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Adi YK, Taechamaeteekul P, Ruampatana J, Malison M, Suwimonteerabutr J, Kirkwood RN, Tummaruk P. Influence of prepartum feed levels on colostrum production and farrowing performance in highly prolific sows in a tropical environment. Animal 2024; 18:101066. [PMID: 38217893 DOI: 10.1016/j.animal.2023.101066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2023] [Revised: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 01/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Currently, there is a lack of data on the effects of altering feed levels on sow performance and piglet characteristics during the transition period in tropical environments. The present study determined the effect of sow feed levels during the transition period on colostrum yield, colostrum immunoglobulin (Ig) G, colostrum intake of piglets, farrowing duration, proportion of stillborn piglets per litter (SB) and the incidence of farrowing assistance in highly prolific sows. A total of 114 Landrace × Yorkshire crossbred sows and their offspring (n = 2 072) were included in the experiment. Sows were assigned to different feed supply levels from entry to farrowing at 110 days of gestation until farrowing based on their parity number. Three feed-level groups were the control group who received 3.0 kg/day of lactation feed (n = 40), treatment 1 group who received 3.6 kg/day of gestation feed (n = 39) and treatment 2 group who received 4.0 kg/day of lactation feed (n = 35). Colostrum samples (5 ml) were obtained from the sows within 3 h after the onset of farrowing for IgG assay. Piglets were weighed immediately after birth and then again 17-24 h later to estimate their colostrum intake. Colostrum yield was determined by aggregating the colostrum intake of piglets within the litter. The total number of piglets born, SB and farrowing duration were 18.2 ± 3.8, 7.5% and 259.1 ± 138.1 min, respectively. Among these sows, 28.9% experienced a farrowing duration exceeding 300 min and 50.9% required assistance during farrowing. Interestingly, piglets in the treatment 2 group demonstrated a greater colostrum intake (403.1 ± 14.9 g) compared to the control group (360.6 ± 15.1 g, P = 0.046) and the treatment 1 group (361.0 ± 12.9 g, P = 0.033). On average, colostrum yield of sows in the treatment 2 group tended to be higher than in the control group (+0.5 kg, P = 0.081), but did not differ from the treatment 1 group (+0.3 kg, P = 0.191). No significant differences in farrowing duration, SB, farrowing assistance, or colostrum IgG concentration were found across various feed-level groups (P > 0.05). In conclusion, the study showed that raising lactation feed by 1.0 kg/day prefarrowing increased piglet colostrum intake and tended to boost sow colostrum production, without significantly affecting farrowing duration, stillbirth rates, or need for assistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y K Adi
- Centre of Excellence in Swine Reproduction, Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Reproduction, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand; Department of Reproduction and Obstetrics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta 55281, Indonesia
| | - P Taechamaeteekul
- Centre of Excellence in Swine Reproduction, Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Reproduction, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
| | - J Ruampatana
- Centre of Excellence in Swine Reproduction, Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Reproduction, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
| | - M Malison
- Thai Food Research Center Co. Ltd, Vibhavadi Rangsit Road, Chatuchak, Bangkok 10900, Thailand
| | - J Suwimonteerabutr
- Centre of Excellence in Swine Reproduction, Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Reproduction, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
| | - R N Kirkwood
- School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, University of Adelaide, Roseworthy, SA, Australia
| | - P Tummaruk
- Centre of Excellence in Swine Reproduction, Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Reproduction, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand.
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