The reproductive demands placed on sows today requires that feed intake be maximized during lactation. This will help to prevent mastitis, reduce farrowing difficulties, increase milk yield, prevent pig scours, maximize weaning weight, minimize sow body weight loss, and minimize wean to estrus interval. To maximize lactation feed intake, overfeeding should be avoided in gestation and pre-farrowing, water intake should be maximized, the room temperature should not be too warm, and feeder hygiene/feed freshness should be monitored. Sows need to eat 8.0 to 8.5 kg/day during lactation in order to avoid using their bodily reserves. To help achieve this, feed can be steadily increased from farrowing to 14 days, and kept on as much as possible up until weaning. Gilts require more lysine than sows, because they need the protein to continue individual growth.