Research Note
Diet Directions:
Survivability, Livability, Profitability
The ongoing, multi-year Improving Pig Survivability Project, which is funded by the National Pork Board and Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research, highlights sow “livability” as key to birth-to-market survivability and producer profitability.
Removals of modern, highly prolific sows are running high. Only 60% of entered gilts make it to their third parity. What dietary strategies can help reduce sow mortality?
“Data suggests that roughly 80% of sow mortality occurs during the two weeks before and after farrowing,” says Iowa State’s Dr. Chris Rademacher. These losses are focusing more attention on sow nutrition and feed management in late gestation, transition, and lactation.
“Keep in mind that today’s sows are heavier,” Rademacher says, “and they’re gestating, farrowing, and nursing more pigs. While nutrition recommendations in NRC 2012 may still pertain to their energy and amino acid needs, some estimated requirements — particularly for minerals and vitamins — may be out-of-date.”
The dietary challenge of sow and piglet anemia was the focus of a previous Research Note.
Researchers from Iowa State, Kansas State, and Purdue involved in the Survivability Project recently summarized approaches reduce sow mortality…
Late gestation body condition: Keeping close tabs on BCS can avoid thin sows in late gestation, which are more likely to prolapse compared with normal or overweight sows.
Pre-farrowing feeding strategies: Feeding sows four 1.5-lb. meals reduced farrowing assistance and reduced piglet deaths compared with ad libitum intake for 3 to 5 days before farrowing.
Recent research on formulating late gestation and lactation diets has zeroed in on linoleic acid and α-linolenic acid (ALA) supplementation, primarily from soybean oil, as a means to support increased overall litter growth and pig weaning weights. Studies also showed positive colostrum and milk fatty acid changes but no apparent effects on sow livability or subsequent reproductive performance.
Work summarized by the Survivability Project also noted that the linoleic:linolenic acid ratio in the diet can impact gilt growth. Beyond sows and gilts, other summaries are available through the Project website.
Rademacher notes that a recent veterinary study necropsied sows that suffered “sudden death,” finding that, in addition to retained pigs and organ torsions, gastric ulcers were a leading cause. A major contributing factor, he suspects, is off-feed events, which would generate a higher concentration of stomach acids.
With feed at 50% or more of the variable costs, rations to support sow farm health status and productivity remain critical to wean-to-finish profitability.
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