• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.30 no.6
• /
• pp.902-906
• /
• 2017

Objective: This study was conducted to characterize the behaviors and the body weight of suckling piglets in different social environments. Methods: Two groups of sows and suckling piglets housed either in individual farrowing crates in separate pens ($1.8{\times}2.4m$, the control group) or in groups of three sows with their piglets in farrowing crates in a large common enclosure ($5.4{\times}2.2m$, the treatment group) were observed with the aid of video technology for 9 consecutive hours on days 1, 2, and 3, after mixing. Results: Suckling, agonistic, and elimination behaviors of suckling piglets were significantly higher in the control group than in the treatment group. Inactive behavior was higher in the treatment group than in the control group. Most of the effects of the social environment on the suckling piglets seem to be the result of large reductions in behaviors and body weight for piglets switching from high activity to low activity. Moreover, suckling behavior and birth body weight were highly correlated with body weight at the end of the test. Conclusion: The social environment that resulted from mixing, thus, had significant effects on the behavior and body weight of suckling piglets, and behavioral characteristics, therefore, should be considered when making improvements to the husbandry and care methods used in swine production.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Veterinary Pathology Conference
• /
• 2003.10a
• /
• pp.43-43
• /
• 2003

Porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED), transmissible gastroenteritis (TGE) are an acute viral enteritis. colibacillosis by E coli is a microbial enteritic disease in suckling piglets[1]. These infectious intestinal diarrheal diseases cause severe diarrhea to suckling piglets, so that lead to enormous economical loss in swine-product industries. Ig-Top (AD Biotech, Korea) is a immunomodulator with IgY the specific yolk-antibody for PED, TGE and E. coli and oligosaccharide. The purpose of this study was to investigate protective effects against PED virus, TGE virus E.coli and in suckling piglets by oral administration of the Ig-Top. (omitted)

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
• /
• v.21 no.2
• /
• pp.117-126
• /
• 1998

This study was performed to investigate the immunogenicity of autogenous E coli vaccines and their preventive effects on diarrhea in suckling piglets. Autogenous E coli live and killed vaccines were made from the E coli strains isolated from piglets showing diarrhea in field. In group I, pregnant sows were administered with live and killed vaccines at 4 and 2 weeks before parturition, respectively, Killed vaccines were administered twice to pregnant sows at 4 and 2 weeks before parturition in group II, and saline instead of autogenous E coli vaccines was administered to pregnant sows in group III for the control. After parturition, antibody titers in colostrum and milk from sows, incidence of diarrhea in suckling piglets, and immunoreactivity in the ileum of piglets from each treatment group were examined. The results were as follows ; 1. Sixty-two strains of E coli were isolated from suckling piglets with diarrhea. Of the strains, K88 pilus and K99 pilus antigens were identified in 6(9.8%) and 4(6.5%), respectively. Molecular weights of K88 and K99 pilus were 27,500 and 18,500 daltons, respectively. 2. Antibody titers in colostrum from sows after parturition were 1 : 512 to 1 : 1,024 in group I, 1.256 to 1.512 in group II, and 1 : 4 to 1 : 16 in group III. 3. The incidences of diarrhea In suckling piglets of group I, II and III were 3.3%, 9.4% and 21.4%, respectively. 4. When the immunoreactivity in the ileum of piglets from each group was examined, the proportion of IgG-immunoreactivity cells in group I or II was higher than that in group III. In conclusion, administration of autogenous E coli vaccines to pregnant sows before parturition can be an effective way to prevent diarrhea in suckling piglets.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
• /
• v.35 no.4
• /
• pp.307-312
• /
• 2012

Iron deficiency anemia is also recognized as a serious disorder in many livestock, especially, piglets. We previously studied that the iron-fortified yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) producing Sus scrofa ferritin heavy-chain (FER) was bioavailable to mice with iron deficiency. In this study, we determined whether FER could improve iron deficiency in piglets. The bioavailability of FER was examined by measuring body weight gain, hemoglobin concentration and hematocrit value in suckling and weaning piglets. We found that FER significantly increased hemoglobin value and the hematocrit ratio in suckling piglets (P<0.05). Furthermore, FER treatment significantly enhanced body weight gain in both groups of the suckling and weaning piglets (P<0.05). These results suggest that the iron-fortified recombinant yeast strain is helpful in iron absorption in piglets.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
• /
• v.50 no.2
• /
• pp.197-206
• /
• 2023

A total of 16 sows (average parity = 3.5 ± 0.10, standard deviation = 2.05) and their newborn pigs (Duroc × [Landrace × Yorkshire], initial body weight 1.53 ± 0.07 kg) were used in a 21-day study. On day 3 of age, piglets along with their dam were divided into two groups: CON and TRT. CON group piglets did not receive any iron injection while, TRT group piglets received 200 mg of injectable iron (GleptoForte) in a single dose. The administration of iron at day-3 of birth improved weaning body weight and overall average daily gain in sucking piglets compared with their control counterparts. For blood criteria, injection of 200 mg of iron improved serum iron values and hematocrit and decreased total iron binding capacity (TIBC) during the day 21 period. In summary, 200 mg iron injection at birth resulted in greater growth performance and blood iron status. These results indicate that providing 200 mg of injectable iron is sufficient to optimize the growth performance and blood iron status of suckling piglets.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.14 no.6
• /
• pp.765-770
• /
• 2001

Thirty second parity sows of the synthetic Nepalese Pakhribas genotype were used to investigate factors which might improve the occurrence and expression of estrus. The experiment had two sequential elements. In part 1, a change in suckling pattern was applied during lactation, and in part 2, different estrus detection methods were evaluated after weaning. All sows received the same pattern of weaning, which imitated the progressive weaning system used in Nepalese villages. Piglets from each litter were weaned at three ages (6, 7 and 8 weeks of age) in the proportion of 0.5 at 6 weeks followed by 0.25 at each of the subsequent weanings. In the first lactation treatment, the suckling pattern was left undisturbed, similar to the practice used in the villages in which the remaining piglets after first weaning are allowed continuous suckling. In the other treatment, the remaining piglets after first weaning were allowed to suckle their sows only during the night, whilst in the day time (09:00-16:00) they were excluded from the sow but left free to roam around. After weaning, estrus detection procedures were carried out in the absence or presence of two different boar stimuli: a synthetic boar pheromone spray or fresh boar urine. These were applied sequentially in a sequence of testing that alternated for each sow on a daily basis. The weaning to re-mating interval was significantly longer for the unrestricted suckling treatment. All sows were re-mated within 30 days after first weaning in the restricted suckling treatment groups, whereas only 71% of sows were re-mated within 30 days after weaning in the unrestricted suckling treatment groups ($x^2=3.877$, 1df, p<0.05). Both boar pheromone spray and boar urine increased the estrus detection probability, with no significant differences between the two stimuli treatments.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
• /
• v.43 no.4
• /
• pp.251-256
• /
• 2020

Two suckling piglets, 4 days and 10 days of age, showed lethargy and dyspnea after birth and mortality had been increased after incoming gilts from breeding farm. At necropsy, the lungs showed diffuse fail to collapse with rubbery consistency, edematous dilatation of interlobular septa, and lobular consolidation with purple red color. Heart was diffuse pale in color and had several irregular linear-shaped macules or patches. Histopathologically, diffuse interstitial pneumonia with the proliferation of type II pneumocytes was present in the lungs of 2 piglets. Alveolar lumens contained necrotic cellular debris derived from neutrophils and macrophages. Multifocal hemorrhage and necrotizing pneumonia with protozoan tachyzoites were observed in the lungs. Severe multifocal to confluent necrotic myocarditis, necrotic encephalitis, and necrotic adrenalitis with intralesional protozoan tachyzoites were observed in piglets. According to immunohistochemical analysis (IHC), Toxoplasma (T.) gondii tachyzoites antigens were confirmed in lung, heart, brain, and adrenal gland. And porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) antigens were also detected in the cytoplasm of macrophages in lungs using IHC. Based on the gross, histopathologic and immunohistochemical features, two suckling piglets were diagnosed as co-infection of T. gondii and PRRSV.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.3 no.2
• /
• pp.143-148
• /
• 1990

An experiment was conducted to compare the traditional weigh-suckle-weigh method and the $D_2O$ dilution technique to estimate milk consumption of suckling piglets. Milk consumption of 50 individual piglets was estimated on four consecutive days by the $D_2O$ dilution method and for approximately 8 hours on both the second and fourth day by the traditional WSW method. The average milk intake of piglets estimated by the $D_2O$ dilution method was 45.0 g/hr and there were no significant differences between the four measurement period. The traditional weigh-suckle-weigh method provided a significantly lower estimate of milk consumption (36.8 g/hr). However correction for weight losses associated with milk suckling and weighing would increase the weigh-suckle-weigh estimate to a level similar to that determined by the $D_2O$ dilution method.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.14 no.7
• /
• pp.1019-1023
• /
• 2001

An on-farm trial was conducted in temperature-controlled lactation rooms at a commercial pig farm to investigate the efficacy of broadcasting sow suckling grunts from day 4 of lactation, on increasing piglet growth to weaning. In the Broadcast treatment, sows and litters were exposed to a 3-min broadcast from loud-speakers every 42 min. The Control treatment was not exposed to the broadcast. All sows and litters had similar husbandry and piglets were provided with creep feed on the floor twice daily. In each of the three replicates in time, the Broadcast and Control treatments were allocated to different lactation rooms at random and there were 12 sows and litters per treatment per replicate. A total of four identical lactation rooms were available for the trial, each containing 28 conventional sow and litter crates with piglet heater in the creep area. A non-trial room separated the two treatment rooms in each replicate to minimise the chance that the broadcast grunt stimulation was audible to the Control treatment litters. Five "normal and average-looking" piglets from the trial litters were weighed twice, 7 d apart. The cohort of five piglets was identified by ear-tags and formed the experimental unit for the statistical analysis. The average (${\pm}SD$) age of piglets at initial weighing was 7.7(${\pm}2.22$) days. For each litter, mean piglet live weight at day 14 of lactation was estimated by linear regression of the two weights recorded seven days apart, when on average, the Broadcast treatment had been exposed to the stimulation for 10 days. Piglets in the Broadcast treatment were heavier (p<0.01) at day 14 of lactation compared to Control treatment (4.24 and 3.92 kg, respectively) and tended to have a greater average daily weight gain over the 7-d period (245 and 228 g/day, respectively; p<0.08). The results suggest piglet growth was improved by about 8% in response to the regular, timed broadcast of sow suckling grunts in the lactation shed. The independent contributions of milk and creep feed to the improved growth remain to be determined.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
• /
• v.45 no.4
• /
• pp.627-632
• /
• 2003

Piglets communicate with their sow by using special sounds and synchronize their suckling behavior with their mother’s grunting. This study sought to find an effective sound for controlling the nursing/suckling behavior of pigs. Eighteen crossbred Landrace${\times}$Yorkshire sows and their piglets were studied on days 1, 7, and 14 post-partum. The parity of the sows was three or four. The litter size ranged from 9 to 11, with a mean of 10.4 piglets. Thirty minutes after the end of the last suckling, either the nursing-suckling sound (NSS) or the nursing-suckling sound + click sound (NSSCS) was played for 90 s randomly, and this experiment was repeated three times. The behavior of the sows and their piglets was recorded using camcorders and observed each second. When comparing NSS and NSSCS, there was less lying and sleeping and more sitting, standing, walking, and massaging when NSSCS was played than when NSS was played. These results suggest that NSSCS may induce more nursing and suckling in pigs than NSS.