• Animal Bioscience
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.833-843
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• 2021

Objective: Current study was conducted to determine the effect of postpartum prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α) administration on colostrum and milk yield, colostrum immunoglobulin G (IgG) and piglet growth performance. Methods: In total, 36 sows were included in the experiment. The sows were classified into two groups: i) control (n = 11) and ii) PGF2α (n = 25). Sows in the PGF2α group received 10 mg of PGF2α within an hour after farrowing. The body weight of piglets was measured at 0 and 24 h after birth to estimate colostrum consumption. Colostrum was collected at 1 and 24 h after farrowing to determine IgG concentrations. For milk yield study, the remaining sows in the PGF2α group (n = 23) were divided into two subgroups: i) single PGF2α (n = 12) and ii) multiple PGF2α (n = 11). In the multiple PGF2α, the sows received repeated doses of PGF2α at seven and 14 days postpartum. The piglets' body weight was measured at 0, 1, 5, and 20 days of age. The milk yield of the sows was calculated. Results: Colostrum yield of sows averaged 5.62±2.25 kg. Sows treated with PGF2α postpartum had a higher colostrum yield than control (7.01 and 5.12 kg, p<0.05). The concentration of IgG in colostrum at 24 h in the PGF2α group was higher than the control (31.6 and 17.4 g/L, p<0.05). For primiparous sows, milk yield was highest in the sows treated with multiple doses of PGF2α during lactation and lowest in control sows (10.25 and 7.61 kg, p<0.05). Colostrum intake was higher in the treatment than the control groups (+56.7 g, p<0.05). Primiparous sows treated with multiple doses of PGF2α had a higher litter weight than controls (p<0.01). Conclusion: Postpartum treatment with PGF2α improved colostrum yield and IgG in multiparous sows and increased colostrum intake of piglets. Multiple administration of PGF2α improved the milk yield and increased litter weight of piglets in primiparous sows.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.63 no.4
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• pp.778-789
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• 2021

The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of dietary glucose oxidase (GOx) supplementation on the reproductive performance, litter performance, total tract digestibility, and blood profile of lactating sows fed corn- wheat-based diet. A total of twenty multiparous sows (Landrace × Yorkshire) were allocated into one of four treatments with five replicates per treatment. The dietary treatments were as follows: CON (Basal diet), GO1 (basal diet + 200 U GOx/kg), GO2 (basal diet + 300 U GOx/kg), GO3 (basal diet + 400 U Gox/kg). Dietary GOx supplementation did not affect lactating sow's reproduction performance as well as body weight, backfat thickness, and body condition score during pre and post farrowing, and at weaning (p > 0.05). However, after farrowing to weaning period lactating sow's fed GOx supplement has linearly (p = 0.0196) decreased the bodyweight loss. While, there were no effects (p > 0.05) observed on sows backfat thickness loss, average daily feed intake, and estrus interval among treatment groups. Dietary supplementation of GOx has linearly improved the body weight gain (p = 0.049) and average daily gain (p = 0.040) of suckling piglets. The total tract digestibility of dry matter and nitrogen was linearly increased with the graded level of GOx supplement. Also, a linear effect was observed on the glucose and superoxide dismutase of blood profile with the dietary inclusion of GOx. In summary, our finding indicates that the dietary inclusion of GOx supplement with corn- wheat-based diet had a beneficial effect on the nutrient digestibility and blood profile of lactating sows and improved the growth performance of suckling piglets.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.35 no.11
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• pp.1725-1732
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• 2022

Objective: This study was conducted to investigate the effects of selenium benefits on the physiological responses, litter performance, blood profiles and milk composition of lactating sows and tissue concentration of their progeny when mixed form of selenium was provided in a lactation diet. Methods: A total of 45 multiparous sows (Yorkshire×Landrace) with similar body weight, backfat thickness, and parity were assigned to one of three treatments with 15 sows per treatment in a completely randomized design. Organic and inorganic selenium were mixed and added to the diet at 0.15 ppm and 0.25 ppm, respectively. A non-Se-fortified corn-soybean meal basal diet served as a negative control. Treatments were as follows: i) Control: corn-soybean meal based diet, ii) ISOS15: control+ inorganic Se 0.15 ppm+organic Se 0.15 ppm, iii) ISOS25: control+inorganic Se 0.25 ppm+organic Se 0.25 ppm. Results: Serum selenium concentrations of sows and piglets were increased by the supplemental Se mixture at 7 days of lactation compared with the control (p<0.01, respectively). The kidney and muscle selenium concentrations of piglets were increased by the supplemental Se mixture at 21 days of lactation compared with the control (p = 0.03; p = 0.04, respectively). Conclusion: Consequently, supplementation with mixed inorganic and organic selenium in a lactating diet could improve the selenium status of sows and piglets; no differences were observed among the mixing levels.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.61 no.5
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• pp.294-303
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• 2019

This study was performed to evaluate the effects of dietary vitamin levels on physiological responses, blood profiles, and reproductive performance in gestating sows. A total of 52 F1 multiparous sows ($Yorkshire{\times}Landrace$) with an average body weight of $223.5{\pm}31.7kg$, an average parity of $6.4{\pm}2.7$, and an average backfat thickness of $18.5{\pm}4.9mm$ were divided into four treatment groups considering body weight, backfat thickness, and parity in a completely randomized design with 13 replicates. The treatments were 100% (V1), 300% (V3), 600% (V6) and 900% (V9) of the National Research Council (NRC) Nutrient Requirements of Swine. The gestation diet was formulated based on corn-soybean meal (SBM) and contained 3,265 kcal of metabolizable energy (ME)/kg and 12.00% crude protein. During the lactation period, all sows were fed the same commercial lactation diet. There was no significant difference in body weight of gestating sows. However backfat thickness tended to increase when higher levels of vitamins were provided to gestating sows (p < 0.10). When high levels of dietary vitamins were provided, the body weight change of lactating sows increased (p < 0.01). When sows were fed higher levels of vitamins, the feed intake of lactating sows tended to decrease (p = 0.06). There were no treatment differences in the number of total born, born alive, stillbirth piglets, or the body weight of piglets according to different dietary vitamin level. As dietary vitamin level increased, the serum concentration of $25(OH)D_3$ in sows at 90 days of gestation linearly increased (p < 0.01). Furthermore, the serum vitamin E level of gestating sows was linearly increased with increasing dietary vitamin level (p < 0.05). The current NRC vitamin requirements are sufficient for gestating sows and higher levels of vitamins in the gestation diet did not show any beneficial effects for gestating and lactating sows.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.862-874
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• 2024

Objective: This study evaluated the effect of Andrographis paniculata (A. paniculata) supplementation in sow diets before and after farrowing on the sow and piglets' performances during early postpartum period and on sows' backfat and longissimus muscle losses during lactation. Methods: Seventy Landrace×Yorkshire sows and their offspring (1,186 piglets) were distributed into three groups: control (n = 31), treatment-250 (n = 18), and treatment-1000 (n = 21). From 110.2±0.7 days of gestation until farrowing (5.8 days) and throughout the lactation period (25.2 days), sows in the control group were given the conventional lactation diet, while sows in the treatment-250 and treatment-1000 groups received supplements of 250 ppm and 1,000 ppm of A. paniculata, respectively. Results: In sows with parity 3-5, piglets from the treatment-1000 group had higher colostrum intake than the control and treatment-250 groups (p<0.05), but not in sows with parity 6-9. Colostrum immunoglobulin G (IgG) increased in treated sows versus controls for parity 6-9 (p<0.05), but was consistent for parity 3-5. Piglet performance until day 3 postnatal was similar across groups (p>0.05). Treatment-250 sows had higher feed intake post-farrowing than treatment-1000 sows (p<0.05). Longissimus loss was less in both treatment groups than control (p<0.05), but backfat loss was similar across groups (p>0.05). Post-partum complications were consistent across groups (p>0.05). Farrowing duration and piglet birth intervals in sows with parity 6-9 were prolonged in the treatment-1000 group. Conclusion: Supplementing with 1,000 ppm A. paniculata for 5.8 days pre-farrowing and 25.2 days post-farrowing enhanced sow colostrum IgG and piglet colostrum intake, while also reducing longissimus loss in sows. However, for sows of parity 6-9, this supplementation led to prolonged farrowing, increased intervals between piglet births, increased stillbirth, and reduced piglet birth weight. These effects should be considered when using A. paniculata supplementation.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.226-233
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• 2010

Different dietary cereal sources and fat types in the lactation diet were evaluated to investigate their effects on reproductive performance, milk composition, blood metabolites and hormones in multiparous sows. Twenty-four sows were randomly assigned to one of four treatments according to a 2${\times}$2 factorial arrangement of treatments. Each treatment had 6 replicates comprising 1 sow. Two cereal (corn or wheat) and two fat (tallow or soybean oil) sources were used to prepare iso-caloric and iso-nitrogenous diets. Sows fed corn-based diets lost less body weight (p = 0.003) and backfat thickness (p = 0.034), consumed more feed (p = 0.032) and had shorter wean-to-estrus interval (p = 0.016) than sows fed wheat-based diets. Fewer piglets and lower body weight of piglets (p<0.05) at weaning were noted in sows fed wheat-based diets than in sows fed corn-based diets. However, no significant effects (p>0.05) of dietary fat source and its interaction with dietary cereal source on sow body condition and reproductive performance were observed during lactation. Feeding of a corn-based diet improved (p<0.05) sow milk total solid, protein and fat, increased blood urea nitrogen (p = 0.032) and triglyceride (p = 0.018), and decreased blood creatinine (p = 0.011) concentration at weaning when compared with sows fed wheatbased diets. Sows fed corn-based diets had higher concentration of insulin (p = 0.048) and LH (p<0.05) at weaning than sows fed wheatbased diets. The results indicate that feeding corn-based diets to lactating sows improved sow body condition and reproductive performance compared with wheat-based diets regardless of fat sources.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.264-274
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• 2023

Objective: This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of β-glucan with vitamin E supplementation on the physiological response, litter performance, blood profiles, immune response, and milk composition of lactating sows. Methods: A total of 50 multiparous F₁ sows (Yorkshire×Landrace) with an average body weight (BW) of 233.6±4.30 kg and an average parity of 4.00±0.307 and their litters were used in this experiment. All sows were allotted to one of five treatments, taking into consideration BW, backfat thickness, and parity in a completely randomized design with 10 replicates. The experimental diets included a corn-soybean meal-based basal diet with or without 0.1% or 0.2% β-glucan and 110 IU vitamin E/kg diet. Results: All treatments added with β-glucan or vitamin E were statistically higher in the average daily feed intake (ADFI) of lactating sows compared to those of the control (Diet, p<0.01). Additionally, the ADFI of lactating sows was significantly higher in the groups supplemented with 0.1% β-glucan compared to 0.2% β-glucan (BG, p<0.01). There was an increasing trend in piglet weight at weaning (BG, p = 0.07), litter weight at the 21st day of lactation (BG, p = 0.07) and litter weight gain (BG, p = 0.08) in groups supplemented with 0.1% β-glucan. The addition of 110 IU vitamin E/kg diet increased vitamin E concentration significantly in lactating sows (VE, p<0.01) and exhibited a trend for higher concentrations of vitamin E (VE, p = 0.09) in piglets. Adding 0.1% β-glucan compared to 0.2% β-glucan induced a decrease in the concentration of tumor necrosis factor-α in lactating sows (BG, p = 0.06) and in piglets (BG, p = 0.09) on the 21st day of lactation. There were no significant differences in the milk composition of sows. Conclusion: Adding 0.1% β-glucan and 110 IU vitamin E/kg to a lactating sow's diet was beneficial to the growth performance of piglets by leading to an increase in the feed intake of sows and efficiently supplying vitamin E to both the sows and piglets.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.64 no.3
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• pp.574-587
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• 2022

This study was performed to development the alternative farrowing pen (AFP) and to investigate performance and behavior of lactating sows and their litter. A total of 64 multiparous sows were randomly divided into two groups and were allocated to farrowing crates (FCs) and AFPs. The AFPs contained a crate and support bars that could be folded to provide the sows with extra space on day 5 postpartum. Behavior was recorded by charge-coupled device cameras and digital video recorders, and the data were scanned every 2 min to obtain an instantaneous behavioral sample. Farrowing systems did not affect feed intake, back-fat thickness, litter size and piglet weight at birth and weaning (p > 0.05). In addition, there were no differences in the number of crushed piglets between the two farrowing systems (p > 0.05). However, the weaning-to-estrus interval was shorter in the sows of the AFPs than in thous of the FCs (p < 0.05). The sows spent most of their time lying down during the lactating period, at about 80% lateral recumbency and 10%-15% ventral recumbency. The only significant differences were in the feeding and drinking behavior between sows in the two farrowing systems (p < 0.05). The FC sows displayed more feeding and drinking behavior than the AFP sows, especially in the late lactating period (p < 0.05). Piglets in the FCs tended to spend more time walking than piglets in the AFPs (p < 0.05), whereas there were no differences in suckling and lying behavior between piglets in the two farrowing systems (p > 0.05). It is concluded that the AFPs with temporary crating until day 4 postpartum did not negatively affect performance and crushed piglet compared with the FCs. It also may improve animal welfare by allowing sows to move and turn around during the lactating period. Further research is needed to find suitable housing designs to enhance productivity and animal welfare.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.36 no.8
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• pp.1263-1273
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• 2023

Objective: This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of crude protein (CP) levels on the physiological response, reproductive performance, blood profiles, milk composition and odor emission in gestating sows. Methods: Seventy-two multiparous sows (Yorkshire×Landrace) of average body weight (BW), backfat thickness, and parity were assigned to one of six treatments with 10 or 11 sows per treatment in a completely randomized design. Experimental diets with different CP levels were as follows: i) CP11, corn-soybean-based diet containing 11% CP; ii) CP12, corn-soybean-based diet containing 12% CP; iii) CP13, corn-soybean-based diet containing 13% CP; iv) CP14, corn-soybean-based diet containing 14% CP; v) CP15, corn-soybean-based diet containing 15% CP; and vi) CP16: corn-soybean-based diet containing 16% CP. Results: There was no significant difference in the performance of sow or piglet growth when sows were fed different dietary protein levels. Milk fat (linear, p = 0.05) and total solids (linear, p = 0.04) decreased as dietary CP levels increased. Increasing dietary CP levels in the gestation diet caused a significant increase in creatinine at days 35 and 110 of gestation (linear, p = 0.01; linear, p = 0.01). The total protein in sows also increased as dietary CP levels increased during the gestation period and 24 hours postpartum (linear, p = 0.01; linear, p = 0.01). During the whole experimental period, an increase in urea in sows was observed when sows were fed increasing levels of dietary CP (linear, p = 0.01), and increasing blood urea nitrogen (BUN) concentrations were observed as well. In the blood parameters of piglets, there were linear improvements in creatinine (linear, p = 0.01), total protein (linear, p = 0.01), urea (linear, p = 0.01), and BUN (linear, p = 0.01) with increasing levels of dietary CP as measured 24 hours postpartum. At two measurement points (days 35 and 110) of gestation, the odor gas concentration, including amine, ammonia, and hydrogen sulfide, increased linearly when sows fed diets with increasing levels of dietary CP (linear, p = 0.01). Moreover, as dietary CP levels increased to 16%, the odor gas concentration was increased with a quadratic response (quadratic, p = 0.01). Conclusion: Reducing dietary CP levels from 16% to 11% in a gestating diet did not exert detrimental effects on sow body condition or piglet performance. Moreover, a low protein diet (11% CP) may improve dietary protein utilization and metabolism to reduce odor gas emissions in manure and urine in gestating sows.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.66 no.1
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• pp.135-144
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• 2024

The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of feeding frequency on a sow's reproductive performance and stress response during gestation. A total of twenty multiparous sows (Yorkshire × Landrace) were used in a completely randomized design based on their parity, body weight (BW), and backfat thickness (BFT), and the sows were allotted to two different feeding systems: 1) once daily feeding (OF) and 2) twice daily feeding (TF) in corn-soybean meal based diets. The gestation diet was formulated to contain 3,265 kcal of metabolizable energy (ME) / kg, 12.90% of crude protein (CP), and 0.75 % of total lysine. The lactation diet was formulated to contain 3,265 kcal of ME / kg, 16.80% of CP, and 1.08% of total lysine and provided ad libitum during lactation. In gestation, sow BFT and BF changes were not affected by feeding frequency, but higher BW and BW gain from day 35 to 90 and day 35 to 110 were observed in OF sow (p < 0.10). In lactation, feeding frequency did not influence on BW, BW gain, BFT, BF changes, average daily feed intake, and wean-to-estrus interval. Also, there were no differences in litter size, litter weight and piglet weight in lactating sows. OF sows had higher (p < 0.05; p < 0.10) protein, solid-not-fat, and total solid concentrations in colostrum compared to TF sows, while OF sows had a lower (p < 0.05) lactose concentration in colostrum compared to TF sows. Sows in OF showed significantly lower average daily water consumption (ADWC) from day 35 to 110 of gestation (p < 0.05). While there were no significant differences in stereotypic behaviors and salivary cortisol levels during gestation between treatments, the OF sows showed less time spending on the activity at day 105 (p < 0.05). In conclusion, reduced feeding frequency increased BW gain during gestation, decreased activation time, and changed the colostrum composition. This information may contribute to the understanding of the physiological and behavioral change of gestating sows by manipulating feeding frequency.