Dietary supplement rich in fiber fed to late gestating sows during transition reduces rate of stillborn piglets1

Abstract

The beneficial effects of dietary fiber (DF) from a behavioral and welfare perspective have been thoroughly studied. However, data on the effects of DF on reproductive performance are scarce. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the impact of increased DF supply during the last 2 wk of gestation on stillbirth rate, preweaning mortality, and total piglet mortality. A total of 644 sows were selected for the experiment from a commercial farm, and the sows were inseminated in weekly batches. Sows in the control group ( = 310) were fed according to the normal feeding strategy of the farm with a gestation diet until 1 wk before expected farrowing, then a transition diet until d 5 of lactation, and then a lactation diet until weaning. Sows in the treatment group ( = 334) were fed as the control group except that 280 g/d of the gestation diet (from d 102 to 108 of gestation) and 570 g/d of the transition diet (from d 109 of gestation until farrowing) was daily replaced with 350 and 700 g/d, respectively, of a DF-rich supplement. Both groups received isocaloric diets on a NE basis. The numbers of live-born and stillborn piglets as well as mortality of live-born piglets with presumed causes of death were recorded. The supplemented DF reduced the proportion of stillborn piglets from 8.8 to 6.6% ( < 0.001) and mortality of total born piglets from 22.3 to 19.9% ( = 0.004) but had no impact on preweaning mortality of the piglets ( = 0.21). Moreover, supplemented DF reduced the proportion of death due to poor viability ( < 0.001; 2.8 vs. 1.5% in the control and treatment groups, respectively) and prevalence of piglet diarrhea ( = 0.004; 0.7 vs. 0.3% in the control and treatment groups, respectively). Crushing, low birth weight, and poor viability were the top 3 contributors to preweaning mortality of live-born piglets, in descending order. In conclusion, the supplemented DF reduced the proportion of stillborn piglets and total piglet mortality as well as mortality due to poor viability and piglet diarrhea in lactation.

Effects of mono-component xylanase supplementation on nutrient digestibility and performance of lactating sows fed a coarsely ground diet

“…Feeding late gestating sows with DF rich diet have been shown to favorably reduce stillbirth rate (Feyera et al, 2017) and increase colostrum yield of sows (Theil et al, 2014). DFs incorporation (Dirkzwager et al, 1998;Millet et al, 2012) and coarsely milling of feeds (Möβeler et al, 2012;Liermann et al, 2015) are important to reduce the occurrence of gastric ulcers.…”

“…Arabinoxylans are particularly abundant both in wheat and barley (Bach Knudsen, 2014). DF and coarsely milled diets are beneficial factors to reduce the risk of gastric ulcers in sows (Millet et al, 2012;Möβeler et al, 2012) and DF are also known to enhance sow productivity by improving colostrum production (Theil et al, 2014) and reducing stillbirth rate (Feyera et al, 2017). However, both DF and coarse milling reduce digestibility of starch and protein by hampering the access to digestive enzymes and by increasing the viscosity of the digesta (Steenfeldt and Pettersson, 2001;Kim et al, 2005;Bach Knudsen, 2014).…”

Dietary Supplementation with Flammulina velutipes Stem Waste on Growth Performance, Fecal Short Chain Fatty Acids and Serum Profile in Weaned Piglets

“…Briefly, pigs were observed and recorded daily for clinical signs of diarrhea, and diarrhea rate was calculated on pen basis as the proportion of days in which piglets showed clinical signs of diarrhea with respect to the total number of trial days. The number of deaths in each pen was recorded for different phases, and the mortality ratio was expressed as a percentage of total piglets according to the method by Feyera et al [12]. The fecal and blood samples were handled as described by Zhao et al [13].…”

Mammary metabolism and colostrogenesis in sows during late gestation and the colostral period1

“…The amount of DF-rich diet that replaced either part of the gestation or the transition diet was chosen to achieve the same daily energy intake. The daily supply of fiber and energy was selected based on the previous results (Feyera et al, 2017), where the number of stillborn piglets was reduced due to high DF intake in sows during late gestation.…”