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:
Suckling of a Teat for Two Days in First Parity Ensure Enough Milk is Produced in Second Parity
Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Production by student on July 26, 2018
Author: Chantal Farmer, Ph.D., Robert Friendship, D.V.M., M.Sc., Rocio Amezcua, D.V.M., Ph.D.
Reference: Canadian Hog Journal Summer 2018
Summary: It is known that a teat that is not suckled during the first lactation will be less productive during future lactation, however how long is it necessary to suckle a teat to avoid this negative effect? It has been displayed in recent studies that a short time of two days of suckling in parity one is an effective way to have the milk yield of the sow unaffected during the second parity. Comparing leaving the piglet for only two days and up to 21 days it was also determined that there is no benefit of leaving the piglet on for any more days than two.
This information can be utilized when developing management practices for first parity sows. It is possible to remove piglets from first parity sows without having a negative affect on milk yield during the next lactation by allowing the piglets to suckle for two days. By reducing the litter size in poor body condition sows it is possible to increase their future reproductive performance and increase longevity within the herd.
Suckling of a Teat for Two Days in First Parity Ensures Enough Milk is Produced in Second Parity