What are the feeding and management techniques for sows at different stages?
Could you please provide information on the feeding and management techniques for sows at different stages?
(Agricultural Wealth Network) Could you please provide information on the feeding and management techniques for sows at different stages?
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1 Feeding of replacement gilts (3 months of age to first mating)
To ensure that the sow herd has good and stable reproductive performance, the feeding of replacement gilts is extremely critical. A scientific and reasonable feeding program should enable replacement gilts to reach a body weight of 130-140 kg at 220-240 days of age, with a P2 backfat thickness of 18-20 mm, and to have had 2 normal estrous cycles, so that they are mated at the third estrus.
To achieve this goal, the following feeding program is recommended:
At the 45-75 kg body weight stage, feed a growing-finishing pig diet with free access.
At the 75-100 kg body weight stage, feed a gilt developer diet with appropriate feed restriction. The nutrient levels of the dedicated gilt developer diet differ from those of gestating sow and lactating sow diets. Its content of appropriate levels of calcium, phosphorus, amino acids, biotin, folic acid, etc. plays an extremely important role in the development of the gilt's skeleton and reproductive system, helps improve the reproductive performance of the first litter, and can also extend the sow's reproductive service life.
From 100 kg to 2 weeks before mating, continue feeding the dedicated gilt diet with restricted feeding, controlling the daily feed amount at 2.5-3.0 kg to prevent replacement gilts from becoming too fat. Overly obese sows experience hormone secretion imbalance, and more fat accumulates in the ovaries, affecting estrus and ovulation number in replacement gilts.
Mating preparation period (2 weeks before mating)
Flushing can increase the ovulation number of replacement gilts. That is, increasing the energy concentration of the diet or increasing the daily feed amount 10-14 d before mating helps the secretion of estrogen and follicle-stimulating hormone, thereby increasing the ovulation number. The recommended daily feed amount at this stage is 3.0-3.5 kg or free access.
The goal of feeding sows during gestation is to produce a litter of piglets that are numerous, have high and uniform birth weights, and are vigorous, while the sow remains healthy with fully developed mammary glands and good body nutrient reserves. From the union of sperm and egg, embryo implantation, fetal development, to parturition, this period is called the gestation period for the sow and the embryonic period for the newly formed life individual. To achieve the feeding goal of sows during gestation, reasonable restricted feeding should be carried out according to the patterns of embryonic growth and development, the needs of sow mammary gland development and nutrient reserves. It is recommended to divide gestation into early gestation, mid-gestation and late gestation, precisely controlling the sow's body weight gain and ensuring fetal growth and development. This can save production costs without affecting the realization of the sow's maximum reproductive efficiency.
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2 Feeding of sows in early gestation (mating to 28 d after mating)
The goal of feeding sows in early gestation is to reduce embryonic death. It takes about 11-12 d for the fertilized egg to move to the uterine horn, after which the embryo begins implantation, ending at about the 24th d. If the embryo cannot implant, the embryo will die, resulting in an excessively low embryo survival rate and ultimately reducing the litter size. Early gestation is the first peak of embryonic death. The main reason is that excessively high nutrient concentration intake by the sow reduces progesterone secretion. Therefore, in early gestation, the sow's feed intake should be controlled so that the nutrients she takes in can meet her own needs (including the growth and development needs of young sows themselves). Therefore, once a sow is mated, she should immediately be switched to a gestating sow diet, with the daily feed amount controlled at 1.6-2.0 kg.
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3 Feeding of sows in mid-gestation (28-84 d of gestation)
The goal of feeding sows in mid-gestation is to ensure the needs of fetal development and the sow's own metabolic needs (including the growth and development needs of young sows themselves). Under normal circumstances, the feed amount at this stage should be controlled at 2.3-2.8 kg. For thinner sows, the feed amount should be appropriately increased on this basis to ensure that the sow's body condition recovers to an ideal state during this period. However, sows in extremely poor body condition should not be overfed, because overfeeding at this stage will reduce voluntary feed intake during lactation. For sows in excessively poor body condition after weaning, it is recommended to increase the feed amount after weaning, or even provide free access, and delay mating by one estrous cycle. The body weight gain of primiparous young sows during gestation is about 10% greater than that of multiparous sows, so under the same body condition, the feed amount for primiparous sows should be increased by about 10% compared with multiparous sows.
After 75 d of gestation is a critical period for mammary gland development. Excessive energy intake will increase fat deposition in the mammary glands, thereby reducing the number of mammary secretory cells, resulting in reduced milk production during lactation.
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4 Feeding of sows in late gestation (84-112 d of gestation)
The feeding of sows in late gestation is extremely critical to fetal growth and development. During this period, fetal growth and development are extremely rapid, and 60%-70% of the piglet's birth weight comes from rapid growth in the last month before birth. This stage is also a period of full mammary gland development. To ensure the needs of rapid fetal growth and sow mammary gland development, the recommended daily feed amount is 2.8-3.5 kg.
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5 Feeding of sows in the peripartum period (3 d before farrowing to 7 d after farrowing)
The goal of feeding sows in the peripartum period is to enable the sow to farrow smoothly, reduce the occurrence of constipation, and ensure the recovery of the sow's appetite after farrowing.
Starting 3 d before farrowing, gradually reduce the feed, decreasing by 0.5-1.0 kg per day. Under normal circumstances, the sow does not eat feed on the day of farrowing. If the sow does eat, she should be fed 1.5-2.0 kg of feed.
After farrowing, begin feeding a lactating sow diet, and increase the daily feed amount by 0.5-1.0 kg each day, until free access at 7 d after farrowing.
In the early postpartum period, due to restricted feeding, sows are prone to constipation. To prevent constipation, fiber or laxative feedstuffs such as wheat bran and sugar beet pulp can be appropriately added to the diet. Adding chemical laxatives such as magnesium sulfate and potassium sulfate is also a good method. At the same time, sufficient drinking water for the sow must be ensured. Ensuring the sow's drinking water requires not only convenient drinkers for the sow and ensuring water flow rate, but also that because physical exertion during farrowing and postpartum lethargy make the sow prefer to lie down, the stockperson must regularly rouse the sow to encourage her to drink.
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6 Feeding of sows during peak lactation (7 d after farrowing to weaning)
The goal of feeding sows during peak lactation is to maximize the sow's milk production while controlling the sow's weight loss, ensuring that the sow's body condition after weaning is suitable and that she smoothly enters the next reproductive cycle.
Due to their large body weight, large litter size and high milk production, modern sows need a very high feed intake during peak lactation, but modern sows often have a poor appetite. Therefore, it is necessary to feed a high-energy, high-protein diet with balanced energy and protein, and to increase the sow's feed intake through measures such as wet mash feeding and increasing the number of feedings (4 times per day). The nutrient intake of lactating sows is related to the sow's body weight, milk yield, number of piglets nursed, piglet growth rate and the temperature of the farrowing house. If the sow's nutrient intake is insufficient (negative nutrient balance), the sow will mobilize amino acids and fat from her own body tissues to synthesize milk, especially in high-producing lactating sows. On the one hand, this causes greater loss of the sow's body tissues and hormonal imbalance, leading to a prolonged interval from weaning to re-estrus and a reduced litter size in the next parity. Long-term negative nutrient balance can also cause problems such as reduced average litter size and a shortened reproductive service life. On the other hand, mobilizing fat from her own body tissues to synthesize milk will increase long-chain fatty acids in the milk, which in turn causes piglets to develop diarrhea due to indigestion. Negative nutrient balance can be improved by increasing feed intake or raising the dietary nutrient level.
During peak lactation, due to metabolism and the need to synthesize milk, the sow's daily water intake reaches 20-30 L. Sufficient drinking water for the sow must be ensured; otherwise, feed intake and milk production will be affected.
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7 Feeding of sows during the empty-to-be-mated period (weaning to re-mating)
The goal of feeding sows during the empty-to-be-mated period is for the sow to come into estrus and be mated 5-7 d after weaning. After weaning, continue feeding the nutrient-rich lactating sow diet. On the day of weaning, the sow may not eat due to the effects of weaning stress, but if the sow does eat, there is no need to specially reduce the sow's feed intake; instead, the sow's feed intake should be increased as soon as possible. During the entire empty-to-be-mated period, the daily feed amount is 3.0-4.0 kg or free access. This is beneficial for the recovery of the sow's body condition, promotes follicle development, helps the secretion of estrogen and follicle-stimulating hormone, and ultimately benefits the sow's estrus, ovulation and conception.
--------------------------------------
1 Feeding of replacement gilts (3 months of age to first mating)
To ensure that the sow herd has good and stable reproductive performance, the feeding of replacement gilts is extremely critical. A scientific and reasonable feeding program should enable replacement gilts to reach a body weight of 130-140 kg at 220-240 days of age, with a P2 backfat thickness of 18-20 mm, and to have had 2 normal estrous cycles, so that they are mated at the third estrus.
To achieve this goal, the following feeding program is recommended:
At the 45-75 kg body weight stage, feed a growing-finishing pig diet with free access.
At the 75-100 kg body weight stage, feed a gilt developer diet with appropriate feed restriction. The nutrient levels of the dedicated gilt developer diet differ from those of gestating sow and lactating sow diets. Its content of appropriate levels of calcium, phosphorus, amino acids, biotin, folic acid, etc. plays an extremely important role in the development of the gilt's skeleton and reproductive system, helps improve the reproductive performance of the first litter, and can also extend the sow's reproductive service life.
From 100 kg to 2 weeks before mating, continue feeding the dedicated gilt diet with restricted feeding, controlling the daily feed amount at 2.5-3.0 kg to prevent replacement gilts from becoming too fat. Overly obese sows experience hormone secretion imbalance, and more fat accumulates in the ovaries, affecting estrus and ovulation number in replacement gilts.
Mating preparation period (2 weeks before mating)
Flushing can increase the ovulation number of replacement gilts. That is, increasing the energy concentration of the diet or increasing the daily feed amount 10-14 d before mating helps the secretion of estrogen and follicle-stimulating hormone, thereby increasing the ovulation number. The recommended daily feed amount at this stage is 3.0-3.5 kg or free access.
The goal of feeding sows during gestation is to produce a litter of piglets that are numerous, have high and uniform birth weights, and are vigorous, while the sow remains healthy with fully developed mammary glands and good body nutrient reserves. From the union of sperm and egg, embryo implantation, fetal development, to parturition, this period is called the gestation period for the sow and the embryonic period for the newly formed life individual. To achieve the feeding goal of sows during gestation, reasonable restricted feeding should be carried out according to the patterns of embryonic growth and development, the needs of sow mammary gland development and nutrient reserves. It is recommended to divide gestation into early gestation, mid-gestation and late gestation, precisely controlling the sow's body weight gain and ensuring fetal growth and development. This can save production costs without affecting the realization of the sow's maximum reproductive efficiency.
--------------------------------------
2 Feeding of sows in early gestation (mating to 28 d after mating)
The goal of feeding sows in early gestation is to reduce embryonic death. It takes about 11-12 d for the fertilized egg to move to the uterine horn, after which the embryo begins implantation, ending at about the 24th d. If the embryo cannot implant, the embryo will die, resulting in an excessively low embryo survival rate and ultimately reducing the litter size. Early gestation is the first peak of embryonic death. The main reason is that excessively high nutrient concentration intake by the sow reduces progesterone secretion. Therefore, in early gestation, the sow's feed intake should be controlled so that the nutrients she takes in can meet her own needs (including the growth and development needs of young sows themselves). Therefore, once a sow is mated, she should immediately be switched to a gestating sow diet, with the daily feed amount controlled at 1.6-2.0 kg.
--------------------------------------
3 Feeding of sows in mid-gestation (28-84 d of gestation)
The goal of feeding sows in mid-gestation is to ensure the needs of fetal development and the sow's own metabolic needs (including the growth and development needs of young sows themselves). Under normal circumstances, the feed amount at this stage should be controlled at 2.3-2.8 kg. For thinner sows, the feed amount should be appropriately increased on this basis to ensure that the sow's body condition recovers to an ideal state during this period. However, sows in extremely poor body condition should not be overfed, because overfeeding at this stage will reduce voluntary feed intake during lactation. For sows in excessively poor body condition after weaning, it is recommended to increase the feed amount after weaning, or even provide free access, and delay mating by one estrous cycle. The body weight gain of primiparous young sows during gestation is about 10% greater than that of multiparous sows, so under the same body condition, the feed amount for primiparous sows should be increased by about 10% compared with multiparous sows.
After 75 d of gestation is a critical period for mammary gland development. Excessive energy intake will increase fat deposition in the mammary glands, thereby reducing the number of mammary secretory cells, resulting in reduced milk production during lactation.
--------------------------------------
4 Feeding of sows in late gestation (84-112 d of gestation)
The feeding of sows in late gestation is extremely critical to fetal growth and development. During this period, fetal growth and development are extremely rapid, and 60%-70% of the piglet's birth weight comes from rapid growth in the last month before birth. This stage is also a period of full mammary gland development. To ensure the needs of rapid fetal growth and sow mammary gland development, the recommended daily feed amount is 2.8-3.5 kg.
--------------------------------------
5 Feeding of sows in the peripartum period (3 d before farrowing to 7 d after farrowing)
The goal of feeding sows in the peripartum period is to enable the sow to farrow smoothly, reduce the occurrence of constipation, and ensure the recovery of the sow's appetite after farrowing.
Starting 3 d before farrowing, gradually reduce the feed, decreasing by 0.5-1.0 kg per day. Under normal circumstances, the sow does not eat feed on the day of farrowing. If the sow does eat, she should be fed 1.5-2.0 kg of feed.
After farrowing, begin feeding a lactating sow diet, and increase the daily feed amount by 0.5-1.0 kg each day, until free access at 7 d after farrowing.
In the early postpartum period, due to restricted feeding, sows are prone to constipation. To prevent constipation, fiber or laxative feedstuffs such as wheat bran and sugar beet pulp can be appropriately added to the diet. Adding chemical laxatives such as magnesium sulfate and potassium sulfate is also a good method. At the same time, sufficient drinking water for the sow must be ensured. Ensuring the sow's drinking water requires not only convenient drinkers for the sow and ensuring water flow rate, but also that because physical exertion during farrowing and postpartum lethargy make the sow prefer to lie down, the stockperson must regularly rouse the sow to encourage her to drink.
--------------------------------------
6 Feeding of sows during peak lactation (7 d after farrowing to weaning)
The goal of feeding sows during peak lactation is to maximize the sow's milk production while controlling the sow's weight loss, ensuring that the sow's body condition after weaning is suitable and that she smoothly enters the next reproductive cycle.
Due to their large body weight, large litter size and high milk production, modern sows need a very high feed intake during peak lactation, but modern sows often have a poor appetite. Therefore, it is necessary to feed a high-energy, high-protein diet with balanced energy and protein, and to increase the sow's feed intake through measures such as wet mash feeding and increasing the number of feedings (4 times per day). The nutrient intake of lactating sows is related to the sow's body weight, milk yield, number of piglets nursed, piglet growth rate and the temperature of the farrowing house. If the sow's nutrient intake is insufficient (negative nutrient balance), the sow will mobilize amino acids and fat from her own body tissues to synthesize milk, especially in high-producing lactating sows. On the one hand, this causes greater loss of the sow's body tissues and hormonal imbalance, leading to a prolonged interval from weaning to re-estrus and a reduced litter size in the next parity. Long-term negative nutrient balance can also cause problems such as reduced average litter size and a shortened reproductive service life. On the other hand, mobilizing fat from her own body tissues to synthesize milk will increase long-chain fatty acids in the milk, which in turn causes piglets to develop diarrhea due to indigestion. Negative nutrient balance can be improved by increasing feed intake or raising the dietary nutrient level.
During peak lactation, due to metabolism and the need to synthesize milk, the sow's daily water intake reaches 20-30 L. Sufficient drinking water for the sow must be ensured; otherwise, feed intake and milk production will be affected.
--------------------------------------
7 Feeding of sows during the empty-to-be-mated period (weaning to re-mating)
The goal of feeding sows during the empty-to-be-mated period is for the sow to come into estrus and be mated 5-7 d after weaning. After weaning, continue feeding the nutrient-rich lactating sow diet. On the day of weaning, the sow may not eat due to the effects of weaning stress, but if the sow does eat, there is no need to specially reduce the sow's feed intake; instead, the sow's feed intake should be increased as soon as possible. During the entire empty-to-be-mated period, the daily feed amount is 3.0-4.0 kg or free access. This is beneficial for the recovery of the sow's body condition, promotes follicle development, helps the secretion of estrogen and follicle-stimulating hormone, and ultimately benefits the sow's estrus, ovulation and conception.