No milk is the same – yet piglets like it all


There is only one letter difference between ‘sow’ and ‘cow’, yet they are completely different animals. Young piglets, however, these days get fed with milk from either porcine or bovine origin – they will thrive on both. How do sow milk and cow milk compare – and why does this work perfectly in practice?


BY NICOLE LOUSBERG, NUTRITIONIST, SCHILS AND VINCENT TER BEEK, EDITOR, PIG PROGRESS


M


Dry matter Protein (%) Casein (%) Whey (%)


IgG (mg/ml) IgA (mg/ml) IgM (mg/ml)


Lactose (%) Fat (%) Ash (%)


Immediately after farrowing Source: Darragh & Moughan, 1998


1 22 ▶ WEANING | JUNE 2020


24.8 15.1 1.5


14.8 96 21 9


3.4 5.9 0.7


odern sows can do with a little assistance, when it comes down to lactation. After all, on average, sows produce 10-12 litres of milk per day. In most cases, that amount would be


sufficient – but with highly prolific breeding lines that might have consequences. For sows, on one hand, as feeding large litters means they will have to use a lot of their body reserves to meet the high milk demand – which may in the end have a detrimental effect on performance in the next litter. For piglets on the other, as larger litters mean that they are generally born physiologically less developed. Plus: having a lot of siblings means a potential shortage of milk, so when


Table 1 - Differences between sow milk and sow colostrum.


Sow colostrum1 on % dry matter


60.1 10 90


13.7 23.8 2.8


18.7 5.5 2.7 2.2 0.9 5.3 1.4 5.3 7.6 0.9


Sow milk on % dry matter


29.4 60 40


the time comes for weaning, they are not up for it. So, all in all, a little support would be welcomed and that is where milk products from dairy origin can play a role. Now how do sow and cow milk compare?


The phases of lactation The exact compounds of what piglets will be drinking de- pend on many factors, which include e.g. genetics, parity, health and the sow’s nutrition. Most importantly, however, it is the lactation phase that determines the composition, as over the weeks during lactation, this tends to change, see also Table 1. Roughly, the lactation contents can be translated into three phases: • Colostrum; • Transition milk; • Milk.


COLOSTRUM Of these three, colostrum is considered to be the most important for survival of the young piglet. Colostrum, available only straight after farrowing, provides piglets with energy, immunity and growth factors – it has everything newborn piglets need to get going. Conversely, insufficient colostrum intake is one of the most well-known causes for neonatal mortality. Colostrum production with the sow is an autonomous pro- cess. Contrary to milk production, its production is usually not influenced by litter size or suckling stimulation. Colostrum availability can vary between 1-7 kg. In case of large litter siz- es, there may not always be enough for every piglet.


28.3 40.6 4.8


Cow colostrum In terms of contents, cow colostrum can be an alternative for sow colostrum. Just like porcine colostrum, the bovine variety is a great source of immunoglobulins. The major difference between the two, however, is that porcine colostrum contains higher levels of dry matter and proteins. About 80% of all im- munoglobulins in bovine colostrum are effective for piglets as well. Trials in 2002 already showed that immunoglobulin G (IgG) from bovine colostrum is being absorbed well by pig- lets. Among the major benefits of cow colostrum are: • Lactoferrin is being absorbed in the piglets’ blood; • Growth factors apply to piglets too (for about 80%);


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