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Animals
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Effects of Sows on Piglets: Nutrition, Behavior and Welfare
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Effects of Sows on Piglets: Nutrition, Behavior and Welfare

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Pigs".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 February 2023) | Viewed by 14776

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Kate J. Plush

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
SunPork Group, Eagle Farm, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
Interests: pig reproduction; transition from intra- to extra- uterine life; neonatal development; piglet survival; animal behaviour and welfare; pig nutrition; pork production
Dr. Pieter Langendijk

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Trouw Nutrition R&D, Amersfoort, The Netherlands
Interests: pig reproduction; covering insemination strategies; embryo development and survival; ovarian physiology and follicle development; gestation and lactation, and interactions with nutrition
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The maternal environment has a significant impact on the entire life of the progeny, and pigs are not exempt from this occurrence. Although the most influential life stage would be thought to be the postpartum period, the sow has a significant impact on the piglet throughout the entire reproductive cycle, including determining the quality of the oocyte, in utero development, and during the birthing process, in addition to the lactation phase. The impacts of the sow on the piglet can be transient or can be permanent, affecting the animal throughout its life.

In this Special Edition of Animals, we are inviting submissions of original research papers that investigate the potential links between the environment provided by the sow and the performance of the piglet. Manipulation of the sow environment during all phases of the reproductive cycle, through management, dietary, or housing changes, enables the development of the piglet to be altered. These manipulations also possess the ability to change behavioral expression and, in turn, improve the welfare of both the sow and the piglet.

Dr. Kate J. Plush
Dr. Pieter Langendijk
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • sow
  • piglet
  • nutrition
  • behavior
  • welfare

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 535 KiB  
Article
Performance and Welfare of Sows Exposed to Auditory Environmental Enrichment in Mixed or Collective Housing Systems
by Janaina Palermo Mendes, Fabiana Ribeiro Caldara, Maria Fernanda de Castro Burbarelli, Jean Kaique Valentim, Daniela Ferreira de Brito Mandú, Rodrigo Garófallo Garcia, Ibiara Correia de Lima Almeida-Paz, Agnes Markiy Odakura and Marconi Italo Lourenço da Silva
Animals 2023, 13(7), 1226; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13071226 - 31 Mar 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1627
Abstract
The research aimed to assess the effects of auditory environmental enrichment on sows in mixed housing (caged until 35 days after insemination and then collective pens) or collective housing (caged until 72 h after insemination and then collective pens). Reproductive performance, body surface [...] Read more.
The research aimed to assess the effects of auditory environmental enrichment on sows in mixed housing (caged until 35 days after insemination and then collective pens) or collective housing (caged until 72 h after insemination and then collective pens). Reproductive performance, body surface and eye temperature (ET) were evaluated as sows’ welfare indicators. A sample of 56 sows between 2nd and 6th parity was submitted to the treatments from artificial insemination to weaning. The sows were assigned in a randomized block design with a 2 × 2 factorial scheme of treatments: mixed housing—control (MH-C), collective housing—control (CH-C), mixed housing—music (MH-M) and collective housing—music (CH-M). Auditory enrichment consisted of exposing sows daily throughout gestation and lactation to 6 h of classical music divided into 2 h periods. The ET of pregnant sows in collective housing was lower than that of sows in mixed housing (33.77 °C vs. 34.91 °C). Pregnant and lactating sows exposed to auditory environmental enrichment exhibited lower ET compared to those that had no access to the stimulus (pregnant 33.36 °C vs. 34.32 °C and lactating 34.21 °C vs. 34.83 °C). No housing type effect was found on the reproductive performance parameter; however, piglets from sows submitted to auditory environmental enrichment, regardless of the type of housing during gestation, were heavier at weaning (6.32 kg vs. 5.57 kg). Collective or mixed housing does not affect sows’ reproductive performance; perhaps, auditory environmental enrichment reduced stress in the gestation and lactation phases and provided greater piglet weight gain at weaning. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Sows on Piglets: Nutrition, Behavior and Welfare)
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9 pages, 2227 KiB  
Article
Infrared Thermography for Early Identification and Treatment of Shoulder Sores to Improve Sow and Piglet Welfare
by Lauren M. Staveley, Jessica E. Zemitis, Kate J. Plush and Darryl N. D'Souza
Animals 2022, 12(22), 3136; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12223136 - 14 Nov 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1317
Abstract
Shoulder sores in sows cause pain, may lead to early weaning and resultant piglet distress, and premature culling. Early detection and intervention is key to avoid these substantial production and welfare imposts. In this experiment we tested infrared thermography (IRT) to identify shoulder [...] Read more.
Shoulder sores in sows cause pain, may lead to early weaning and resultant piglet distress, and premature culling. Early detection and intervention is key to avoid these substantial production and welfare imposts. In this experiment we tested infrared thermography (IRT) to identify shoulder sores before wound eruption, and effectiveness of four wound healing treatments; mānuka honey (n = 11); Derisal® (n = 11); Chloromide® (n = 13) and Repiderma® (n = 16), all of which contain no antibiotics. Three hundred and ten sows (parity 2.3 ± 0.2) were monitored daily from entry to the farrowing sheds until weaning using a thermal camera. IRT successfully detected 88% of shoulder sores as hot spots and provided a lead in time of 7 days. Sixteen percent of all sows had a hotspot detected and were randomly allocated to one of four daily treatment groups. At the end of the treatment period, sore diameter was significantly reduced for all treatments, except the Repiderma® group. Sow traits had little influence on susceptibility to shoulder sores. There may be a link between prewean mortality and shoulder sores, but this requires further investigation. The use of IRT to monitor for hotspots for early intervention is validated. Future work should concentrate on methods to prevent wound eruption after detection with IRT to improve the health and welfare of both the sow and her litter. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Sows on Piglets: Nutrition, Behavior and Welfare)
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10 pages, 1237 KiB  
Article
Maternal Dietary Supplementation with γ-Aminobutyric Acid Alleviated Oxidative Stress in Gestating Sows and Their Offspring by Regulating GABRP
by Xiaoyi Liu, Lili Jiang, Jiaman Pang, Yujun Wu, Yu Pi, Jianjun Zang, Junjun Wang and Dandan Han
Animals 2022, 12(19), 2539; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12192539 - 22 Sep 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1479
Abstract
Sows usually suffer oxidative stress during gestation, and this limits the growth of fetuses via placenta. Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a functional nonessential amino acid engaged in regulating the physiological status of animals. However, the effects of GABA on the oxidative homeostasis of [...] Read more.
Sows usually suffer oxidative stress during gestation, and this limits the growth of fetuses via placenta. Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a functional nonessential amino acid engaged in regulating the physiological status of animals. However, the effects of GABA on the oxidative homeostasis of sows and their offspring remain unclear. Eighteen late gestating sows (85 d) were divided into the CON and GABA groups and fed the basal diet and the GABA diet (200 mg/kg GABA), respectively, until farrowing. At parturition, the sows’ litter characteristics, the plasma antioxidant parameters of sows, and their offspring were evaluated. The results showed that GABA supplementation had no marked effect on the reproductive performance of sows (p > 0.10) but had a trend of reducing the amount of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) in piglets (0.05 < p < 0.10). At the same time, the addition of GABA elevated the plasma superoxide dismutase (SOD) level of sows and enhanced the glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity of newborn piglets (p < 0.05). Based on the H2O2-induced oxidative stress in pTr-2 cells, GABA elevated intracellular GSH-Px, SOD, catalase (CAT), and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC, p < 0.01) and upregulated the gene expressions of CAT, gamma-aminobutyric acid receptor (GABRP), and nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor-2 (Nrf2) in H2O2-treated pTr-2 cells (p < 0.05). Taken together, GABA improved the antioxidant capacity of sows and alleviated the placental oxidative stress by upregulating the GABRP and Nrf2 genes, which have the potential to promote oxidative homeostasis in newborn piglets. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Sows on Piglets: Nutrition, Behavior and Welfare)
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12 pages, 1833 KiB  
Article
Traits Defining Sow Lifetime Maternal Performance
by Laura Vargovic, Jo-Anne Harper and Kim L. Bunter
Animals 2022, 12(18), 2451; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12182451 - 16 Sep 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1466
Abstract
Declining sow performance with increasing parity or an increase in the number of poor- quality pigs potentially impacts on farm productivity. This study investigated the phenotypic and genetic background of the sow’s influence on (i) the number of pigs not meeting the industry [...] Read more.
Declining sow performance with increasing parity or an increase in the number of poor- quality pigs potentially impacts on farm productivity. This study investigated the phenotypic and genetic background of the sow’s influence on (i) the number of pigs not meeting the industry standards (tail-enders) and (ii) changes in performance with parity. Data were available for 3592 sows and their litters (13,976 litters) from a pig production system in NSW, Australia. The mean, standard deviation (SD), and slope for trait values over time were estimated for the sow characteristic traits: number of born-alive (NBA) and stillborn (SB) piglets and body condition of sow recorded with a caliper (CAL), along with maternal effects on piglet performance, represented by: average piglet birth weight (APBW), number of weaned piglets (WEAN), and tail-enders (TEND). Traits were analyzed in ASReml 4.2, by using an animal model. The number of tail-enders produced by a sow is a heritable trait, with a heritability estimate of 0.14 ± 0.04. Sow characteristics and maternal effects on piglet performance expressed by mean and slope had similar heritability estimates, ranging from 0.10 ± 0.03 to 0.38 ± 0.05, whereas estimates for SD traits were generally not different from zero. The latter suggests individual variability in sow characteristics or maternal performance between parities is largely not genetic in origin. This study demonstrated that more attention is required to identify contributions to the problem of tail-enders, and that slope traits could potentially be useful in the breeding program to maximize lifetime performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Sows on Piglets: Nutrition, Behavior and Welfare)
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10 pages, 1563 KiB  
Article
Effect of Dexamethasone and Route of Administration on Sow Farrowing Behaviours, Piglet Delivery and Litter Performance
by Sophia A. Ward, Roy N. Kirkwood, Yunmei Song, Sanjay Garg and Kate J. Plush
Animals 2022, 12(7), 847; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12070847 - 28 Mar 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1852
Abstract
The inflammatory pain and stress some crated sows experience during farrowing has attendant risks of piglet-directed aggression, reduced teat exposure and hindered post-partum recovery. To counter this, the steroidal anti-inflammatory compound, dexamethasone, can be administered. To measure the potential for mucosal absorption as [...] Read more.
The inflammatory pain and stress some crated sows experience during farrowing has attendant risks of piglet-directed aggression, reduced teat exposure and hindered post-partum recovery. To counter this, the steroidal anti-inflammatory compound, dexamethasone, can be administered. To measure the potential for mucosal absorption as an alternative to injection, the permeability of porcine vaginal mucosa to dexamethasone was demonstrated using Franz cell diffusion. These studies found dexamethasone treatment diffused through vaginal mucosa at a constant rate, with 52.37 ± 5.54% permeation in 6 h. To examine in vivo effects on farrowing outcomes, dexamethasone was administered to gilts and parity one sows on the day of expected farrowing. We hypothesized that it would provide relief from farrowing discomfort and reduce behaviours threatening piglet survival. Sows were randomly assigned to receive dexamethasone as an intramuscular injection (n = 23); dexamethasone applied topically into the vagina (n = 20), or to receive no dexamethasone (n = 23). Sows (n = 66) and piglets (n = 593) were monitored for performance indicators during farrowing and early lactation. A subset of sows (n = 24) was also video monitored continuously over 24 h for behaviours associated with pain, postural changes and piglet interactions. No differences were observed between treatment for farrowing performance, piglet survival or behavioural changes for sows experiencing their first or second farrowing (p > 0.05), rejecting the hypothesis that corticosteroid administration will improve sow farrowing performance. This investigation did, however, show that dexamethasone can permeate through porcine vaginal mucosa and so can be administered as a non-injectable treatment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Sows on Piglets: Nutrition, Behavior and Welfare)
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Review

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17 pages, 931 KiB  
Review
Defining “Normal” in Pig Parturition
by Alexandra Walls, Bianca Hatze, Sabrina Lomax and Roslyn Bathgate
Animals 2022, 12(20), 2754; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12202754 - 13 Oct 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4063
Abstract
Animal production industries rely on efficient and successful reproductive outcomes, with pigs being no exception. The process of parturition in pigs (farrowing) can be especially prolonged, due to the large numbers of piglets being born (on average, approximately 13 piglets per litter in [...] Read more.
Animal production industries rely on efficient and successful reproductive outcomes, with pigs being no exception. The process of parturition in pigs (farrowing) can be especially prolonged, due to the large numbers of piglets being born (on average, approximately 13 piglets per litter in Australian conditions). Difficulties in farrowing (dystocia) lead to poor piglet outcomes and health problems in sows, in turn, causing economic loss for producers and welfare concerns for the animals. Despite the importance of this topic and publications in the area stretching back nearly 50 years, there is still no consensus on the prevalence of dystocia in pigs nor on how to identify a pig experiencing the condition. Understanding the process of parturition and the factors that influence its success is a crucial step towards the early identification of sows undergoing dystocia and development of best practices to assist them. This article describes the key factors that contribute to successful farrowing and identifies areas in which more research is required before the parturition process in the pig can be fully understood. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Sows on Piglets: Nutrition, Behavior and Welfare)
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Other

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27 pages, 7644 KiB  
Systematic Review
Defining the Effect of Oxytocin Use in Farrowing Sows on Stillbirth Rate: A Systematic Review with a Meta-Analysis
by Sarah V. Hill, Maria del Rocio Amezcua, Eduardo S. Ribeiro, Terri L. O’Sullivan and Robert M. Friendship
Animals 2022, 12(14), 1795; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12141795 - 13 Jul 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1995
Abstract
The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to identify the benefits and possible adverse side effects of oxytocin use during farrowing. Randomized controlled trials that were published in English within the last 50 years were eligible for inclusion. Eligible research needed [...] Read more.
The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to identify the benefits and possible adverse side effects of oxytocin use during farrowing. Randomized controlled trials that were published in English within the last 50 years were eligible for inclusion. Eligible research needed to contain the PICO elements: population (P)—sows at farrowing; intervention (I):—oxytocin given to sows—comparator (C): sows at farrowing not given oxytocin, as well as sows given different dosages and/or different timing of administration; and outcomes (O):—stillbirths, sow mortality, and piglet viability. Four bibliographic databases were used: PubMed, CAB Direct, Web of Science Core Collection, and ProQuest Dissertations, and Theses Global. In addition, we performed a manual search of the table of contents in the American Association of Swine Veterinarians database for relevant conference proceedings and reports. To assess the risk of bias at the study level, a modified version of the Cochrane 2.0 ROB was used. Meta-analyses were performed to examine the average stillbirth rate, farrowing duration, and birth interval between piglets using random-effect standardized mean difference (SMD) models. To explore heterogeneity, a sub-group analysis was performed on the objectives of the study, dose, time, and route of administration. Of the 46 studies eligible for meta-analyses, only 25 had sufficient information. The pooled analyses of the random effect model demonstrated that the average number of stillborn pigs was lower in the comparator group (SMD = 0.23; CI95% = 0.1, 0.36), and both the farrowing duration (SMD = −8.4; CI95% = −1.1, −0.60) and the birth interval between piglets (SMD = −1.41; CI95% = −1.86, −0.97) were shorter in the oxytocin group. The majority of the studies had an overall risk of bias of ‘some concerns’. It was concluded that the use of oxytocin increases the overall number of stillborn piglets, but decreases the farrowing duration and time interval between piglets. However, future studies should focus on the effect of oxytocin on the experience of dystocia among sows. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Sows on Piglets: Nutrition, Behavior and Welfare)
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