Variation in Piglet Weights: Development of Within-Litter Variation Over a 5-Week Lactation and Effect of Farrowing Crate Design

Piglets from 51 litters were weighed weekly over a 5-wk lactation in an experiment that studied the effects of farrowing crate design and other factors on variation in piglet weight. Of two farrowing crates used, one had low horizontal bars that tended to impede access to the upper row of teats, while the other had angled vertical bars which permitted freer access. Fourteen-day weights were more uniform in the vertical-bar crates than in the horizontal-bar crates (P \u3c 0.025), but the difference waned by day 35 (P \u3e 0.05). There were no significant differences in mean body weight owing to crate type (P \u3c 0.05) for any of the weekly measurements but, by day 14, there was a significant linear trend (P \u3c 0.05) at decreasing main body weight with increasing litter size. The interaction between crate type and litter size was significant at the later ages (P \u3c 0.01 at day 35) because the linear trend was more pronounced for horizontal-bar crates than for vertical. Litters differed greatly in the uniformity of their body weights. Much of the variation became established in the first and, to a lesser extent, the second week after birth. In those weeks, weight gains were highly variable and were not closely related to weight at the beginning of the week. Thereafter, the established differences tended to be perpetuated to 35 d, because weight gains were largely proportional to body weight. Within-litter competition appeared to influence weight gain considerably

Variation in Piglet Weights: Weight Gains in the First Days After Birth and Their Relationship with Later Performance

Piglets from 42 litters of Yorkshire sows were weighed 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 10, and 14 d after farrowing in order to explore the highly variable weight gains during the first 2 wk after birth. All litters were adjusted to 10-12 piglets by fostering. Litters differed greatly in average gain per piglet during the first 3 d after farrowing, with litter means ranging from 5 to 227 g d‒1 per piglet for the 3-d period. Gains during days 0-3 tended to be somewhat lower if the sow had a high body temperature during these days, but the correlation was not high (r = ‒0.35; P \u3c 0.05). Compared to litters with high average gains during days 0-3, litters with low gains during this period continued to have lower average gains during days 3-14 (P \u3c 0.05) and had higher within-litter variation in gain (P \u3c 0.01). On a within-litter basis, weight gain during the first days after farrowing was only weakly correlated with the day 14 weight of individual piglets. Low average gain by a litter in the first 3 d after birth is probably due to low initial milk yield by the sow, and likely indicates a poor start to the sow\u27s lactation. Early identification of litters with low initial gains might allow remedial action to reduce the problems of high mortality and low, variable gains later in lactation

Variation in Piglet Weights: Relationship to Suckling Behavior, Parity Number and Farrowing Crate Design

Suckling behavior and weight change of piglets were studied during the first 2 wk after birth. Thirty-six litters comprised a balanced comparison of parity number (first or second), litter size (8, 10 or 12), and two farrowing crate designs, one of which had a low horizontal bar that tended to impede the piglets\u27 access to the udder. Piglets showed the expected preference for the anterior teats although the preference was more apparent in the second parity than in the first. Teat fidelity was most pronounced at the two ends of the udder; piglets occupying the middle positions did more fighting during suckling and missed the milk ejection more often. Within litter variation in 14-day weight increased with increasing parity number of the dam. Initial weight explained 30-40% of within-litter variation in 14-day weight. Behavioral variables explained 2.6% of additional variation in first-parity litters, 18.1% in second-parity litters, and 22.9% in litters of older sows. Suckling position (anterior to posterior) and teat fidelity (consistency of suckling position) were the two behavioral factors most closely associated with 14-day weight. Mean litter 14-day weight showed the expected effect of litter size, but showed no differences attributable to parity number or farrowing crate design. However, within-litter variation in 14-day weight was greater (P \u3c 0.025) in the type of crate that impeded access to the udder. This may have been due to the somewhat higher levels of fighting, and to higher within-litter variance in fighting scores, seen in these crates

Prevalence and predictors of postdischarge antibiotic use following mastectomy

OBJECTIVESurvey results suggest that prolonged administration of prophylactic antibiotics is common after mastectomy with reconstruction. We determined utilization, predictors, and outcomes of postdischarge prophylactic antibiotics after mastectomy with or without immediate breast reconstruction.DESIGNRetrospective cohort.PATIENTSCommercially insured women aged 18–64 years coded for mastectomy from January 2004 to December 2011 were included in the study. Women with a preexisting wound complication or septicemia were excluded.METHODSPredictors of prophylactic antibiotics within 5 days after discharge were identified in women with 1 year of prior insurance enrollment; relative risks (RR) were calculated using generalized estimating equations.RESULTSOverall, 12,501 mastectomy procedures were identified; immediate reconstruction was performed in 7,912 of these procedures (63.3%). Postdischarge prophylactic antibiotics were used in 4,439 procedures (56.1%) with immediate reconstruction and 1,053 procedures (22.9%) without immediate reconstruction (P&lt;.001). The antibiotics most commonly prescribed were cephalosporins (75.1%) and fluoroquinolones (11.1%). Independent predictors of postdischarge antibiotics were implant reconstruction (RR, 2.41; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.23–2.60), autologous reconstruction (RR, 2.17; 95% CI, 1.93–2.45), autologous reconstruction plus implant (RR, 2.11; 95% CI, 1.92–2.31), hypertension (RR, 1.05; 95% CI, 1.00–1.10), tobacco use (RR, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.01–1.14), surgery at an academic hospital (RR, 1.14; 95% CI, 1.07–1.21), and receipt of home health care (RR, 1.11; 95% CI, 1.04–1.18). Postdischarge prophylactic antibiotics were not associated with SSI after mastectomy with or without immediate reconstruction (bothP&gt;.05).CONCLUSIONSProphylactic postdischarge antibiotics are commonly prescribed after mastectomy; immediate reconstruction is the strongest predictor. Stewardship efforts in this population to limit continuation of prophylactic antibiotics after discharge are needed to limit antimicrobial resistance.Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol2017;38:1048–1054</jats:sec

Selective Tooth Clipping in the Management of Low-Birth-Weight Piglets

A study was designed to test the potential benefits of selective tooth clipping (the practice of leaving the eye teeth intact in the smallest piglets of a litter to make them more competitive) under commercial conditions. A total of 346 litters were assigned to either the control treatment where all piglets had their teeth clipped, or the experimental treatment where one or more piglets of low birth weight had their teeth left intact. Piglets were weighed within 24 h of birth and at 7, 21 and 56 d. In litters of 12-14 animals, but not in smaller litters, the lower-birth-weight piglets had lower mortality in experimental than in control litters (32.0 vs. 39.8%), whereas higher-birth-weight piglets showed a trend in the opposite direction, with 14.4% mortality in experimental vs. 13.2% in control litters (P = 0.05. The weight gain of lower-birth-weight piglets was greater (166 vs. 143 g d‒1) in experimental than in control litters of 9-11 piglets, but the heavier piglets competing against the small litter-mates with intact teeth had lower weight gains than the controls (177 vs. 187 g d‒1) (P \u3c 0.02). Within-litter variance of 21-d weights was about 15% smaller (P \u3c 0.005) in experimental than in control litters. Thus, selective tooth-clipping does not improve overall growth and survival, but it contributes to more uniform weaning weights and may help the most vulnerable piglets to remain alive until fostering or other intervention can be accomplished

Aquatic Feeding by Moose: Seasonal Variation in Relation to Plant Chemical Composition and Use of Mineral Licks

Activity of moose (Alces alces) was studied at aquatic feeding areas and at natural, sodium-rich licks during four periods covering late May to early September. Aquatic feeding increased from period 1 (late May and early June) to period 2 (late June and early July) and had declined by late July. Major activity at mineral licks occurred earlier in the season than aquatic feeding, especially for males. Chemical composition of aquatic plants showed no seasonal changes corresponding to the peak of aquatic feeding in period 2, although the sodium content of some species declined in period 3. We suggest that moose in the study area are attracted to sodium sources from late May to mid-July, that aquatic feeding replaces use of licks in June as the most sodium-rich aquatic plants become abundant, and that both activities decrease in midsummer because of declining attraction to sodium

Sow Preference for Types of Flooring in Farrowing Crates

A preference-testing apparatus was used to provide sows with continuous access to three identical farrowing crates, each with a different type of flooring. The crates radiated from a central hub area sufficiently large for sows to enter or leave any crate freely. In exp. 1, nine sows from a concrete-floored gestation room were offered crates over concrete, plastic-coated rod, and galvanized metal rod. In exp. 2, sows were pre-exposed for a period of 1 wk to one of the three floors before entry into the preference testing apparatus. Video recording was used to determine sow position from 3 d before to 13 d after farrowing in exp. 1 and for a 3-d period before and 3-d period after farrowing in exp. 2. In exp. 1, sows showed a strong preference (P \u3c 0.05) for the concrete floor before farrowing, but this preference had diminished by the final week.in the apparatus (P ≈ 0.16). In exp. 2, sows pre-exposed to metal or plastic-coated flooring made more voluntary use of these products, but the metal floor was strongly avoided during and immediately after farrowing. Overall, concrete seemed to be a preferred floor material for sows at farrowing

Preference Tests of Ramp Designs for Young Pigs

Preference experiments were used to identify features of ramp design that influence the voluntary use of ramps by young pigs. In seven experiments, groups of pigs, aged 7-8 wk, were given free access to four different ramps simultaneously. The animals\u27 behavior was monitored to identify the amount of time spent on the ramps and the number of pigs that failed to use specific designs. Slope, in the range of 20-32° from the horizontal, had a major influence on the pigs\u27 behavior, with the shallower slopes attracting more use than steep ones. Pigs preferred ramps with angle-iron cleats (cross-laid on the ramps to provide foot-holds) spaced every 50 or 100 mm rather than 200 or 300 mm. Cleat height, in the range of 10-40 mm, had little effect. Pigs showed a slight preference for ramps with solid or open (wire mesh) side walls, compared to ramps partially enclosed by a railing. Reduced width (510 vs. 710 mm) was not a major impediment to ramp use, although the narrow ramps were used somewhat less, by a degree proportional to their smaller width. Level of illumination (up to 1200 lx) had no major effect. A staircase composed of 20 small steps was used at least as readily as a ramp of similar slope, but staircase designs with fewer, larger steps were not preferred. The results suggest that a ramp sloped at 20-24°, with cleats cross-laid every 50-100 mm, would provide a feasible design with good acceptance by young pigs, either for loading pigs or for two-level housing systems

Preference by Sows for a Partially Enclosed Farrowing Crate

A preference testing apparatus was designed to give sows continuous access to three farrowing crates with different degrees of visual enclosure. A ‘fully enclosed\u27 crate had solid black panels on the sides and top of the crate, a ‘solid-sided’ crate had the side panels only and an ‘open crate’ had no solid panels over the crate\u27s tubular framework. The crates radiated from a central area sufficient for sows to enter or leave any crate freely. Video recording was used to determine sow position from 3 days before to 6 days after farrowing. The results indicated that younger sows (second or third panty) preferred the enclosure offered by the solid side panels during and for several days after farrowing (P \u3c 0.05). Older sows, which had previously farrowed a number of times in an open crate, had no clear preference. A solid panel overhead did not improve, and may have reduced, the acceptance of a crate with solid sides. It is concluded that less experienced sows prefer a degree of enclosure on the sides of the farrowing crate, but that this preference largely disappears with repeated experience of open crates

Sow Preference for Farrowing-Crate Width

A preference-testing apparatus was designed to provide sows with continuous access to three farrowing crates of different widths. The crates radiated from a central hub area sufficiently large for sows to enter or leave any crate freely. In exp. 1, nine sows were offered crates of 450-, 600- and 750-mm width at standing height. In exp. 2, 12 sows were offered widths of 450, 750 and 1200 mm, the largest being of sufficient width for the sow to turn around. Video recording was used to determine sow position from 3 d before to 6 d after farrowing. In exp. 1, sows showed a preference for the widest crate of 750 mm during and after farrowing (P \u3c 0.05) but not before. ln exp. 2, the 1200-mm width was preferred before, during and after farrowing (P \u3c 0.005) over the widths that were too narrow to permit turning. Sufficient space for turning appears to be preferred by sows around the time of farrowing