NUTRITION ▶▶▶
Better sow performance with the right minerals
Times are long gone when supplying minerals to pigs was a matter of one-size-fits-all. Sows have a different demand, depending on their parity, size and litter size. Supplying correct amounts will enhance sow performance, with benefit for her piglets too.
BY DR JULES TAYLOR-PICKARD, ALLTECH M
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inerals are important for maintaining the body and ensuring animal performance. In breeding sows, certain minerals are needed for successful conception and parturition. Chromium is needed
to produce insulin, which affects progesterone production, as well as influencing follicle stimulating and luteinising hor- mones. Both hormones are required for regulating ovulation and have a direct impact on fertility and litter numbers. Man- ganese is required for progesterone production, whilst iron and chromium are required for further hormone activity, which influences embryo survival during the pregnancy. Uterine capacity, which dictates the number of piglets born, requires appropriate feeding levels of selenium, iron and chromium. Breeding animals have higher mineral requirements, as they have to produce ova that are robust enough to achieve concep- tion, supply developing foetuses with minerals for correct de- velopment and, in the case of mammals, produce milk to suckle their young. As such, breeding sows can often be deficient in mineral intake, especially when tissue reserves are depleted.
Figure 1 - Haemoglobin concentration in sow’s blood. 16
Parity: (Damgaard and Poulsen, 1993) 1 234
Sows producing large litters Modern pig genetics have created sows that can produce higher litter numbers, heavier piglets and lower progeny mor- tality. Nutrition has had to change in order to keep up with this increased reproductive capacity of sows. Reviews of feed- ing trials have shown that actual requirements can be much higher than National Research Council (NRC, 1998 & 2012) recommendations (see Table 1). Even over the relatively short space of time between 1998, when the NRC recommendations were published, to 2003, when the British Society of Animal Science conducted their review of mineral data, and the next NRC recommendations in 2012, requirement levels have increased significantly. This is especially evident for minerals involved in antioxidation, such as zinc, copper and selenium, which is important in high per- forming animals, which have increased oxidative damage from the generation of free radicals from higher metabolic functions. The proper provision of antioxidants through feed is impor- tant for protecting cell membranes, especially in vulnerable, rapidly replicating cells such as ova and embryos. Other re- search investigated the requirement of sows over subsequent parities and reported a 16% increase in the levels of iron, zinc and copper and a 14% increase in manganese for sows at pari- ty 3 or more with a body weight of 240 kg, compared to first parity dams weighing 160 kg. Other mineral studies have shown that parity number has an impact on haemoglobin concentrations in sow blood, which is related to iron loss over time. Iron is an essential component of haem, which is required for the efficient uptake of oxygen into red blood cells and delivery to tissues and organs. These low haem levels are reflected in the litters of piglets from these sows, which can be detrimental to their health and growth performance. In addition, sows need to have efficient oxygen transport around the body to prevent fatigue, such as during farrowing. It is apparent that diets must be formulated by parity to re- place lost nutrients after each litter and to ensure the sow always has adequate levels of minerals in tissue reserves in preparation for the demands of the next pregnancy. Sows fed diets containing the commercial organic mineral products Bioplex had, on average, 0.5 more live piglets per litter, as calculated from responses from trials run in 19 different countries, and more than 1kg heavier birth weights.
22 ▶ PIG PROGRESS | Volume 34, No. 6, 2018
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PHOTO: HANS PRINSEN
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