Sow Productivity, Determinants of lactation success in primiparous sows -Banff 2017

Posted in: Nutrition, Pork Insight Articles, Production by admin on May 8, 2017 | No Comments

Preparing a gilt for a successful first lactation will benefit lactation performance in subsequent parities and thus the producers bottom line. Nathalie Trottier discussed several determinants of a successful first lactation.

Maximizing feed intake during lactation

• Setting body condition scores for gilts entering the breeding herd and monitoring body condition during gestation
• Feeding multiple times a day during gestation to encourage them to stand

Increasing fiber intake during gestation

• Improves gut fill and satiety during a time where gilts should be feed restricted on a calorie basis
• reduces risk of endotoxin build up whioch inhibits the secretion of prolactin

Increasing feed frequency during lactation

• 3-4 times per day

Increasing the length of the lactation period

Maximizing mammary glad use

• Nursing all of the available glands is crucial during the first lactation
• Cross fostering if needed to meet each teat
• Shown to improve teat function in future lactations

Selection for udder conformation

• 14-16 well defined functional teats

Preventing teat injury

Stimulating mammary cellular activity and growth

Dealing with contamination

• Gilts are more sensitive to ergot contamination

Sow productivity banff 

Alternative Feedstuffs and Feeding Programs for Nursery Pigs -Banff 2016

Posted in: Nutrition, Pork Insight Articles by admin on May 3, 2017 | No Comments

Feeding of nursery pigs has two key phases, each with its own focus: immediately post-weaning when the goal is getting pigs to eat, and the subsequent phase when you try to raise the pig’s capacity to eat by maximizing flexibility in feed formulation while maintaining growth performance.

Dietary feedstuffs directly impact feed costs and competitiveness, while functional characteristics of carbohydrates such as starch, fiber and oligosaccharides are critical to value-added attributes like intestine health.

Zijlstra cited some interesting findings here from relevant studies:

• Young pigs fed diets containing less energy and more fiber boasted the greatest feed intake and gain, but with a reduced feed efficiency.
• While increased dietary acid-detergent fiber consistently reduced energy digestibility, effects on feed intake were inconsistent.
• Barley-based diets may provide an advantage over their wheat-based counterparts.
• While pigs have strong preferences for certain feeds and feedstuffs, diets including alternative protein feedstuffs can produce a growth performance comparable to pigs on a soybean meal-based diet.

The article also covers the prebiotic effect  of fiber on nursery pigs, and the inclusion of fermented cereal grain in the feed to produce exopolysaccharide, which may reduce the incidence of diarrhea by providing an alternative target for Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli to adhere to.

Alternative Feedstuffs and Feeding Programs for Nursery Pigs -Banff 2016

The Use of SprayDried Animal Plasma to Mitigate Negative Effects of Deoxynivalenol (DON) in Late Nursery Pigs (2012)

Posted in: Nutrition, Pork Insight Articles, Prairie Swine Centre by admin on May 2, 2017 | No Comments

Grain infected with Fusarium fungi is a widespread problem in Western Canada. A common mycotoxin is deoxynivalenol or DON, low levels of DON in the diet reduce feed intake and Agriculture Canada recommends swine diets not contain more than 1 ppm DON.

This study was to determine if adding sprayed-dried animal plasma (SDAP) and/or activated clays (binder) to DON contaminated diets would mitigate the effect of DON during the nursery phase of production.

Inclusion of SDAP improved ADFI and alleviated the negative effects of DON. In this experiment, SDAP was more effective than the clay binder at alleviating the negative effects of DON. Thus it can be concluded that SDAP animal plasma should be added to nursery diets if DON contamination is determined or suspected

The Use of SprayDried Animal Plasma to Mitigate Negative Effects of Deoxynivalenol DON in Late Nursery Pigs

Using canola meal as a major protein source for lactating sows -Deepak E. Velayudhan and Martin Nyachoti 2017

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The objective of this study was to determine the effects of higher dietary canola meal inclusion in lactation diets on reproductive performance of sows with diets formulated on the basis of net energy and standardized ileal digestible amino acid.

The results from the study showed no negative effects of higher dietary canola meal on lactation feed intake, sow body weight, backfat change and weaning to estrous interval. Sow milk composition was also unaffected by higher rates of canola meal inclusion. There was no negative effect of dietary canola meal inclusion on litter ADG.

Inclusion of up to 30 per cent canola meal in lactation diet can support satisfactory sow and suckling piglet performance when such diets are formulated on the basis of net energy and standardized ileal digestible amino acid systems without negative side effects.

Using canola meal as a major protein source for lactating sows -Deepak E. Velayudhan and Martin Nyachoti 2017

Immune stimulation increases amino acid requirements in nursery pigs fed antibiotic-free starter diets- B.Jayaraman and C.M.Nyachoti 2017

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The Swine Nutrition Program at the University of Manitoba recently concluded a series of trials to determine the optimal SID Trp:Lys and SID Thr:Lys ratios for weaned pigs fed Antimicrobial growth promoters (AGP)-free starter diets and subjected to immunological challenge. Sanitation and Escherichia coli K88 (E. coli K88) models were used to challenge the weaned piglets.

The NRC (2012) recommends a diet with a SID Trp:Lys of 16 per cent and a SID Thr:Lys of 59 per cent, for pigs between seven and 25 kg, but this does not consider the health status of pigs. These values are derived from different studies in piglets fed diets containing AGP and so may have different values for pigs raised on a AGP-free diet.

This study concluded that weaned piglets raised under sub-optimal sanitary conditions and fed AGP-free diets need higher dietary threonine:lysine and tryptophan:lysine requirements than the NRC (2012) recommendations. Ensuring adequate amino acids in AGP-free starter diets will aid in maintaining good performance under unfavorable health conditions.

Immune stimulation increases amino acid requirements in nursery pigs fed antibiotic-free starter diets- B.Jayaraman and C.M.Nyachoti 2017

Feeding lower than typical nutrient dense diets based on barley or wheat grain to weaned pigs – X. Zhou, Eduardo Beltranena, Lifang Wang and Ruurd T.Zijlstra 2017

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Weaned pigs fed barley-based diets grew 41 (g/day) faster and converted feed into gain six per cent more efficiently than those fed wheat-based diets. Diet nutrient density had no effect on growth performance, but lower than typical nutrient density reduced feed cost and cost per kilogram of gain. Producers could therefore consider lower nutrient density and including more barley in nursery diets as long as pigs are able to maintain feed intake.

Formulating diets with low nutrient density reduced feed cost $42.74 and $45.63 per tonne of
wheat or barley-based diet, respectively, and slightly reduced feed cost per kg of body weight gain.

Researchers concluded that barley fiber likely has a prebiotic effect in the intestine favoring microbes that promote gut development and health.

Feeding lower than typical nutrient dense diets based on barley or wheat grain to weaned pigs – X. Zhou, Eduardo Beltranena, Lifang Wang and Ruurd T.Zijlstra 2017

Managing feeding to reduce feed wastage in lactation – Dr.Dan Columbus 2017

Posted in: Economics, Nutrition, Pork Insight Articles, Prairie Swine Centre, Production by admin on May 1, 2017 | No Comments

Electronic feeding systems have multiple advantages over manual feed delivery including collection of feed intake data, controlled delivery of fresh feed, reduced feed wastage, and lower labour costs. However, these feed systems can be costly to install and maintain.

A simple feeding system was developed to reduce this cost consisting of a feed drop tube that extends to approximately one inch above the base of the feeder, which required the sow to manipulate the tube to release small quantities of feed.

A total of 45 sows and litters were randomly assigned to one of three feeding systems – manual feeding, a commercially available electronic sow feeder, or the modified system.

The type of feeding system used had no effect on sow body weight, body condition score, or back fat. Sow feed intake was significantly higher with manual feeding when compared to the other two feeding systems in the first two weeks of lactation, no difference was evident in the third week.

It was found that manual feeding of sows during lactation can result in higher feed usage with no corresponding increase in sow or litter productivity. At today’s feed prices, the reduction in feed intake associated with the electronic or modified feeding system would save producers an estimated $8.50 per lactation when compared to manual feeding. Therefore, the electronic and modified feeding systems should be considered to minimize feed wastage and maximize returns.

Managing feeding to reduce feed wastage in lactation – Dr.Dan Columbus 2017

Vitamin D3 supplementation in suckling and weaned piglets

Posted in: Nutrition, Pork Insight Articles by admin on June 13, 2014 | No Comments

Indoor rearing of pigs and naturally low levels of vitamin D in sow milk mean supplementation to piglets is recommended to avoid vitamin D deficiency. This project looked at serum levels of vitamin D3 with or without supplementation, and the effect of supplementation of ADG, mortality, and morbidity. In the first trial, piglets were orally given 1ml of vitamin D3 or a placebo at  1-5 days of age, and had there serum tested then as well as 23 days later. Supplementation led to D3 serum levels of 23.29±12.06 ng/ml, rather than 8.01±5.91 for the control group. Trial 2 gave 1ml of vitamin D3 or a placebo to piglets at weaning, piglets were weighed and serum levels tested. Mortality and morbidity were tracked, and 28 days later serum levels were retested and piglets reweighed. Control pigs had serum levels of 18.68±3.99 ng/ml, and supplemented pigs had 22.34±6.01. There was no difference in ADG, mortality or morbidity. Trial 3 was similar to trial 2, but pigs were in pens with 27-56 others, not weighed and serum levels tested for 5 pigs/pen. Supplemented pigs had serum levels of 30.60±2.36 ng/ml 28 days post-administration, and control pigs had 17.65±2.40 ng/ml. There was no difference in mortality and morbidity. Oral supplementation of vitamin D3 did increase serum levels, but had no impact on pig performance.

Feeding the Sow: Comparison of Gestational and Lactation Programs

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Proper nutrition for sows through their previous lactation, and current gestation can have an impact on their piglets’ future growth performance and survival. Various feeding programs have been proposed, and each can potentially provide a benefit to the sow, piglets, and/or costs. One method is feeding for backfat thickness and sow weight, which prevents over-conditioning, reduces feed cost, and provided easier farrowing. Three lactation feeding methods have not been tested, but are used in practice exist. One is to restrict feed for 2-3 days, then increase quickly for lactation. Another is to slowly increase feed, and hold it steady until day 12 of lactation. Finally, a sow can self-feed by pressing a dispenser. The three methods were tested for lactating sows, as well as gestation feeding either for body condition (conventional), or weight and backfat thickness (Kansas State). Conventional feeding in lactation increased gestation length, but otherwise lactation and gestation stages were unaffected. The Kansas State gestation feeding increased feed intake in gestation, and led to less feed intake when lactating. The gradual increase (ramped-up) lactation feeding slightly increased feed intake. The Kansas State gestation feed sows had higher backfat and weights throughout the trial, but lost slightly more backfat than conventionally fed. The ramped-up lactation feeding resulted in less weight loss. Gestation feeding type had no impact on litter performance, and cross-fostering made performance at weaning difficult to analyze. However, ad libitum lactation feeding resulted in bigger litters with lower birth weights, and lower weaning weights. No system gave a clear advantage; although, cost savings could be considered for the systems, and the Kansas State system allows better monitoring of sow condition.

Mycotoxins and Toxicological Impacts in Swine

Posted in: Nutrition by admin on May 2, 2014 | No Comments

Since swine feed is made of relatively few ingredients, a single contaminated ingredient can have a significant effect. For grains, fungal infections can result in the fungus producing mycotoxins. Some of the mycotoxins found in grains include DON, zearalenone, Ochratoxin-A (OA), and aflatoxins in the southern US. For every 1ppm of DON a pigs appetite decreases by 7.5%, zearalenone causes reproductive problems and decreases sex hormones, OA can lead to kidney damage and decreased appetite, and aflatoxins can cause liver damage. Given the potentially significant decrease in production due to mycotoxins, it is important to develop strategies to manage contaminations. Avoidance would be the best, but is not always possible. Sampling can help with avoidance and DON and aflatoxins can be easily detected; however, this is not always possible for other contaminants. Binders and detoxifiers could be another strategy. Although there has been little success with DON binders, alfatoxin absorbents, and enzymes and microorganisms to degrade toxins show some promise. Chemical detoxifying alfatoxins with heat and wet alkaline conditions is has shown to be efficient. This would likely not be practical for stored feed, but could be used while producing ethanol to prevent spreading contamination. Finally, physically detoxifying grains by removing hulls can remove the majority of contaminant, though the practicality of the method is yet to be seen.