Feeding management for pre-farrowing female pigs and subsequent farrowing performance in Japanese commercial herds
2015
Usui, S. (Meiji University, Kawasaki, Kanagawa (Japan). School of Agriculture) | Nanjo, K. | Koketsu, Y.
The objective of the present study was to examine associations between feeding procedures for pre-farrowing female pigs and subsequent farrowing performance in Japanese commercial herds. The farrowing performance included percentage of pigs born dead (PPBD) and number of pigs born alive (PBA). Questionnaires were sent to 115 herds in 2008 to obtain information about feeding procedures for pre-farrowing females, such as the feed quantity, whether or not feed quantity was decreased pre-farrowing, and the number of days before due date when the feed was decreased, i.e., 1 to 3 days and 4 or more days. Data from 95 completed questionnaires (82.6%) were coordinated with the reproductive data of individual females. The dataset included 89,039 records of 45,384 females in the 95 herds. Multilevel linear mixed-effects models were applied to the data. Fifty six percent of the herds decreased feed quantity for pre-farrowing females. The mean (+-SEM) feed quantity pre-farrowing was 2.1+-0.07 kg per day for gilts and 2.3+-0.08 kg per day for sows. Also, timing of feed reduction was 3.2+-0.28 days pre-farrowing. Mean PPBD and PBA of females were 9.6+-0.05% and 10.8+-0.01 pigs, respectively. Lower feed quantity pre-farrowing was associated with lower PPBD and higher PBA (P < 0.05). For each 1.0 kg per day decrease in feed quantity, the PPBD decreased by 0.80%, and the PBA increased by 0.33 pigs. Furthermore, PPBD and PBA were not associated with the number of days before due date when the feed was decreased (P>=0.06). Therefore, we recommend that producers provide lower quantities of feed to pregnant pigs before the due date.
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