Neonatal piglet survival: impact of sow nutrition around parturition on fetal glycogen deposition and production and composition of colostrum and transient milk

Abstract

Piglet survival is a major problem, especially during the first 3 days after birth. Piglets are born deficient of energy, but at the same time they have a very high energy requirement because of high physical activity, high need for thermoregulation (because of their lean body with low insulation) and high heat production in muscle tissues. To be able to survive, newborn piglets may rely upon three different sources of energy, namely, glycogen, colostrum and transient milk, which orchestrate to cover their energy requirements. Piglets are born with limited amounts of energy in glycogen depots in the liver and muscle tissues and these depots are sufficient for normal activity for ∼16 h. Intake and oxidation of fat and lactose from colostrum must supply sufficient amount of energy to cover at least another 18 h until transient milk becomes available in the sow udder ∼34 h after the first piglet is born. Selection for large litters during the last two decades has challenged piglets even further during the critical neonatal phase because the selection programs indirectly decreased birth weight of piglets and because increased litter size has increased the competition between littermates. Different attempts have been made to increase the short-term survival of piglets, that is, survival until day 3 of lactation, by focusing on improving transfer of vital maternal energy to the offspring, either in utero or via mammary secretions. Thus, the present review addresses how sow nutrition in late gestation may favor survival of newborn piglets by increasing glycogen depots, improving colostrum yield or colostrum composition, or by increasing production of transient milk.

Relationship between birth order, birth weight, colostrum intake, acquisition of passive immunity and pre-weaning mortality of piglets

“…The lowbirth-weight piglets are recognized to be at a greater risk of pre-weaning mortality (English & Morrison, 1984;Gardner et al, 1989;Tuchscherer et al, 2000). Moreover, due to the low heat conserving capacity of the piglet (Berthon, 1994;Herpin et al, 2002) and its low body energy stores (Mellor & Cockburn, 1986;Theil et al, 2014), adequate intake of colostrum is vital not only to provide immunological protection but also to ensure sufficient supply of energy for metabolism. In this study, LG category piglets represented 16.4% of the pig population, but they contributed to 51% of the total pre-weaning mortality.…”

“…Piglets are born with low energy reserves (Mellor & Cockburn, 1986;Theil et al, 2014) and deprived of immunoglobulins (Bourne, 1969). Therefore, it is of vital importance that piglets ingest adequate amounts of colostrum to provide enough energy and passive immunity to ensure their survival and development (Le Dividich et al, 2005;Quesnel et al, 2012).…”

Invited review: Aspects of gastrointestinal tract growth and maturation in the pre- and postweaning period of pigs

“…The growth, development, and biological function of the GIT in the postnatal period is determined predominately by the composition and amount of the colostrum and milk the piglet consumes, which in turn impact subsequent growth, development, disease resilience and survival (e.g., Aumaitre and Seve, 1978;Varley et al, 1986;Simmen et al, 1990;Pluske et al, 1995;Le Dividich et al, 2005;Devillers et al, 2011;Quesnel et al, 2012;Theil et al, 2014). Nevertheless, the importance of initial postnatal microbial colonization of the GIT to its subsequent structure and function must also be recognized (e.g., Mulder et al, 2011;Schmidt et al, 2011).…”

“…Colostrum also supplies energy in the form of lactose, fat, and proteins, and it is during the first days of life when sufficient energy intake is crucial because the piglets' energy body reserves, especially fat, are perilously low at birth (Mellor and Cockburn, 1986;Le Dividich et al, 1994;Pluske et al, 1995;Theil et al, 2014). Low energy intake coupled with an inability to thermoregulate can cause morbidity and death (Pluske et al, 1995;Le Dividich et al, 2005;Farmer and Quesnel, 2009;Theil et al, 2014).…”

Colostrum production in sows fed different sources of fiber and fat during late gestation

“…In addition, a SCFA analogue (hydroxyl methyl butyrate, also known as HMB) was found to increase colostrum yield of sows by 18% . It is, at present, not clear which specific nutrients or mechanisms are responsible for improving the colostrum yield of sows (Theil et al 2014b). Increased growth during the first days of lactation in piglets from sows fed high-fiber diets during gestation was reported by Quesnel et al (2009) and Guillemet et al (2007) and from sows fed high-fiber diets during late gestation by Oliviero et al (2009) suggesting beneficial effects of sow DF on piglet performance during early lactation, possibly related to colostrum production.…”