Abstract
This study aims to investigate the effects of in-feed additive synergistic blend of short and medium-chain organic acids (SGG) in sows during late gestation and lactation as well as litter performance. On day 107 of gestation, a total of 150 multiparous (Landrace × Yorkshire) sows were blocked according to parity (2.6) and allocated to one of three dietary treatments: CON – basal diet, SGG-Low – CON + 0.1% SGG and SGG-High – CON + 0.3% SGG. Sows supplemented with SGG-High consumed more lactation feed (p = .04) than sows fed the CON diet. The body weight (BW) and back fat (BF) loss during the lactation period were lower (p ≤ .05) in sows fed SGG supplements. Additionally, sows fed with different levels of SGG-supplement reduced (p = .04) the number of mummified and birth coefficient of variation (p = .03) and improved (p ≤ .05) the survivability of piglets. Also, piglets born to SGG group sows and fed a creep diet from days 5 to 21 of age, showed a tendency to increase (p = .07) BW on day 7, and significant improvements on days 14 (p = .02) and 21 (p < .001), and average daily gain (p < .001) during the overall experimental period. Furthermore, the SGG supplement significantly reduced (p ≤ .05) the number of Clostridium perfringens in faeces of sows on day 7 of lactation. Thus, we infer that the application of 0.1–0.3% of SGG supplement in sow diet and subsequently feeding their offsprings with creep diet would serve as the best option for optimum sow productivity and to enhance pre-weaning growth rate. HIGHLIGHTS The breeding efficiency of sow and the growth rate of piglets are very important for successful pig production. Sows fed with a synergistic blend of short and medium-chain organic acids (SGG) during late gestation and lactation improved the survivability of piglets. Piglets born to sows supplemented with different levels of SSG gained more weight and had a higher litter weight during weaning.
Published Version
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