PIGLET FEEDING ▶▶▶
Improving the chances of piglet survival
BY DR KEELIN O’DRISCOLL, TEAGASC, IRELAND T
he period from birth until weaning is one of the most dangerous in a pig’s life, with pre-weaning mortality in most InterPIG countries now over 10%; that is, more than one in ten pigs born alive dies be-
fore weaning. This is significant not only because of the relat- ed financial costs, but because of associated animal welfare concerns and the ethical and environmental issues surround- ing production of piglets who are likely to die. The large in- crease in average litter size which has occurred during the past 20 years – in 2020 average born alive is now greater than 14 in 10 of the InterPIG countries, with a high of 17.5 in Den- mark – means that more piglets are being born lighter, and thus it is increasingly important that care is taken to reduce the risk and proportion of pre-weaning mortality. To improve the pigs’ chances of survival, it is useful to go back to basics and consider their biology. Historically most research, and the technological and genetic advances that have ensued, has focused on the physical performance of the animals; how- ever, consideration of the pigs’ normal, instinctive behaviour, and efforts to satisfy this, can provide additional tools to add to the armoury in optimising piglet welfare and survival.
Creating a nest For starters, as the due date approaches, the sow should be provided with material that will satisfy her motivation to create a nest. It has been demonstrated time and again that the in- stinct to create a nest during the 24 hours before farrowing is hardwired into the sow; in fact, the scientist who led much of the ground-breaking work identifying this fact, Professor David Wood-Gush, started his career as a geneticist. Providing the sow with material she can tear up and use to imi- tate the process of creating a nest will lower her stress levels, speed up the farrowing process and consequently improve the chances of her piglets being born alive. The next step is absolutely crucial; piglets need to consume as much colostrum as they can, ideally from their own mother, during the first day of life. After this they can no longer absorb the immunoglobulins. If litters are very large, it can be benefi- cial to supervise the tail end of the farrowing in particular and use a split suckling strategy to allow later-born piglets to get to a teat without competition from their older siblings.
With sows getting increasingly more prolific, the cases of pre-weaning mortality are also growing. There are ways to make sure that the majority of underweight piglets get enough to allow them to catch up with the rest of the litter. A good strategy involves nesting, nurse sows and cross-fostering.
Once piglets have had a chance to consume colostrum, the next challenge is ensuring that they all have access to their own functional teat for the rest of lactation. Although nursing bouts appear to go on for several minutes, milk let-down may only last for up to 30 seconds, so it could be easy for a piglet to miss out if not latched on quickly enough. The establish- ment of the teat order during the first few days after birth helps piglets to maximise their chances of obtaining milk during every nursing bout. Piglets fight with each other to get at preferred teats, and af- ter a couple of days each has their own. Once the order is de- termined fighting dies down; from then on nursing bouts can be devoted to feeding rather than fighting. Unfortunately, selection for increased teat number has not kept pace with litter size, so if all piglets were left with their mother, fighting over teats would continue longer into lactation, and not all piglets would take in milk at every nursing bout. For that reason, cross-fostering and nurse sow strategies are often used.
Split suckling in action.
▶ PIG PROGRESS | Volume 37, No. 3, 2021
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PHOTOS: TEAGASC
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