Effect of adaptation to the farrowing crate on water intake of sows

Abstract

Abstract The purpose of this study was to verify whether adaptation to the farrowing crate and to a new watering system in the last days of gestation would result in insufficient water intake and consequently higher incidence of constipation in sows and litters with low growth rates (problem litters). A total of 73 sows was divided into two groups: one being introduced into the farrowing crate 25 days before parturition (36 sows), the other being moved 3–5 days before farrowing (37 sows). Individual apparent daily water consumption (ADWC) was monitored continuously with electronic counters. Median ADWC and faecal dry matter content (FDMC) in late gestation and in lactation and incidence of problem litters were similar among both groups of sows ( P > 0.2). Important variations in ADWC between sows made interpretation of results difficult. In late gestation, many sows drank large amounts of water above what is considered as their physiological needs. During the first 2–3 days of lactation, most sows had low water intakes in conjunction with an increased FDMC in all sows at day 2 after farrowing. However, FDMC at day 2 was only correlated with ADWC of sows with problem litters ( r = − 0.6).