lechones TG tenían el primer acceso a una dosis de 3.0 ml de aceite de coco 12 horas después del nacimiento, y el segunda a las 36 h después de la primera. Los lechones fueron pesados a los 21 días. Con el fin de analizar el efecto de los suplementos de aceite de coco con relación al peso al nacer. Los lechones fueron agrupados de acuerdo con su peso (0.600 a 0.900 kg; 1.000 a 1.499 kg; 1.500 a 1.999 kg y 2.000 a 2.499 kg). Resultados. El número de partos afectó el peso y el número de lechones nacidos. Cerdas en cuarto, quinto y séptimo parto, tuvieron una camada mayor que las de segundo parto. Las cerdasde segundo y tercer parto tuvieron menor número de lechones y con peso mayor. No se encontró efectodel suplemento de aceite de coco en el desarrollo de los lechones recién nacidos. Conclusiones. Loaceite de coco no es favorable para los lechones recién nacidos, tampoco para aquellos con el bajopeso al nacer, que normalmente presentan la energía corporal baja

Handling associated with drenching does not impact survival and general health of low birth weight piglets

The increase in litter sizes in recent years has resulted in more low birth weight (LBW) piglets, accompanied by a higher mortality. A potential intervention to overcome this is drenching bioactive substances. However, if the act of drenching provokes additional stress in LBW piglets, it might counteract the supplement’s effect and be detrimental for the piglet’s survival. To study the effect of the drenching act, piglets from 67 sows were weighed within 4 h after birth. The mean litter birth weight (MLBW) and standard deviation (SD) were calculated. LBW piglets (n = 76) were defined as weighing between (MLBW-1*SD) and (MLBW-2.5*SD). They were randomly allocated to two treatments: “sham” (conducting the act of drenching by inserting an empty 2.5 mL syringe in the mouth during 20 s, once a day, d1 till d7; n = 37) or “no treatment” (no handling; n = 39). On day 1, 3, 9, 24 and 38, piglets were weighed and scored for skin lesions. Blood samples were collected on day 9 and 38 and analyzed to determine glucose, non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), urea, immunoglobulin G (IgG), insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and a standard blood panel test. There was no difference between sham drenched and untreated piglets regarding any of the parameters. In conclusion, this study showed that drenching does not impose a significant risk to LBW piglets and can be applied safely during the first 7 days after birth

Evaluating the Effects of Medium Chain Fatty Acids on Sow Reproductive Characteristics, Offspring Biological Health Markers, and Growth Performance

A sow’s diet can influence and her offspring not only in the suckling period, but well after weaning. The objective of this study was to determine how supplementing medium chain fatty acids (MCFA) in gestation and lactation impacted offspring growth performance as well as the biological markers of pig quality from the suckling period until week 6 of the nursery period. A total of 77 primparious and multiparious females and their 438 offspring were utilized in this study. Sows and gilts (218.15 kg ± 32.15 kg BW at d28 of gestation) were assigned to one of 2 dietary treatments: Control (UNSUP) and control + MCFA (SUP). At weaning, 438 piglets (5.66 ± 1.37 kg BW) were allocated in a 2x2 factorial based on maternal diet (UNSUP or SUP) and post-weaning diet (UNSUPnurs or SUPnurs) in a 3-phase nursery pig feeding program lasting 42 days. Following birth of the first piglet and prior to suckling, colostrum was collected using gentle stripping from all teats for a total volume of 40 mL and at d 4 or 5 of lactation, a milk sample was collected. Microbial analysis of piglet fecal samples at d 10, d 24, and d 63 of age were completed to determine the relative proportion of Lactobacillus, Escherichia coli, and Salmonella. Colostrum and milk samples were analyzed for protein, lactose, total solids, and fat (Division of Regulatory Services, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY). At weaning, one of the “average” piglets from the selected litters was euthanized, and 10 cm of the ileum was removed and placed in a 15 mL conical tube containing 5 mL of 10% buffered formalin solution for histology analysis. Suckling piglets were weighed at d7 of age and at weaning. In the nursery period, pigs were weighed, and feed disappearance was measured at week 1 (for study 2), 2, 4 and 6. No effect of maternal diet was observed for sow BW at d 110 (228.63 ± 3.12 kg) or weaning (211.92 ± 3.15 kg), piglet birth weight (1.38 ± 0.05 kg), piglet wean weight (5.74 ± 0.11 kg), or litter size (14.40 ± 0.44). The SUP sows had greater daily feed intake (P \u3c 0.05) compared to the sows fed the control diet. In the nursery phase there was no maternal diet supplementation effect for all measured response variables and no effect of nursery dietary treatment At birth, UNSUP litters had a larger percentage of average piglets (69.75% UNSUP, 59.02% SUP), a lesser percentage of light piglets (15.41% UNSUP, 19.67%) and a lesser percentage of heavy weight piglets (14.84% UNSUP, 21.31% SUP; χ2 \u3c 0.01). At weaning, UNSUP sows tended to have a larger percentage of average piglets (71.68% UNSUP, 66.60% SUP), a lesser percentage of light piglets (13.49% UNSUP, 18.24% SUP) and they had lesser heavy weight birth piglets (14.84% UNSUP, 15.16% SUP; χ2 = 0.10). Inclusion of MCFA in gestation and lactation increased sow lactation daily feed intake. Colostral fat content was not impacted by maternal dietary treatment (P = 0.70). Colostral protein content increased (P = 0.04) in SUP sows compared to UNSUP. Colostral lactose content in UNSUP sows tended to increase (P = 0.06) compared to SUP sows. UNSUP sows tended (P = 0.07) to have decreased colostral total solids and decreased (P = 0.04) colostral solids not fat content compared to SUP sows. Milk composition was not affected by dietary treatment. Similarly, colostrum immunocrit was not altered by maternal dietary treatment. Serum immunocrit was decreased (P = 0.01) in SUP piglet serum compared to UNSUP piglet serum. Colostral IgG as well as milk IgG was not impacted by supplementation of MCFA in the maternal diet. Similarly, villus height, crypt depth, and their ratio at weaning was also not impacted by maternal dietary treatment. The Lactobacillus content from the suckling period (d 10 of age) tended to be a greater population (P = 0.08) in SUP piglets compared to UNSUP piglets. In the nursery period (39% and 19%) SUP pigs more respectively maintained the slightly greater proportion of Lactobacillus compared to UNSUP pigs. The addition of MCFA in the maternal dietary treatment improved feed intake, biological markers of the piglets such as colostrum quality and the gut microbiome in the suckling and nursery periods. In lactation, feed intake is a key limiting factor for milk output, thus MCFA may contribute to improved sow milk output. Colostral proteins is predominately made up of immunoglobulins, which aid in providing the piglet passive immunity. Increasing colostral proteins could increase immunoglubins for the piglet. Lactobacillus is known as a “good” bacterium and can indicate a healthy pig. Increasing the abundance of Lactobacillus in the gut, especially at weaning, can be a mechanism to ensure pigs get off to the proper start and grow in those first few weeks in the nursery

Management of reproduction: piglet survival and fertility of the sow

As a result of intensive breeding, litter size has considerably increased in pig production over the last three decades. This has resulted in an increase in farrowing complications. Prolonged farrowing will shorten the window for suckling colostrum and reduce the chances for high-quality colostrum intake. Studies also agree that increasing litter sizes concomitantly resulted in decreased piglet birth weight and increased within-litter birth weight variations. Birth weight, however, is one of the critical factors affecting the prognosis of colostrum intake, and piglet growth, welfare, and survival. Litters of uneven birth weight distribution will suffer and lead to increased piglet mortality before weaning. The proper management is key to handle the situation. Feeding strategies before farrowing, management routines during parturition (e.g. drying and moving piglets to the udder and cross-fostering) and feeding an energy source to piglets after birth may be beneficial management tools with large litters. Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) -driven recovery from energy losses during lactation appears critical for supporting follicle development, the viability of oocytes and embryos, and, eventually, litter uniformity. This paper explores certain management routines for neonatal piglets that can lead to the optimization of their colostrum intake and thereby their survival in large litters. In addition, this paper reviews the evidence concerning nutritional factors, particularly lactation feeding that may reduce the loss of sow body reserves, affecting the growth of the next oocyte generation. In conclusion, decreasing birth weight and compromised immunity are subjects warranting investigation in the search for novel management tools. Furthermore, to increase litter uniformity, more focus should be placed on nutritional factors that affect IGF-1-driven follicle development before ovulation.Peer reviewe

Coping with large litters : the management of neonatal piglets and sow reproduction

As a result of intensive breeding, litter size has considerably increased in pig production over the last three decades. This has resulted in an increase in farrowing complications. Prolonged farrowing will shorten the window for suckling colostrum and reduce the chances for high-quality colostrum intake. Studies also agree that increasing litter sizes concomitantly resulted in decreased piglet birth weight and increased within-litter birth weight variations. Birth weight, however, is one of the critical factors affecting the prognosis of colostrum intake, and piglet growth, welfare, and survival. Litters of uneven birth weight distribution will suffer and lead to increased piglet mortality before weaning. The proper management is key to handle the situation. Feeding strategies before farrowing, management routines during parturition (e.g., drying and moving piglets to the udder and cross-fostering) and feeding an energy source to piglets after birth may be beneficial management tools with large litters. Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1)-driven recovery from energy losses during lactation appears critical for supporting follicle development, the viability of oocytes and embryos, and, eventually, litter uniformity. This paper explores certain management routines for neonatal piglets that can lead to the optimization of their colostrum intake and thereby their survival in large litters. In addition, this paper reviews the evidence concerning nutritional factors, particularly lactation feeding that may reduce the loss of sow body reserves, affecting the growth of the next oocyte generation. In conclusion, decreasing birth weight and compromised immunity are subjects warranting investigation in the search for novel management tools. Furthermore, to increase litter uniformity, more focus should be placed on nutritional factors that affect IGF-1-driven follicle development before ovulation.Peer reviewe

Investigating management strategies of large litters in pigs

Modern hyper-prolific sows often do not have enough teats to feed all of their piglets. The resulting competition for colostrum and milk hampers piglet growth and survival. This is exacerbated by low birth-weights, which are also common in large litters. Three experiments were conducted for this thesis; each investigated a management strategy hypothesised to improve outcomes for piglets from large litters. The first experiment evaluated the use of nurse sows to rear supernumerous piglets (i.e. when there are more piglets than teats). At 1 day old, piglets from large litters either remained with their mother or were moved to a nurse sow who was either 7 or 21 days into lactation. Aspects of piglet (growth, survival and suckling behaviour) and sow (salivary cortisol, back-fat thickness, body lesions, and nursing behaviour) welfare were monitored until weaning. Rearing by a nurse sow did not compromise pre-weaning survival, compared to rearing by the mother, regardless of the nurse sows’ stage of lactation (7 or 21 days) when the piglets were transferred to her. Piglets reared by a nurse sow were initially heavier than piglets remaining with their dam, but all piglets were weaned at similar weights. Regardless of whether a nurse sow or biological mother, sows in late lactation had shorter nursing bouts and their litter showed more fighting behaviour, compared to sows in early lactation. Despite longer lactation length, nurse sows did not differ from biological mothers in salivary cortisol concentration, backfat thickness and body lesion scores. The second experiment looked at using an artificial rearing system to rear 7 day old piglets until weaning. Litters of 12 piglets were assigned at 7 days old to be either sow-reared (SR) or artificially-reared (AR) until weaning. Pre-weaning survival, growth and behaviour were recorded, emotional state was assessed using Qualitative Behavioural Assessment pre- and post-weaning, and reactivity tests were conducted post-weaning. Survival did not differ between treatments. AR piglets were lighter than SR piglets from the day following transfer until weaning. They performed more negative behaviours (belly-nosing, ear and tail biting) and their emotional state was scored lower pre-weaning, compared to SR piglets. However, post-weaning the emotional state of AR piglets was scored higher than SR pigs and AR piglets had a lower emotional reaction to a fear test (startling event) and human contact. The third experiment evaluated whether 2ml of an energy-rich neonatal supplement (coconut oil or a commercial product) would enhance survival and vitality of low birth-weight piglets. At three hours post-birth, low birthweight piglets (<1.1 kg) were dosed with one of the supplements, water, or sham-dosed. Blood glucose content, rectal temperature, and pre-weaning survival and growth were recorded but none were affected by treatment. Post-weaning, piglets were tested for spatial learning and memory in a T-maze set-up, or were tested for short-term memory in a spontaneous object recognition test. There were no treatment differences on the performance of pigs in any of the two tests, meaning that the birth energy supplementation did not enhance post-weaning cognitive performances. This thesis demonstrated that a single dose of energy supplementation at birth did not improve outcomes for low birth-weight piglets, and that the rearing strategies to promote piglet survival in large litters do work in terms of survival but can impair some aspects of piglet welfare and development. The most pronounced welfare impacts were observed with artificial rearing. Therefore management of large litters remains a significant challenge and the strategies investigated deserve further improvements

Identifying and investigating factors which affect sow productivity in UK and Irish pig herds

Increasing litter size in sows is accompanied by a rise in the number of unviable piglets at birth which limits the potential output of modern sows. Understanding sow and dietary characteristics that influence reproductive performance and developing nutritional strategies to improve piglet survival and growth to weaning will abate the negative impacts of high litter sizes. Therefore, this study took two approaches: 1. Use of historical data from two research sites to quantify the association between sow or dietary characteristics during gestation and resulting reproductive performance and 2. Two separate feeding trials to determine the effect of salmon oil, vitamin D3 inclusion level in gestation diets and salmon oil and dietary energy regimen in lactation on piglet viability and growth to weaning. Sow live-weight and back-fat depth in late gestation were found to be important for subsequent reproductive performance. Current recommended digestible energy intakes during gestation were found to be appropriate for the modern genotype, however, current amino acid requirements should be increased for gestating sows. Salmon oil inclusion in gestation and lactation diets increased the proportion of omega-3 (n-3) fatty acids in samples while increased dietary vitamin D3 level during gestation improved sow and piglet vitamin D3 status, but the growth performance of piglets was not improved as a result. From this thesis it can be concluded that the transfer of n-3 fatty acids and vitamin D3 from sow feed to the offspring is effective via placental transfer and milk secretions, but this did not improve performance. This conflicts with other work and further research is needed to clarify the associated biological pathways and mechanisms to explain these inconsistencies