SEARCH
Industry Partners
Prairie Swine Centre is an affiliate of the University of Saskatchewan
Prairie Swine Centre is grateful for the assistance of the George Morris Centre in developing the economics portion of Pork Insight.
Financial support for the Enterprise Model Project and Pork Insight has been provided by:
Impacts of Lameness, Longevity & Inflammation on Productivity & Management of the Sow Herd
Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Production by student on June 29, 2018
Author: Mark E. Wilson Ph.D., Zach J. Rambo, Ph.D., and Melanie K. Beckam, MS.
Reference: Banff Pork Seminar Proceedings 2018
Summary: There are many underlying causes of lameness including: poor skeletal structure, claw lesions, inferior environmental conditions, diseases such as osteochondrosis or mycoplasma hyosynoviae, and improper handling. In swine production, the overall goal is to improve production in hopes of mitigating the effects and decrease the overall amount of lameness. The focus of this article is the implications of different types of minerals on overall claw tissue.
There are large production implications with lame sows as they have a tendency to decrease feed intake, have poor milk production, increased number of laid on piglets, poor performance of progeny in grow-finish, and a higher percentage of death loss.
In a study conducted by Anil et al. (2009) it was determined that claw lesions and lameness were reduced by adding Zn, Mn, and Cu to the diet. Lameness is one of the greatest reasons for sows culled in their reproductive stages. This has large implications for overall production as longevity has a large economic value. Gilts have smaller piglets as well as decreased IgG production compared to multiparous sows.
Amino acid complex materials assist in supporting the immune system. This helps corium and horn tissue proliferate and heal, speeding up the process of healing for claw lesions. In addition to the diet, environmental conditions also play a role in lameness in sows. Things that should be considered for optimal sow health are the flooring conditions, sow movement and handling, and sow structure. Including metal amino acid complexes is a great starting point for mitigating lameness.