Abstract
High piglet mortality constitutes a welfare challenge in Danish organic pig production with almost one in three piglets dying before weaning. Piglet characteristics such as birth weight, rectal temperature and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) affect piglet survival. Due to differences in breeding goals, these characteristics may be expected to differ between sow hybrids. Thus, the aims of the present study were (1) to investigate piglet characteristics in two highly prolific sow hybrids and (2) to study to which extent the aforementioned characteristics affect piglet mortality. Forty-nine sows (22 DanBred and 27 Topigs Norsvin) were followed in their first two parities. Sows were housed outdoors and gave birth in huts. On day 1 postpartum (pp) piglets were individually marked, weighed, their rectal temperature was recorded and they were scored for IUGR. Weight and rectal temperature were recorded again 3 days pp. Principal component analyses were conducted to explore relationships among variables. Early piglet death grouped with IUGR, lower rectal temperature and weight on day 1 pp. Late mortality grouped with increasing litter size and DanBred hybrid. Whilst, Topigs Norsvin hybrid grouped with increasing rectal temperature day 3 pp, longer crown to rump length, higher weight and more teats on the sow. Results of the statistical analyses showed that Topigs Norsvin piglets were heavier 1 and 3 days pp (p < 0.001) compared to DanBred piglets. Furthermore, Topigs Norsvin piglets had a higher rectal temperature than DanBred on day 1 pp (p = 0.023). The risk of IUGR depended on an interaction between sow hybrid and parity (p = 0.023). DanBred sows gave birth to more piglets (18.2 ± 0.6) than Topigs Norsvin sows (15.7 ± 0.5, p = 0.003), however, DanBred sows had fewer teats than Topigs Norsvin sows. Weight on day 1 pp affected both the odds of stillbirth (p < 0.001) and live born death (p < 0.001). Lower rectal temperature day 1 pp (p < 0.001) increased the odds of live born death. In conclusion, the investigated hybrids differed in several piglet characteristics related to piglet mortality. Use of sows giving birth to heavier and fewer piglets in the litter may thus be a useful tool to reduce piglet mortality in pig production with outdoor farrowing.
Highlights
At present, a major challenge in pig production with outdoor farrowing is high piglet mortality
Results are presented as odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) and p-values are from chi-squared tests
Apart from the clear separation into parities and hybrid (DanBred on the negative and TN70 of the positive part of dimension 1), DanBred hybrid grouped with larger litter size and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) whereas TN70 grouped with higher weight at first presentation, more teats and a larger CTR
Summary
A major challenge in pig production with outdoor farrowing (organic and free-range) is high piglet mortality. In systems with outdoor farrowing, management tools, which are commonly used in indoor production (e.g., split suckling, birth surveillance and assistance, use of milk replacer and colostrum supplement) are difficult to apply. This further emphasizes the need for production of viable, and preferably self-sustaining, piglets in such systems. In practice some farmers do choose to use nurse sows, others leave the large litters with the sow and let “nature run its course” and other farmers again have established a routine where they systematically euthanize surplus piglets starting with the least viable None of these routines are efficient, the latter two are morally questionable and conflict with the ethical principles of organic farming put forward by IFOAM (The International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements). In a system complying with the agro-ecological approach a sow would not give birth to more piglets, than she is able to nurse and which do not have a reasonable chance of survival
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