PARTNER FEATURE ▶▶▶


Energy boost for sows and piglets


Lysolecithins are known to maximise fat digestion and enhance nutrient absorption. A recent trial revealed that sows were better able to maintain their body condition when fed an energy booster including lysolecithins. As a result, the number of stillborn piglets was reduced, and sows showed better fertility.


BY OLGA DANSEN, MSC, HEAD R&D, FRAMELCO L


Body weight 7 days before farrowing (kg) Weaning (kg)


Total weight loss (kg)


Backfat thickness 7 days before farrowing (mm) Weaning (mm)


Total backfat loss (mm)


Body condition score# 7 days before farrowing Weaning


Total reduction Weaning-to-oestrus interval


arge numbers of high-quality piglets produced in a sustainable way – that is the most important goal of modern pig farms. In practice, however, sow farmers face various challenges, like severe body condition


loss during lactation with all its consequences. The negative energy balance, which often already occurs before parturi- tion, has a negative effect on the number of stillborn piglets and litter growth. In addition, a negative energy balance


Table 1 – The effect of lysolecithins on body weight, backfat thickness and body condition score of sows.


Control


292 251


41.4


16.8 14.5 2.4


3.26b 2.37


0.89 27.2%b 5.7


*1,000 g FRA LeciMax Dry per tonne of feed. Different superscripts in the same row indicate significant differences (a,b


14.2% Lysolecithins*


283 248


34.5 14.2%


18.3 15.9 2.4


2.82a 2.35 0.47 5.2


: P≤0.05). # Body condition score: 1 = extremely lean, 2 = lean, 3 = ideal, 4 = slightly above the ideal, 5 = too fat. 28 ▶PIG PROGRESS | Volume 36, No. 8, 2020 12.3%


suppresses follicle development and reduces levels of impor- tant reproductive hormones, resulting in a prolonged wean- ing-to-oestrus interval, lower ovulation rates and higher em- bryonic mortality. Consequently, the uniformity and quality of the next litter will be impaired.


Improving daily nutrient intake To prevent body condition loss and muscle breakdown, modern sows require more nutrients to fuel the increase in productivity. There are two ways to improve daily nutrient intake: either by simply increasing feed intake or by increas- ing the nutrient density of the diet. As the sow’s feed intake capacity often does not fulfil the high nutrient requirement for milk production, increasing nutrient density could help to reduce the gap between requirement and nutrient intake. To maximise the nutrient availability and usage of high- density diets, lysolecithins (see box) could be added to im- prove fat digestion and nutrient absorption, thereby acting like an energy booster. To demonstrate the beneficial effect of lysolecithins on sow performance and piglet growth dur- ing lactation, a trial was carried out at Livestock Feed Tests Denmark, a commercial farm with research facilities in Ger- many and Denmark. When entering the farrowing crate at about seven days before farrowing, sows (Danbred x Pie- train) received a standard lactation feed, which contained 2.5% soybean oil and a crude fat content of 5.4%. In the treatment group 1,000 grammes of FRA LeciMax Dry per tonne of feed, hereafter “lysolecithins”, was added to the lactation feed. Piglets were weaned at approximately 26 days.


13.1% 15.2%a


Maintaining body condition Results show that lysolecithins were indeed able to enhance fat digestion and nutrient absorption as body condition loss was reduced (see Table 1). From the start of the trial until weaning, sows fed lysolecithins lost 34.5 kilogrammes of body weight compared to 41.4kg in the control group. That improvement was even more pronounced looking at the body condition score: 15.2% lower body condition score at weaning in the lysolecithin group compared to 27.2% in the control group. Moreover, sows receiving lysolecithins could more easily consume all the feed supplied; only one sow in the treatment group did not consume all the feed according


PHOTO: HENK RISWICK


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44