Abstract
Simple SummaryThe digestive and metabolic adaptations suffered by sows during the late gestation-lactation transition cause a decrease in the voluntary feed intake. These conditions favor a negative energy balance, forcing the body to mobilize body reserves to meet their nutritional requirements, which represents an obstacle to expressing their reproductive and productive potential. The supplementation of the sows’ diet with cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica L.) improves the feed intake in lactation due to the favorable modulation of biochemical indicators. However, the optimal addition of cactus to the diet of lactating sows is unknown. In the present study, the increase in the inclusion level of cactus did not linearly increase the feed intake in lactation. However, a linear increase in plasma insulin and osteocalcin concentrations were observed, which led to a decrease in the plasma glucose concentrations. We conclude that the inclusion level of cactus (fresh base) in the diet of lactating sows of 1.0% (with respect to the body weight of the sow) could improve the feed intake in lactation and reduce the loss of body weight of the sow at weaning.The regulation of sows’ metabolic state during the gestation-lactation transition is a requirement for a higher feed intake in lactation, an important aspect in improving animal welfare in current swine production systems. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of the inclusion of different cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica L.) levels in the diet of gilts during late gestation and lactation on their biochemical parameters and voluntary feed intake during lactation. From day 85 of gestation until weaning, 40 gilts were divided into four groups: GNC (group with no cactus) with a basal diet (BD) only, G1C; group with 1% inclusion of cactus plus BD, G2C; group with 1.5% inclusion of cactus plus BD, and G3C; group with 2% inclusion of cactus plus BD. The dietary cactus supplementation increased the gilts’ feed intake (by 1.04 kg/day on average) during lactation and reduced their weight loss (4.3%) at weaning. The glucose concentrations were higher (range 73.0–83.9 mg/dL) in the GNC. The GNC had the highest triglyceride and cholesterol concentrations at day 100 of gestation. G3C had the highest osteocalcin concentration at day 100 of gestation. The highest feed intake and lowest glucose concentration were achieved with a cactus consumption of 1.04% in lactating gilts.
Highlights
The successful feeding of breeding sows does not consist only of an adequate nutrient supply in each of their productive phases
A group effect (p = 0.0003) was found on voluntary feed intake (VFI); the gilts subjected to G1C
CL = cactus level; IV = indicator value. & Estimates for each indicator were determined according to the percentage of cactus consumed. * estimator (p-value). Physiological processes such as insulin resistance [3,4], breastfeeding [7], and the increase in postpartum gonadotropins [8] are inherent processes of the species favoring productive deficiency in the current pig production systems as they affect directly the metabolic state of the sow, which, in turn, affects the voluntary feed intake during lactation [2]. This was confirmed in the gilts of the control group, as they were the ones with the lowest feed intake (Figure 1 and Table 2), while the concentrations of their metabolic indicators were higher compared to the groups that consumed cactus (Figures 2 and 3)
Summary
The successful feeding of breeding sows does not consist only of an adequate nutrient supply in each of their productive phases (gestation or lactation). If a sow’s feed intake is not optimal, her body condition and reproductive and productive indicators after weaning are affected, irrespective of whether she is receiving an adequate supply of nutrients [2]. Research has focused on searching and evaluating food strategies that help mitigate the effects of sows’ low feed intake during lactation [3,4,5]. A low feed intake during lactation has been associated with insulin resistance in sows during the last third of gestation [3], the breastfeeding effect and the prolactin–leptin–insulin relationship [6,7], the hypergonadotropic phase post-farrowing [8], and the sow’s body condition [5,9]. Nutritional strategies which focus on the input quantity and quality have been implemented in lactating sows
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
