Compared to the end of the last century, today's sows are more prolific and much leaner. These sows are less long-lived and have a higher replacement rate that can even exceed 50%. Sudden deaths, locomotion problems and reproductive failures in young sows are the most prevalent reasons for elimination. More prolific farrowings mean greater variability in piglet weight at birth, more difficulties in transition and fattening of low-weight pigs and higher mortality, especially during lactation.
Given the production results recorded in commercial farms of different companies, the main causes should be sought both in the rearing and entry of young sows into the production cycle and in the capacity to adapt and the effort that the sow must make during the first production cycle and to a lesser extent also the second. Without a doubt, without considering health aspects, it is necessary to review and modify the feeding and management guidelines traditionally used during these periods.
This project focuses on research work in the breeding and entry phase of sows to the breeding farm and the first two production cycles of the young sow, although production results will also be obtained throughout the entire productive life. The project has been designed by two research teams, one from the UAB (Subproject 1) and the other from IRTA (Subproject 2), and is structured in three blocks:
a) to study the effect of feeding in the rearing phase on the growth and body composition of the sow at the beginning of the production cycle and on its productive life and productivity
b) to find a method, easy to implement under commercial conditions, to differentiate, before entering the production cycle, between “viable” young sows (of presumed high longevity) and “non-viable” (of presumed compromised longevity)
c) to study and provide solutions to reduce both the elimination rates (mortality and sacrifice) of sows and the pre-weaning mortality rates in piglets.
The first block will be executed jointly, the UAB team will approach it under commercial conditions with a high number of animals and the IRTA team under experimental conditions with a higher risk in the experimental designs and a smaller number of animals. In both cases, in addition to the growth, body composition and future productivity of the young sow, special emphasis is placed on the development of the mammary gland and the evolution of the immune status. In the second block, the responsibility of the UAB team, based on the results obtained in the first block, the aim is to generate a simple and applicable method under commercial conditions to classify sows at the end of the farrowing period based on the prediction of their longevity and, thus, reduce early culling of sows in the sow herd (LonGilt). Finally, the third block, the responsibility of the IRTA team, is a more fundamental work of a metabolic and physiological nature aimed at modeling the hormonal profile and oxidative state of the sow, influencing fertility and reproductive parameters, and favoring the piglet's passive immunity.
The results of the project should contribute to reducing and optimizing the replacement rate, reducing piglet mortality and optimizing the productivity and longevity of sows.
This is a project developed between UAB-SNiBA and IRTA (PID2023-146956OB-C21/C22), in which the coordinating entity is the UAB and is carried out between the two institutions to address and solve current problems in the pig industry.
Proyecto PID2023-146956OB-C21 financiado por:
