Submit to Animals Review for Animals Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser

Increasing Piglet Pre-weaning Survival through Peri-Partum and Lactation Management

Print Special Issue Flyer
Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2023) | Viewed by 24607

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ramon Muns

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Sustainable Agri-Food Sciences Division, Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Belfast BT9 5PX, UK
Interests: pig and sow management; swine nutrition; sow performance and health; feeding management and feeding strategies; low-birthweight piglets’ long-life performance; gut microbiota; environmental impact

Dr. Roger Davin

E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor

Schothorst Feed Research B.V., 8218 NA Lelystad, The Netherlands
Interests: pig and poultry nutrition and management; early feeding strategies; mineral nutrition; feed evaluation

Dr. Christina Mulvenna

E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor

Sustainable Agri-Food Sciences Division, Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Belfast BT9 5PX, UK
Interests: pig management and nutrition; pig performance; pig behaviour; energetics; environmental impacts

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Piglet pre-weaning mortality (PWM) remains one of the main challenges of the pig industry worldwide. It is a welfare concern that results in decreased sow performance and important economic losses in swine industries. To add some context, production indices from different countries show how the introduction of hyper-prolific sow breeds has increased pigs born alive and pigs weaned per litter from 12.48 and 10.92 in 2011 to 14.12 and 12.64 in 2019, respectively. However, PWM, rather than dropping, has increased from 12.49% to 13.84% in the same period. Non-infectious causes of PWM are determined by a combination of piglet, sow, and environmental factors, while infectious causes are mainly due to digestive and respiratory problems. While causes of PWM have been widely reported, risk factors for each individual cause in all farrowing systems are not fully understood or established. Similarly, there is often a misclassification or lack of reporting of the exact cause of death on commercial farms and on research studies, with PWM usually being considered a single entity.
Moreover, the increase in litter size has brought with it an increase in the number of piglets born with intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) and low-birthweight piglets (e.g., piglets born weighing less than 1.2 kg). IUGR piglets are often deemed “non-viable” and contribute to PWM while low-birthweight piglets often lead to piglets with reduced weaning weight (e.g., pigs weaned at approximately 28 days weighing less than 5 kg). In addition, with sows rearing large litters (i.e., piglets born alive often outnumbering viable teats), proper colostrum intake early after birth and milk production have become limiting factors for piglets’ growth and performance.
Most nutritional and management treatments to reduce PWM, to deal with non-viable and low birthweight piglets, are implemented treating all piglets as a cohort. However, there is variability on piglets’ response to such treatments, with some animals being able to survive and/or catch up in their growth, whereas others will not.
Original manuscripts and reviews on the abovementioned aspects directly related to PWM and/or rearing piglets in large litters are invited. Topics of special interest and sections to be covered in the present Special Issue are:
1) Gestation interventions on piglets’ development and/or early survival;
2) Peri-partum interventions on pre-weaning survival (e.g., farrowing protocols, colostrum intake, oral supplementation, thermoregulation, vitality);
3) Fostering strategies (e.g., cross-fostering, nurse sows) and artificial rearing;
4) IUGR and low-birthweight piglets;
5) Risk factors of PWM and different causes of death.

Dr. Ramon Muns
Dr. Roger Davin
Dr. Christina Mulvenna
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

viability
thermoregulation
fostering
oral supplementation
fostering
low birthweight
cause of death
survival
colostrum intake
lactation

Published Papers (11 papers)

Download All Papers

Order results

Result details

Show export options Show export options

Select all

Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

18 pages, 3376 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effect of Drenching (Very) Low Birth Weight Piglets with a Dense, Concentrated Milk Replacer at Farms with Differing Farrowing Management

by Kevin Van Tichelen, Sara Prims, Miriam Ayuso, Lieselotte Van Bockstal, Céline Van Kerschaver, Mario Vandaele, Jeroen Degroote, Steven Van Cruchten, Joris Michiels and Chris Van Ginneken

Animals 2023, 13(1), 63; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13010063 - 23 Dec 2022

Viewed by 1593

Abstract

Introducing hyperprolific sows has led to proportionally more (very) low birth weight ((V)LBW) piglets, accompanied by higher mortality. To improve the survival of (V)LBW piglets, drenching a dense milk replacer (DMR) could be applied. A first experiment evaluated the effect of drenching DMR (1 or 3 doses within 24 h after birth) to LBW ((mean litter birth weight − 1*SD) and weighing between 1 kg and 750 g) and VLBW piglets ((mean litter birth weight − 1.5*SD) and weighing less than 750 g). On days 1, 2, 3, 9, and two days post-weaning, body weight, growth, skin lesions, and mortality were monitored. No effect of DMR was observed on any of the parameters. In a second experiment, LBW piglets were supplemented with DMR (similarly to experiment 1) at two farms differing in the level of perinatal care. The same parameters were evaluated, and again none were affected by drenching DMR. Overall survival of the LBW piglets was significantly higher at the farm with high perinatal care. It can be concluded that good perinatal management is more effective in enhancing the survival of LBW piglets than drenching. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Increasing Piglet Pre-weaning Survival through Peri-Partum and Lactation Management)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 257 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Suckling Induces Differential Gut Enzyme Activity and Body Composition Compared to Feeding Milk Replacer in Piglets

by Charlotte Amdi, Marie Louise M. Pedersen, Christina Larsen, Joanna Klaaborg, Andrew R. Williams and Johannes Gulmann Madsen

Animals 2022, 12(22), 3112; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12223112 - 10 Nov 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1337

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate differences in growth, hematology, metabolism, small intestine (SI) morphology, and enzyme activity of sow-reared piglets (SOW) compared to artificially reared piglets (MILK) given milk replacers in two different environments. Thirty-six piglets were selected at birth based on their birth weight; eighteen were kept on a commercial farm, another eighteen transferred to an animal research facility for artificial rearing. Differences were observed in enzymatic activity, with a larger amount of sucrase in the SOW compared with MILK group across the SI. SOW piglets also had a body composition with a larger amount of fat, muscle, and bone mass content. Differences in hematology were observed, suggesting environmental influences, biochemistry differences reflective of the diets given, and finally, an increased dry matter (DM) intake in SOW piglets was estimated. No differences were observed in immune function and only small differences in the gut integrity were found between the two groups. It can be concluded that body composition and enzyme activity can be manipulated through dietary intervention and that an increase in DM during lactation is beneficial for gut function. The study warrants further investigation into what this means for the subsequent weaning period. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Increasing Piglet Pre-weaning Survival through Peri-Partum and Lactation Management)

23 pages, 1272 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Untargeted Metabolomics Profiling Reveals Beneficial Changes in Milk of Sows Supplemented with Fermented Compound Chinese Medicine Feed Additive

by Wanjie Zou, Linglan Deng, Huadong Wu, Zhiyong Liu, Wei Lu and Yuyong He

Animals 2022, 12(20), 2879; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12202879 - 21 Oct 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1576

Abstract

Different untargeted metabolomics approaches were used to identify the differential metabolites between milk samples collected from two groups. Sows were supplemented with fermented compound Chinese medicine feed additive at levels of 0 g/d/sow (control group, n = 10) and 50 g/d/sow (experimental group, n = 10), respectively, from d 104 of gestation to d 25 of lactation, samples of colostrum and mature milk were collected. Data indicated that supplementing fermented compound Chinese medicine feed additive to sows significantly increased the concentrations of quercetin, pinocembrin, chlorogenic acid, methyl succinic acid, L-tryptophan, adenosine, guanine, arteannuin, ferulic acid, echimidine N-oxide, pogostone and kynurenine in the colostrum and inosine, guanosine, benzene-1,2,4-triol, hypoxanthine, adenine, trehalose 6-phosphate in mature milk, respectively. Seven pathways (flavone and flavanol biosynthesis, galactose metabolism, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, stilbenoid and gingerol biosynthesis, flavonoid biosynthesis, ABC transporters and purine metabolism) in colostrum and two pathways (sucrose metabolism and retrograde endocannabinoid signaling) in mature milk were significantly enriched in the experimental group compared to control group, respectively. The supplementation of fermented compound Chinese medicine feed additive to sows increased the level of antibacterial and anti-inflammatory ingredients in milk and the findings of this study hint that supplementation with fermented compound Chinese medicine feed additive in sows is beneficial for the improvement of milk quality. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Increasing Piglet Pre-weaning Survival through Peri-Partum and Lactation Management)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

11 pages, 1380 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Neonatal Piglet Temperature Changes: Effect of Intraperitoneal Warm Saline Injection

by Bryony S. Tucker, Kiro R. Petrovski and Roy N. Kirkwood

Animals 2022, 12(10), 1312; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12101312 - 20 May 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2016

Abstract

Piglets are poor at thermoregulation immediately following birth and take up to 24 h to recover from their initial temperature drop. The present study aimed to determine if providing piglets with a 15 mL intraperitoneal injection of warm (45 °C) saline at birth would improve their internal temperature recovery to 24 h of age, and how the treatment interacted with birth weight (BWC = 1; ≤0.80 kg, BWC = 2; 0.81 kg to 1.10 kg, and BWC = 3; >1.10 kg), rectal temperature at 1.5 h (RC = 1; ≤32.0 °C, RC = 2; 32.10 °C to 35.0 °C, and RC = 3; ≥35.10 °C), and colostrum intake (CI = 1; <200 g and CI = 2, ≥200 g) to affect preweaning survival. Treated BWC1 piglets had improved rectal temperatures from 2 to 24 h. BWC3 piglets who consumed insufficient colostrum also had improved rectal temperature between 1 and 24 h post-birth. Colostrum intake was improved with saline injection in BWC2 piglets of RC1 and RC3 (p < 0.001) and BWC3-RC3 piglets (p < 0.001). Treated BWC1 improved survival to 20 d (p < 0.001). Irrespective of BWC, piglets from all RC had greater survival when injected with saline. The greatest difference was for piglets in RC1, likely due to all BWC1 piglets falling within this category. The results suggest that an intraperitoneal injection of warmed saline is an effective way to improve piglet temperature recovery to 24 h, colostrum intake, and survival in low-birth-weight piglets. These findings will be helpful for producers who have large numbers of low-birth-weight piglets born and are able to provide individual care. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Increasing Piglet Pre-weaning Survival through Peri-Partum and Lactation Management)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 762 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Importance of Breed, Parity and Sow Colostrum Components on Litter Performance and Health

by Laura Amatucci, Diana Luise, Federico Correa, Paolo Bosi and Paolo Trevisi

Animals 2022, 12(10), 1230; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12101230 - 10 May 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1899

Abstract

The aims of this study were to investigate the effect of breed and parity on colostrum components, and to associate sow breed, parity, and colostrum components with survival, growth, and the occurrence of diarrhoea of their litters. In Experiment 1, 64 sows (Duroc = 13; Landrace = 17 and Large White = 34) were included. In Experiment 2, 71 sows with different parities (1 = 10; 2 = 16; 3 = 13; 4 = 12; ≥5 = 20) were included. The number (N) of live piglets, litter body weight (Experiment 1), and the occurrence of diarrhoea (Experiment 1) were recorded at farrowing, at 2–3 days of age, and at weaning. Colostrum was analysed for proximate composition, immunoglobulins (Igs), and somatic cell count (SCC). Stepwise regressions and ANOVA models were used to associate breed, parity, and colostrum components with litter performance. The Duroc breed had the highest IgG and IgA (p < 0.005). Gilts had a higher fat% and SCC (p< 0.0001); these compounds were positively correlated (r = 0.45). Increased IgA tended to increase the N of weaned piglets (p = 0.058) and reduce litter diarrhoea (p = 0.021). The SCC increased the N of weaned piglets (p = 0.031). Overall, this study confirmed that breed and parity can influence the colostrum composition and highlighted the key role of Igs and somatic cells in piglet health. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Increasing Piglet Pre-weaning Survival through Peri-Partum and Lactation Management)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 1186 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effect of Lift Crates on Piglet Survival Rate and Sow Stress Level during Farrowing

by Annamaria Costa, Cecilia Salvagnini, Eleonora Buoio, Fabio Palmeri, Andrea Salvagnini and Silvia Michela Mazzola

Animals 2022, 12(6), 745; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12060745 - 16 Mar 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2558

Abstract

In the present study, we aimed to determine the effect of lift farrowing crates on piglet mortality by crushing and on sow welfare. Eighty-four sows were considered in the one-year experiment in three monitoring sessions. In each session, 14 sows were housed in a room with conventional crates (CC), and 14 sows were lodged in a room equipped with lift crates (LC). The sows, of the same genetics, with parity ranging from 2 to 9, were randomly distributed in CC and LC rooms. No primiparous sows were considered in the study to avoid sows unexperienced with the dynamics of lift crates. The numbers of crushed piglets, assessed by the farm’s veterinarian, within 48 h, 72 h, and at weaning (28th day), were recorded. Hair cortisol concentration (HCC) was measured upon entry and exit from farrowing to evaluate stress level variation. Feet diseases and backfat thickness were evaluated to assess sows’ potential diseases induced by lift crates and metabolic problems. The results show that the number of crushed piglets per sow was higher in the CC rooms than in the LC rooms in the first two days after delivery (0.39 vs. 0.15, p < 0.05) and up to weaning (0.50 vs. 0.37; p < 0.05). Mean values of HCC variation in sows during farrowing were significantly different in the two housing systems and higher for the LC sows (0.53 pg/mg vs. 0.22 pg/mg; p < 0.05). No significant differences were detected for backfat variation and feet disease scoring between LC and CC sows. In conclusion, LC sows evidenced an increase in hair cortisol values during farrowing, probably caused by a higher stress status induced by the lift crate, along with the benefit of the higher survival rate of piglets before weaning. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Increasing Piglet Pre-weaning Survival through Peri-Partum and Lactation Management)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 413 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Piglet Morphology: Indicators of Neonatal Viability?

by Bryony S. Tucker, Kiro R. Petrovski, Jessica R. Craig, Rebecca S. Morrison, Robert J. Smits and Roy N. Kirkwood

Animals 2022, 12(5), 658; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12050658 - 05 Mar 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2691

Abstract

The morphological measures, crown-to-rump length (CR), and abdominal circumference (AC) have been suggested to be as good, if not better, than birth weight for predicting piglet performance. We explored the relationships between CR and AC, and piglet weights at birth and 24 h, to investigate their predictive value for piglet survival. Piglet weight and AC at birth and 24 h, and CR at 24 h were recorded for 373 piglets born to 31 sows. Morphological measures were categorised into two levels for weight and three levels for AC and CR. Further, AC and CR groupings were concatenated to create a new variable (PigProp) to describe the proportionality of piglet morphology. Proportionate piglets had equal CR and AC levels, and disproportionate piglets had contrasting levels. Birth AC was a good predictor of colostrum intake (p < 0.001) when accounting for birth weight, but 24 h weight and PigProp were good indicators of actual colostrum intake (p < 0.001 for both). The significant interaction of colostrum and PigProp showed that within the smaller piglet groups, those who had greater than 200 g of colostrum had higher 24 h weight and survival (p < 0.001 both). As expected, as body weight and colostrum intake increased, so did weight change to d 21 (P = 0.03 and trend at p = 0.1, respectively). A similar pattern was seen with increasing PigProp group (p < 0.001); however, piglets from the disproportionate group 1,3 had the greatest observed weight change (5.15 ± 0.06 kg). Our data show morphological measures may be more predictive of piglet viability in terms of both performance and survival than weight and there may be subgroups that have higher than expected chances of survival. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Increasing Piglet Pre-weaning Survival through Peri-Partum and Lactation Management)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 819 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Drenching Bovine Colostrum, Quercetin or Fructo-Oligosaccharides Has No Effect on Health or Survival of Low Birth Weight Piglets

by Kevin Van Tichelen, Sara Prims, Miriam Ayuso, Céline Van Kerschaver, Mario Vandaele, Jeroen Degroote, Steven Van Cruchten, Joris Michiels and Chris Van Ginneken

Animals 2022, 12(1), 55; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12010055 - 28 Dec 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1749

Abstract

The introduction of hyperprolific sows has resulted in more low birth weight (LBW) piglets, accompanied by higher mortality. A possible strategy to enhance the resilience and survival of LBW piglets is oral supplementation (drenching) of bioactive substances. This study evaluated the supplementation of bovine colostrum, short-chain fructo-oligosaccharides (scFOS) or quercetin that were dissolved separately in a milk replacer. The study was divided into two sub-experiments. First, the milk replacer was compared with a sham drenched group. Secondly, each dissolved compound was compared with the milk replacer. The LBW piglets, defined as weighing between (mean litter birth weight −1*SD) and (mean litter birth weight −2.5*SD), were randomly allocated to the different treatments and drenched once a day for seven days. On day 1, 3, 9, 24 and 38, piglets were weighed and scored for skin lesions. Blood samples were collected on day 9 and 38 and analyzed to determine glucose, non-esterified fatty acids, urea, immunoglobulin G, insulin-like growth factor 1, and a standard blood panel test. There was no difference between sham drenched piglets and piglets that were drenched with milk replacer regarding any of the parameters. No effect was observed between the milk replacer group and any of the bioactive compounds either, except a higher mortality within the scFOS group. In conclusion, this study showed that drenching the evaluated bioactive compounds, in the used dosages, did not improve LBW piglets’ resilience or survival and more research is required to determine the effect of scFOS on small piglets. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Increasing Piglet Pre-weaning Survival through Peri-Partum and Lactation Management)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

11 pages, 432 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Maternal Dietary Nitrate Supplementation Lowers Incidence of Stillbirth in Hyper Prolific Sows under Commercial Circumstances

by Moniek van den Bosch, Bram Bronsvoort, Bas Kemp and Henry van den Brand

Animals 2021, 11(12), 3364; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11123364 - 24 Nov 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1675

Abstract

The objective of the current experiment was to investigate whether or not maternal dietary nitrate supplementation, a nitric oxide (NO) precursor, could reduce piglet losses under commercial circumstances. In the current experiment, 120 hyper prolific gilts and sows (Landrace x Yorkshire: Danbred) on a commercial farm in Denmark received either a control lactation diet or a lactation diet containing 0.1% of calcium nitrate (containing 63.1% of nitrate) from approximately 5 days pre-farrowing until day 4 of lactation. The number of piglets born total, alive, and stillborn, as well as birth weights, weights after cross-fostering (approximately 1 day of age), 24 h after cross-fostering, day 3 of age, and at weaning was recorded. Placentas of sows were collected after expulsion and scored on redness. No effect of nitrate supplementation was found on piglet weight, piglet growth, placental redness score, and pre-weaning mortality during lactation. Maternal dietary nitrate supplementation decreased stillbirth percentage with 2.5% (9.9 vs. 7.4%; p = 0.05). It can be concluded that maternal dietary nitrate supplementation shows the potential to decrease the incidence of stillbirth in hyper prolific sows. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Increasing Piglet Pre-weaning Survival through Peri-Partum and Lactation Management)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

11 pages, 856 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Low Birth Weight Disturbs the Intestinal Redox Status and Mitochondrial Morphology and Functions in Newborn Piglets

by Jiaojiao Chen, Yi Song, Daiwen Chen, Bing Yu, Jun He, Xiangbing Mao, Zhiqing Huang, Junqiu Luo, Jie Yu, Yuheng Luo, Hui Yan and Ping Zheng

Animals 2021, 11(9), 2561; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11092561 - 31 Aug 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2568

Abstract

Low birth-weight (LBW) neonates exhibit a lower growth rate and impaired intestinal development. However, the reasons for abnormal development of small intestine in LBW piglets have not been widely studied. The present study focused on the redox status and mitochondrial morphology and functions of the small intestine in LBW newborn piglets. Ten newborn normal birth-weight (NBW) piglets and LBW piglets from 10 primiparous sows with the same parturition day were selected and sampled immediately without sucking colostrum. The small intestine tissues were collected and measured. Compared with NBW newborn piglets, LBW newborn piglets had a significantly decreased length and weight of the small intestine (p < 0.05) as well as the villus height/crypt depth (V/C) index in the jejunum (p < 0.05). Furthermore, LBW piglets had a lower gene expression of tight junction protein zonula occluden-1 (ZO1), claudin 1, antioxidant enzyme catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) in jejunum (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, LBW induced mitochondrial vacuolation and significantly decreased the mRNA expression of PPARγ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α) (p < 0.05) and tended to decrease the expression of cytochrome coxidase IV (Ccox IV) (p = 0.07) and cytochrome C (Cytc) (p = 0.08). In conclusion, LBW newborn piglets showed an abnormal development of the small intestine and disturbed redox status, and this may be caused by impaired morphology and the functions of mitochondria in the jejunum. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Increasing Piglet Pre-weaning Survival through Peri-Partum and Lactation Management)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

12 pages, 410 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Supplementary Tryptophan Fed to Sows Prior to and after Farrowing to Improve Piglet Growth and Survival

by Amy L. Munn, Alice C. Weaver and William H. E. J. van Wettere

Animals 2021, 11(9), 2540; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11092540 - 30 Aug 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2497

Abstract

Tryptophan indirectly increases plasma calcium levels, which may improve sow health, and melatonin production, which may improve piglet survival when supplemented during late gestation and lactation. It was hypothesised that tryptophan would increase piglet survival and increase sow circulating melatonin and calcium. Seventy-two multiparous (Landrace x Large White) sows were allocated to either control (0.16% tryptophan; n = 24), low tryptophan (0.42%; n = 24) or high tryptophan (0.56%; n = 24). Piglet viability measures consisted of weights, behaviour, meconium staining, rectal temperature, blood glucose and serum immunoglobulin G concentration. Blood samples collected from sows were analysed for melatonin (two daytime and three night-time samples; n = 17) and calcium (two samples pre- and post-farrowing; n = 14). Both tryptophan treatments increased piglet survival compared to the control group (p < 0.001). Tryptophan had no effect on piglet viability (p > 0.05) and no effect on sow plasma melatonin and calcium concentrations compared with the control group (p > 0.05) except at 21:00 when low tryptophan sows had higher melatonin concentration compared with high tryptophan (p = 0.011). Further research to understand the mediating effects of tryptophan (particularly 5-hydroxytryptophan) on piglet survival, including sow behaviour, is warranted. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Increasing Piglet Pre-weaning Survival through Peri-Partum and Lactation Management)

► Show Figures

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Increasing Piglet Pre-weaning Survival through Peri-Partum and Lactation Management

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Published Papers (11 papers)

Research

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI