Proper sow feeding makes a difference for piglet perfor- mance.
Sow feeding affects piglet performance
Low birth weight piglets have the potential to perform just as well as their heavier siblings. Taking a closer look at feeding the sow can help give them a better start.
BY CHRIS MCCULLOUGH, CORRESPONDENT K 28
nowing that weaning weight is a key determinant of lifetime performance, research at the Agri-Food & Bio- sciences Institute (AFBI) in Northern Ireland, UK, dur- ing the past year investigated the growth response of
low and average birth weight piglets when reared on sows which were offered different levels of lactation feed intake. The outcomes were published in the peer-reviewed journals Translational Animal Science and Livestock Science. The studies aimed to investigate whether any improvements in the wean- ing weights of low birth weight pigs would be retained during the growing and finishing periods.
Selection for foster farrowing The study used 32 litters (448 piglets) from the AFBI Hillsbor- ough pig unit from eight production batches. From each batch, within 24 hours of farrowing, two litters of 14 low birth weight pigs (<1 kg) and two litters of 14 average birth weight pigs (1.25–1.75 kg) were established on freshly farrowed foster mothers. The two sows with low birth weight pigs were offered either a
▶ PIG PROGRESS | Volume 37, No. 5/6, 2021
high or low, albeit commercially standard, lactation feed allow- ance. Similarly, the sows with average birth weight piglets were also given either a high or low feed allowance. The low feed al- lowance used in this study was similar to levels fed on pig farms, that is, sows were fed an average of 6.2 kg/day during lactation, with a maximum of 7.5 kg/day. Conversely, sows on a high feed allowance were fed a maxi- mum of 11 kg/day and averaged up to 8.6 kg/day over the 28-day lactation. The team monitored piglet health throughout lactation, and live weight was recorded weekly. Suckling be- haviour was also monitored when piglets were seven and 21 days old.
Weaning at 28 days after birth All piglets were weaned at an average of 28 days after birth. Following weaning, pig live weight, feed intake and mortality were recorded throughout the growing (four to ten weeks of age) and finishing (12–22 weeks of age) periods until slaughter. During lactation (28 days) the total intake of sows offered the high feeding rate was 217 kg (average of 7.5 kg/day), while sows offered the low allowance ate 174 kg (average of 6.0 kg/ day), a difference of 25%. As expected, the wean weight of low birth weight pigs was lower than that of average birth weight piglets, and they also had higher mortality. Despite their lower weight, the small piglets had a similar milk intake capacity to that of average weight piglets. Also, as ex- pected, sows who ate the higher feed allowance produced litters with higher weights.
PHOTO: RONALD HISSINK
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